How To Measure & Hang Your Curtains The Correct Way

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1 How To Measure & Hang Your Curtains The Correct Way PLACE YOUR FIXTURES BEFORE MEASURING FOR CURTAINS AND DRAPERIES A VERY IMPORTANT PART of satisfactory curtains and draperies is the rods or fixtures on which they are hung. Buy sturdy, substantial rods or fixtures. The flimsy kind that bend and get crooked do not give a nice firm line for your curtains. They also give you trouble each time you undress or dress the windows. A little extra spent in getting substantial fixtures will pay dividends in the end. An important reason for placing fixtures before taking measurements is that sometimes you want to put them at the top of the window frame and sometimes down on the window frame at a line a little above the sash, and again, you may want to make an extension of the frame. Fixtures that are held in place with screws usually are more satisfactory and more firmly fastened than those put in with nails. The nails that come with such fixtures too often are too short to hold the fixtures satis-factorily, especially when heavy draperies are used and when there are two or three rods. Take the necessary precautions to have your fixtures securely fastened to the frame of your window at the outset. That will save your patience and insure a professionally finished look to your windows. We illustrate here the flat rod which has become a favorite. We show first the single rod on a fixture, then two rods, then three rods. Next we show the type of rod that is used for bay windows; then the traverse rod which is used for draw curtains and drapes; then the metal tape that is used on transoms, windows and door-ways with oval tops. To use this last fixture, you simply place the metal tape with the eyes in place in the curve of the window or door frame, then sew the matching strip on which the hooks are sewn to your gathered curtain piece. This can be hooked in, removed for laundering and replaced without too much effort. Many homes have wooden fixtures and large wooden poles on the windows. These fixtures and poles are in keeping with the woodwork of the room and very often it is desirable to use them. There are many ways in which a modern effect can be had with such fixtures. One is illustrated here: you simply lay box plaits in your curtain, then make straps of the fabric, line them, and place them over the rod. This avoids the heavy look 1

2 that you would have if you made a casing over the large rod. Very often a heading is made and straps are used at the back of the drapery to hold such a curtain in place. This, again, is done to avoid a heavy look. Many homes also have ornamental metal rods in the form of swinging cranes, tapestry rods, etc. For these, you make your drapery complete, lay the plaits as you want thembox or cartridge, cluster, pipe organ, or whatever type you choose-sew hooks at the back of the plaits and use these hooks for the rings that are on the swinging crane or extension rod. Here a word of caution is appropriate against fancy gadgets and fixtures. They, like false fireplaces, are to be avoided. They too often look extraneous and one grows tired of them too quickly. Decorators avoid ex-traneous fixtures, feeling that they destroy line and are, too often, in bad taste. It is important for the home decorator always to remember that good lines in draperies are as important as good lines in dress. Pulley Cords. Pulley cords are often used when the drapery serves as the window blind or for privacy be-tween rooms. A pulley cord may be used with any size of rod, as long as the rod is firm and will stand the weight and the rings are large enough to allow ample freedom of the cord. When you buy the fixtures for pulley cords, you will usually find on the box in which they come a detailed instruction for assembling and attaching to the curtain. Because these vary slightly with different manufacturers, it is well to follow the instructions given. By all means, buy cord of good quality. For each window you need a cord four times the width of the window. We illustrate a very simple threading of the pulley here: You slip the cord through ring 1, knot it around ring 2, bring through 3, knot it around 4 and again bring it back through 1. Sew knobs, which usually come with the pulley, or tassels to the ends of the cords, as shown. You pull one end of the cord then to open and one to close. Be sure to sew the rings to your draperies with sturdy thread and many stitches, so that they will stand the wear and tear of opening and closing. We illustrate here various types of pins and hooks, and rings used for draperies: A. shows two styles that may be pinned into the drapery and then hooked over the rod-the simplest form of all. B. shows a long hook which is sewed to the drapery and hooked over the rod. The length of this hook helps to hold the top straight, a particularly good feature if there is a deep heading. C. shows a type of fastener for a Rat rod, which is par-ticularly good with cartridge and pipe organ plaits where the heading is very deep and the 2

3 D. shows a similar type, but this one hooks over the rod instead of having the rod slipped through it. E. is a short example of the type that hooks over the rod, practical where the heading is short or is firm enough to hold itself up. F. shows a hook that is often used to hold up the two ends of a drapery where they meet in the center. The metal strip is sewed to both draperies and one hook is used to hook it over the rod, directly in the center. G. shows a hook that is often put in the baseboard near the floor. H. shows a ring sewn to the bottom of the drapery that hooks over G to hold the drapery down in position. These are so arranged that they are completely con-cealed. They are practical on doors that open out and where the wind might blow the draperies. The hook G is also used at the side of windows to hold tiebacks. 3

4 HOW TO MEASURE FOR CURTAINS AND DRAPERIES BUY AN ACCURATE tape measure, one that starts with I" at each end so that you do not have to turn the tape around continually to get the starting end for measuring. Never use a twisted tape measure. Press with an iron if it becomes twisted. Know your windows and how to measure for correct lengths. Then you will not waste your material or suffer disappointments. If you own the house or have a long lease, put all measurements down in a book so that once done you will always have correct measurements to refer to. Study the window shown here and know the terms so that you can follow the text more easily. For example: know where to measure, if your curtain fits inside the iamb and comes to the sill or 2" below it; or what is meant when the curtain comes to the bottom of the apron or baseboard. You rarely need to measure a window for width-but always for length. Often, how-ever, you measure the frame width from edge to edge for valances, for rods, etc. 4

5 SASH-the frame that holds the glass. SILL-the flat shelf-like piece between sash and apron. JAMBS-the vertical side pieces that hold the sash in position. FRAME-the outside part that holds the window in place. APRON-strip that supports the sill. BASEBOARD-the trim that stands against the wall, upright from the floor. Length is the important measurement. Measure from the bottom of the rod to the point at the bottom where you wish the curtain to terminate. Then to this length, you add hem widths and raw edge turns, casings, head-ing', and shrinkage allowances. Calculate these allow-ances carefully. The formal room requires that curtains or draperies extend from the top of the window frame to the floor and in some cases be long enough to be draped up and to lie on the floor. The length is usually 3 yards. If you need two widths, then you can always calculate twice the length of your window plus half a yard for making. In informal rooms, curtains or draperies extend from the top of the window frame to the bottom. How to Measure for Glass Curtains. For example: in making a glass curtain for a window that measures 72" from bottom of rod to the sill-begin with the measurement of: 72" - add 3" for a 2¾" finished hem-total 75" add 5¾" for a 1½" casing and 1¼" heading 5¾" add 1" per yard for shrinkage 2" 82¾" The ¼" extra in each case is for the hem turn. 82¾" therefore is needed for each glass curtain length for this 72" window. Many people who make a glass curtain to hang under, a valance, when no heading is needed, make a 2¾" hem in each end so that the curtain can be reversed after each washing and therefore wear out evenly. In such case your problem for a 72" finished curtain is to add 3" for each hem, plus 2" for shrinkage, making a total of 80". Never be stingy in curtain widths. Two fifty widths are skimpy for the average window. Three widths are often used-one split lengthwise and each of this one added to a whole width. Sheer fabrics, such as net, often are made 72" wide, even 90", which is a convenience as it eliminates piecing. In buying fabric in sales, always note their width. Sometimes 5

6 narrow widths prove expensive when you must buy four lengths instead of three, or three instead of two. How to Measure for Draperies. Decide the hem width that the type of fabric requires. If a heading is to be used, decide the depth it is to be and allow for this. Measure from the point where you want the top of the drapery to come to the floor, plus the length you want on the floor-from 4" to 6" is usually the amount allowed for this. Some draperies shrink in making and pressing- 1 a yard is safe to allow for this. For example: you have a 72" window; the length from bottom of rod floor is 90". You are using pipe organ plaits 5" deep. Then your figures should be as follows: 90" actual length 10" for pipe organ heading 2" for making allowance 4" to lie on the floor 106" The taller the window, the longer, usually, the on the-floor allowance. If the draperies are draped high, they must come to the floor at the draped point. Unless the draperies are very heavy and rooms spacious, they look amateurish if draped for any length over 6" on the floor. When you have measured and cut one drapery length, cutting on a thread of the fabric, of course, then lay this on the floor and lay the next width over this, matching the pattern in each section. If you can get someone to hold one end of the fabric while you hold the other, you can do the measuring easily and without danger of having one piece longer or shorter than the other. Your tape measure or yard-stick, being shorter than the average drapery, makes this precaution advisable. Always place the right sides of each two lengths together so they will be in pairs. This is especially important in motif fabrics because the design is not always he same on opposite selvages. If you have two or more windows, layout all the lengths at once and match the pattern in all so that the line of design will be correct throughout the room. 6

7 Where to Piece Draperies. They can be pieced behind the heading, under a valance, at the tieback line or under a tuck. If the piecing is done under a tuck, then all the drapery lengths must be tucked in the same way, to make the tuck a decorative feature. If the drapery is pieced under the tieback line, match the motifs, plaids or stripes and press the joining seam open to avoid bulk. A seam may also be made at the point where the heading begins. Tucks also should be placed in relation to the motif to avoid breaking the line. To do this, cut the drapery and attach the bottom section so that the motif line appears unbroken. All the above emergency piecing may be helpful when you are using two or more lengths of fabric or remnants, or when you are adapting draperies to longer windows than they were originally made for. 7

8 HEMS AND CASINGS Hems. To make nice hems in curtains or draperies, take the following precautions. Straighten your fabric. Measure your lengths. Decide at the beginning how much shrinkage allow-ance is necessary. The shrinkage in width need not concern you, except that you must never begin with skimpy cur-tains, because they shrink in width even more than in length. Most rayon fabrics shrink in length an average of 1 inch per yard; cotton fabrics, 2 inches per yard. If your curtain is 6 feet long and you are using Chiffonese, a rayon ninon, allow 2 inches in length for shrinkage. Other ninons are said to shrink more-for safety, allow 1½ inches per yard. If you are using cotton voile or marquisette or net, allow 2 inches for each 1 yard or 4 inches for each 6 foot curtain. Pull the thread and cut on the pulled line, or tear if fabric tears. Most plain sheers tear evenly; remember, selvage should always be clipped to begin and to finish. Do not try to tear through the selvage. When all lengths are ready, prepare the hems. If a hemmer is used, clip across each corner, as shown at A, so that the edge can be inserted easily into the hemmer. Do this at the beginning of each hem. If you are using a wider hem than your machine hemmer makes, then use one of the following methods: 1. Turn the raw edge a scant ¼ inch and crease by hand, as at B. Turn the hem the depth you want it, crease and pin it in place as in C, measuring the width with a piece of card-board that has been cut to the depth you have decided your hems should be. Use a long basting-stitch, as at D. Finish off your thread lengths with one back-stitch, as at E. 2. Take the curtain length to your ironing board. With moderately warm iron press the raw edge down. Turn hem, pin as in F. Measure and press the hem in position, creasing on a thread to insure evenness. Some women come quite expert in measuring and pressing. Try it-if you can do it perfectly, it will save time. If not, use method Number 1, because crooked hems are always a disappointment to you and all who see them. The illustrations below aims to show you - that the lengthwise hem stitched its full length first. Then the crosswise hem is fold, over this. Stitch back on every cross-hem, as at G, to prevent fraying or stitches pulling out. Casings. A casing must be wide enough for your rod slip through easily. Flat rods ⅝ inch deep slide nicely in casing 1 inch wide. Round rods ⅝ inch in diameter require 1½ inch casings to slide through easily-especially after curtains have been washed. Never be 8

9 tempted to make casings too small-fabric shrinks and washed fabric does "rod" as easily as the new. Different styles of casings shown here: 1. Plain casing without a heading. This is simply a plain hem, as you see, through which to run the rod. Make your lengthwise hem in the regular way, then measure for casing, turn and baste and stitch it in place. 2. If you have allowed for shrinkage, hand-baste a directly underneath the casing on the wrong side, taking half or all of the shrinkage allowance, the amount depending upon the length of your curtain. If the allowance is 6 inches then it is advisable to take half of it at the top casing half at the bottom. 3. Note here how the rod is slipped through the casing and how the shrinkage allowance drops down behind the curtain. 4. If you use a heading extending above the casing, allow for this by making a hem as deep as your casing plus the leading. Then stitch through this, making a stitching line the depth of your casing above the first, which will separate the 9

10 casing from the heading. Note rod in place and heading in position. See the ⅛ inch jog that is stitched into the heading simply to allow more room for the rod to enter. There is always a tedious moment when you start to "rod" a casing unless you allow this extra width. 5. Many times a double heading is desirable, especially when window blinds are set so low as to allow light to shine in above them. To make, fold for the hem and casing, then for the lower heading fold a tuck the depth of the heading; catch the top edge of this in with the first row of stitching. Later, a shrinkage allowance tuck can be placed underneath the second heading as shown at Sometimes a very high heading is desired, especially in organdy or crisp fabric that will stand up and sometimes even in sheer fabrics. Light-weight buckram or crinoline may be used to stiffen such a heading. In such cases, you limply measure for a deeper heading than otherwise. The width heading used, whether it is stiffened or soft, depends upon the effect you wish from your curtains. The stiffening must be cut on a thread, straightened and basted inside the hem. The stitching for the casing will hold it. 8. Often for kitchen or bathroom curtains or especially when you are working with short lengths and haven't enough for hems, you can use narrow hems instead of headings or bind the edge of the fabric. In such cases, you then apply a casing, using either crosswise strips of lawn or a flat bias binding. This casing needs to be a little larger than the ordinary casing, because the turned-in edges of the applied casing will take up some of your space and make it a little more difficult to "rod" the curtain. Hem the end of the casing before stitching it down to avoid ragged edges. 10

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12 HOW TO MAKE RUFFLES First decide whether you will use ruffles on the cross of the fabric or on the bias. Crisp fabrics like lawns, organdies and taffetas beg for ruffles cut on the bias, because they are more perky and show off to better advantage. Limp fabrics like marquisette, voile and ninon should be torn crosswise. A. If you are using crosswise ruffles, make a very small, flat French seam and snip off the end of the seam that goes in the hemmer so that the hem will turn nicely over it and go through your hemmer without being stubborn about it. B. If you are using bias ruffles, stitch the seam lengthwise of the fabric, as shown, clip the corners also to avoid bulk under your hemmer. Because you use only firm fabrics for bias ruffles, you need not make a French seam. It is a good idea, however, to overcast the raw edges by hand just to be sure that they do not fray when the curtain is washed. Organdy and lawn bias ruffles may be made with a French seam. Seam and hem all of your ruffles at one time. For limp fabrics cut across the fabric, you need 1¾ yards of ruffle for each yard of curtain length. For bias ruffles, l½ yards of ruffle for 1 yard of curtain length is sufficient. Adjust your machine ruffler or length of stitch for the gathering foot so that the length of ruffle will be approximately correct for the length of curtain that you have. Then gather the ruffle, keeping the gathering line as near the raw edge of the ruffle as you possibly can. A generous ⅛ inch is usually safe; if you make the margin narrower than this, you may run off the edge. If you do run off, back up and start your gathering again, because bare spots in a gathered ruffle are never attractive. After your ruffle is gathered, pin it along the edge of the curtain. If your gathered ruffle is short, clip the machine thread every few inches to open out the gathers. Draw up the bobbin thread if the ruffles are too long and look skimped. C. With a long machine-stitch, stitch the ruffle to the edge of the curtain. D. Trim the edge evenly, as shown, in preparation for a French seam. E. Make a French-fold seam, as shown at F, which means that the gath-ered edge is really bound with the curtain material. 12

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14 G. Often it is desirable to make a flat fell seam. In such cases, stitch the ruffle right side up to the wrong side of the curtain, placing the stitching line ⅜ of an inch from the edge of the curtain. With the right side of the curtain up, place the ruffle right side down over the curtain edge. Smooth the ruffle out, turn the raw edge in ⅛ inch and stitch in flat to the ruffle, as in H. (Most ready-made curtains are made this way.) Tiered Ruffles. Sometimes ruffles are applied in tiers. In such cases, mark the line where each ruffle is to come with tracing wheel, or by creasing or basting, as shown in I. 1. Apply the first ruffle, as shown in J, using a French-fold seam. Turn the next gathered ruffle away from the first, baste, and stitch in place, as in K. Then when it turns down in the direction of the first ruffle, the stitching line will be concealed. 2. This illustration aims to show how a ruffle is applied to a curve. It may be put on with a French or flat fell seam, or the seam may be made to come to the right side and seam edges may be covered with a bias trim. The point is that you must use a ruffle twice as long as your curve measures to prevent its cupping on the outside or bottom edge when the ruffle is opened out. 3. Note how full a square-corner ruffle must be to prevent cupping, as in L. 4. This illustrates how you carry stitching of hems and casings-even shrinkage allowance-out through the ruffle. Crosswise grain of the fabric kept in line with the crosswise grain of the curtain. 14

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