Tips On Making Great Drape Pleats
In case you are like me, you may perhaps think that sheer curtains or draperies seem to be so much superior if each fold is uniformly identical. Accomplishing that is easier than you may think. There are actually three different methods to approach the problem and I guarantee that, in one of these ways, you can get it. From time to time even pleated drapes call for coaxing if the fabric is springy or stiff and, of course, the best method is to choose a soft pliable material in the first place. This is not every time probable so lets discuss about how to create perfect pleats regardless of what textile is used even counting eyelet curtains or lace material or a hard old-fashioned satin.
In case the drape fabric is somewhat flexible the easiest first attempt would be to install the window treatment, pull each section to single side and actually arrange the pleats evenly. Then fasten them back quite loosely both near the top and at the bottom edge. As soon as this is done you can drench the front and rear of the pleats gently with a mixture of water with a tiny quantity of alcohol added. Do this with a extremely subtle spray without soaking the textile. You only want a steam on the surface. You can also stroke your fingers evenly on each pleat while they are still damp forming them into a pleasant round shape. Leave them for a few days. The form of the pleats will seriously increase, hopefully to the stage that they are excellent without further fussing.
If the pleats are still flaring the next tactic is to employ what in the drapery business is known as “shot tape” or in fabric stores as “leaded weight tape”. It consists of a extended, very small diameter cotton pipe that is packed with a single line of about 1/8 inch lead balls to outline a continuous string. Place this string in the bottom hem from one side of the panel to the other. That adds heaviness to the drape. You can now arrange the pleats much more easily. When you have prearranged them consistently they tend to remain where you have positioned them because of the added weight and the relative refusal of the string to straighten out.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 5:28 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.