Measuring Options for Good
Curtain Design
If we are going to accomplish a great
looking window treatment there has to be an order to how we
proceed. The place to start is visualizing the impact the
curtains will have on the rest of your decor. You have
nothing to measure until you know how the treatment is going
to look.
Perhaps you are picturing a full length
pair of panels? Maybe you will want a valance over the top.
Have you considered having tied back panels over panels. How
about a Valance with a Tier or Cafe in the lower portion of
the window? Perhaps a valance outside of the window and a
cafe in the window or a cafe/tier outside the lower part of
the window that extends all the way to the floor. You may
want the curtains installed inside the window jams on a
tension rod or outside of the window. The best way I know to
help you visualize these choices would be to cut pieces of
newspaper to the size of the various options and tape them
up in the window. Try several combinations until you are
pleased with the result.
If you have decided to place a valance or
a full length panel outside the window, the rod is usually
mounted 2 to 4 inches to each side of the molding. That way
the molding is completely hidden behind the window
treatment. The rod generally is placed 4 inches above the
molding.
If you have decided to mount the valance
or cafe inside the window frame on a tension rod you can
make the valance or cafe length any amount you wish because
the window treatment can be moved up or down at will. As a
rul of thumb the valance should be no more than 1/4 of the
window length and the cafe should be just above the halfway
point of the window.
Now you can start to measure the actual
curtain. Measuring the length of a full panel outside of the
window then becomes the height from either the top of the
rod or the top of the rod plus any ruffle down to at least
where the sewing line on the bottom hem is the same as the
bottom of the sill or lower. If the panel or cafe is inside
the window frame you should allow for 1/2 inch clearance up
from the window sill.
Here are some
additional window designs you may want to consider.
There are so many combinations that you can choose from.
These, of course, are very general
suggestions and are meant only as a guide. Through all of
this you should remember the one cardinal rule, which is
that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If any other
method of installing a window treatment pleases you then, in
my opinion, it is good decorating.
Good luck with your project.
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When
fabricating curtains there is always a choice between good and best. And as
always, your budget and the look you want to achieve will both dictate what
your finished product will be. The bottom hems, side hems and rod pocket as
well as what fullness or gather will be involved in your decision on how
many yards the project will use.