When it’s time to choose curtains or drapes, however, it’s a good idea to know your options. There are many different types of panels to choose from. Here are four of the most popular curtain and drapery styles to help you identify what you need for your home. Depending on the fabric, color, and pattern chosen, ring-top draperies work with just about any decorating style from casual country to sleek contemporary looks. This type of window treatment is perfect for a patio window that needs to be accessible since it’s easy to open and close. Some rod-pocket panels have a ruffled header. Although not as popular these days as straight-topped panels, the ruffles give a more formal or old-fashioned look that some people prefer. Rod-pocket panels are normally kept in a closed position or held back with decorative tiebacks. The pleats are formed with the help of header tape that is available by the yard at fabric stores if you’re inclined to sew your own window treatments. Sewn from the panel’s back, the tape forms pleats when pulled together. The hanging hooks are then inserted into the tape, and the panels hung on rings or traverse rods, which use a cord-and-pulley system for opening and closing the curtains. There are several styles of pleats, all of which are sewn into a panel’s top edge to create a decorative header.
Pinch pleat is the most common style. It is a series of equally spaced single, double, or triple pleats that are pinched in the center, forming fans above and below the pinch.Goblet pleat is like a triple-pinch pleat, except the pleating of the pinch is embellished with a stiffening paper or card to form a wine glass silhouette.Pencil pleats are thin single pleats formed in neat, taut folds.Cartridge pleats are single pleats that are spaced more widely than regular pinch pleats, and also rounded at the top.Tuxedo pleats are larger pleats normally hung on a decorative rod to create contemporary and formal flair.
One bit of information to know about tab-top panels is that they’re normally stationary, since drawing them across the rod can be a bit of a burden. Therefore, they are best used on windows that aren’t opened on a regular basis.
