How To Turn Readymade Curtains Into Pinch Pleated Curtains

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Supplies Needed:

• Readymade curtains (I used these)
  Depending on the size of your window, you may need more than one panel per side. Your curtain rod should extend 8-12″ beyond the window frame. Your fabric should be 2.3x the width of your curtain rod to ensure there’s enough fabric for pleats and full coverage.
• Heading tape
• Tape Measure
• Sewing machine (I have this one)
• Thread that matches the color of your curtains
• Needle
• Scissors
• Adjustable curtain hooks
• Curtain rings
• Curtain rod

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1. Remove Back Tabs (If Applicable)

If your readymade curtains have back tabs or loops, it’s best to take them off the header. This removes excess bulk so your pleats can fold properly. You can either use a seam ripper (preferably) or cut them off with scissors.

2. Apply The Heading Tape

To create stiff pleats, you need to apply heading tape (aka buckram). If you’ve ever seen wavy pleats, it’s likely because heading tape wasn’t used. First, measure the height of your curtain header, and order heading tape that is the same size. I made the mistake of using 3.1″ heading tape on my 4″ header. Once I started pinching pleats, I noticed a slight bend in the fabric where the tape ended. Learn from my mistake and make sure your tape matches the size of your header!

There are a few ways you can apply heading tape:

THE PROFESSIONAL ROUTE: Using a seam ripper, undo the stitching across the top heading. This will allow you to tuck the heading tape between the fabric, so it’s not visible once finished. Fold the fabric back over the heading tape and sew it back in place.

THE EASY ROUTE: Apply the heading tape directly onto the back side of the curtain header. Position the tape on the header and sew it in place. Once finished, the tape is visible, so this is only recommended if the back of the header is above your window. (i.e. this is not recommended for cafe curtains.)

THE EASIEST ROUTE: If your curtain has a rod pocket header, you can slide the heading tape through the pocket. The heading tape is hidden once finished, and after you’ve sewn the pleats, it’s held in place. This is the route I took.

3. Sew Panels Together (If Applicable)

Depending on the size of your window, you may need more than one curtain panel per side. Use the formula below to determine how many panels you need. If you are using multiple panels per side, now is the time to sew them together. Place two panels together, finished sides facing inward, and stitch one end from top to bottom.

TO DETERMINE HOW MANY PANELS YOU NEED:

Your curtain rod should extend 8-12″ beyond the window frame. Your fabric should be 2.3x to 2.5x the width of your curtain rod to ensure there’s enough fabric for pleats and full coverage. (i.e. an 80″ rod requires 184″ of fabric total.)

4. Measure & Mark The Pleats

To ensure your pleats are evenly spaced and proportionally sized, you’ll need to do some math. This is the hardest part of this project, so bear with me. I used a formula from The Home Spun Styling Co, and I’ll reshare it here using my curtains as an example:

DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF PLEATS:

Assuming you’ll have curtain panels on each side of your window, take the width of your curtain rod and divide it by 2. My curtain rod is 80″, divided by 2 is 40″. So each curtain needs to cover 40″. You should have about 1 pleat every 4 inches, so divide 40 by 4 to determine the number of pleats per panel.

80 ÷ 2 = 40
40 ÷ 4 = 10 (the number of pleats per panel)

If you get a decimal number, round up or down to the nearest whole number.

DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF SPACES BETWEEN PLEATS:

You will always have one less space than the number of pleats.

10 pleats = 9 spaces

DETERMINE THE WIDTH OF THE PLEATS & SPACES:

5. Pin & Sew The Pleats

Once you’ve marked your pleats and spaces, you can pin your pleats in place. This, once again, ensures you did your math correctly!

Next, sew a vertical line along the back of each pleat. As shown in figure 2 above. This line will span the height of your header, which is typically either 4 or 6 inches. (Mine is 4″ high.)

6. Pinch & Stitch The Pleats

Next, pinch the fabric into a fold, and stitch the fabric together at the bottom of the header. My fabric was too thick to do this step with my sewing machine, so I ended up doing it by hand.

Whether you do this by hand or with a machine, be sure not to sew all the way back to your vertical stitch. There needs to be a little gap for your curtain hooks to slide up.

In the end, the pinch pleated curtains should look like the photo below –

7. Insert The Curtain Hooks

I find adjustable curtain hooks to be the best method for hanging curtains! If your curtains happen to be a little too long or too short, you can slide the hooks up or down until the bottom hem kisses the floor.

To insert the hooks, simply slide them into each pleat.

8. Steam & Memory Train The Curtains

After hanging the curtains, be sure to iron or steam them. I had better luck with this steamer than my iron. Immediately after steaming, I memory-trained the panels by neatly folding them and loosely tying a ribbon around them to hold them in place. I left them be for 48 hours. Once they’re trained, you’ll have the look of custom curtains at ready-made prices!

Can you believe what a difference pleats make to the curtains, and the overall look of the room!? It’s one of the best ways to elevate a space.

Ok, you have the tutorial, now it’s your turn to sew pinch pleated curtains! Good luck!

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