Almost all of us will agree on the point that curtains are a great way to change the look of our house.
Yet as with many aspects of life, you may not always find the perfect fit. In the market, you may never find the exact length and width of the curtain that can fit your window as neatly as something you’ve made, especially for your window size.
Therefore, making them yourself is the best option, which is actually rather easy with the best sewing machine for beginners!
The same is the story with inverted pleat curtains.
A Tip For Making Right Size Pleats
Before we begin to make inverted pleat curtains, here is a quick tip for you. If you want your curtains to be more decorative than functional, you can make the same size pleats at the front and back to get maximum fullness.
But if your curtains are more functional than decorative, go with a smaller pleat on the back.
It will make it easier for you to open and close them, and at the same time, the curtains will look better when you open them as the pleats will stack nicely.
Steps to Make Inverted Pleat Curtains
Here are a few steps in making inverted pleat curtains.
Step 1: Gather Supplies
- Drapery fabric
- Drapery lining
- Drapery weights
- Drapery rings
- Drapery buckram
- Matching Thread
- Hand sewing needle (Optional)
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
- Measuring tape
- Fabric Marker
- Scissors
- Iron
Step 2: Cutting
- Measure the width of your window before cutting the fabric. Next, cut a piece of your favorite fabric at least twice the width of your window and 7 inches longer than the length of your window or the size you want the finished curtains to be. Then, cut a piece of lining fabric two inches smaller than the front material on each side.
(Tip: Before you begin cutting, make sure you have figured out the size of your pleats. For better measurements, cut a piece of fabric to play and analyze the width of your fabric.)
Step 3: Arrange and Sew
- First, arrange your fabric by placing the lining fabric along one long side of the main fabric, with the right sides facing down. Make sure the front fabric or main fabric should be one inch wider than the lining fabric on each end. Using a sewing machine, sew along this side. If you do not know how to use a sewing machine, you can see different video tutorials for a sewing machine for beginners to get the basic idea. Sew up the other side as well, following the same step.
- After sewing each side, turn your curtains right side out. Take the front fabric of your curtains and turn under one inch on each side and iron them. Next, make the front and lining fabric lie flat against each other.
- To make a clean look, fold and iron ½ inch along the bottom. Repeat the same step and fold and iron another 3 inches. Keep whipstitching or sewing this hem along the top.
- Now before you stitch pleats, first measure and mark where you want your pleats to go.
- Pinch the fabric between the marks on the wrong side and tack down the end of the pleat. Next, turn the pleat out and neatly whip stitch or sew along the top. It will hold the pleats in place.
- To make your curtains look more neat, iron the pleats.
That is the gist of creating your curtains in the way you want it to be. Remember to sit back, relax and enjoy your new curtains!
