Curtain Headings and Hems

Curtains and drapes come with a variety of different headings.

It is important to consider the kind of curtain heading and hem you want for your window treatments since they contribute to the overall effect of your design, and can impact how fabric you may need to buy.

We find the most popular curtain headings are:

• Pencil Pleat
• Pinch Pleat
• Tab Top
• Eyelet
• Wave

We look in further detail at each of these below, and look at some of the pros and cons of each.

Pencil Pleat

This type of heading has folds of fabric that are gathered together. Pencil pleats are very traditional and come in a variety of widths ranging from very narrow to wider box pleats. Curtains and drapes with pencil pleats are generally hung with rings or hooks.

Eyelet

Tab Top

This kind of curtain provides a contemporary, informal look. The curtain hangs from a pole by a row of fabric tabs or loops. The tabs can even be concealed behind the curtain for better heat and light absorption.

Pinch Pleat

A pinch pleat pleat hem lies square and flat and features deep folds that continue the entire length of the curtain. This style creates a tailored, masculine look and work well with textured fabrics. Window dressings are available in a triple, double or single box pleat.

Wave

Wave is a neat and stylish curtain heading system by Silent Gliss. It is created through combining a specially designed heading tape and Wave glider-cord to get a soft and simple continuous wave effect. The finished appearance is similar to that of eyelet curtains but fabric hangs directly below the track in a neat and uniform style.

Pros and Cons

So are there any pros and cons to choosing each of these curtain headings, of course there could be aesthetic considerations but also budgetary considerations as well, as when considering how much curtain fabric do I need the style of curtain heading can effect the amount of fabric you will need to order. We look at some of the pros and cons here:

Pencil Pleat Curtain Headings
The "standard" curtain heading you find on ready made curtains requires only "double fullness" x 2 therefore not as heavy on amount of fabric required when compared with other curtain headings.

 

Pinch Pleat Curtain Headings
Pinch Pleat headings can either be double pinch or triple pinch, a very traditional classic curtain heading, and with double pinch in our experience you can still use only "double fullness" x 2 and therefore get a classic finish, only triple pinch pleat curtains really need "two and half times fullness" x 2.5 fullness so triple pinch pleat always requires the most amount of fabric generally.

 

Tab Top Curtain Headings
While some consider them to be "pretty", Tab Top are not always the most pratical they only require "double fullness" so x 2 fabric quantities.

 

Eyelet Curtain Headings
Eyelet curtains have a very contemporary look and feel, and a neat stack back in the way the curtain folds, "double fullness" x 2 again is required for this type of curtain heading

 

Wave Curtian Headings
Wave curtains established by Silent Gliss ideal choice for sheer curtains and voiles to create a very contemporary look and feel as a window treatment dpending on the size of the wave 60mm or 80mm you require just over "double fullness" 2.1 or 2.3 please see our guide on Wave Curtains