Give your windows an elegant and soft look when you learn how to drape curtains over rods. Draping sheers on the top part of your window gives it a new look and softens the rigidness of the rod or curtain hardware.
Fortunately, this amazing and cost-efficient window treatment is quite easy to arrange. You can purchase a ready-made sheer curtain or make your own. Wrap the soft fabric around the rod, and adjust to form the soft drapes.
Window scarves
The term that designers use to describe curtains elegantly draped over rods is window scarves. It can either be at the top or side of the window to give your regular draperies a touch of elegance and added depth.
You can extend the scarves until the top half of the window or leave it all the way down to the floor to create a puddle of fabric. The length depends on the kind of style you are going for. Some people opt for unequal lengths with only one end flowing lusciously towards the floor.
Homeowners typically opt for sheer fabric when selecting a curtain to drape over the rods. The thin and lightweight materials make it easy to form and rearrange when wrapping around the rod. It is also perfect for creating soft curves and flowing fabric.
Adding window scarves to give your window treatments more personality is exactly why we need to learn how to drape curtains over rods. Fortunately, we have just the detailed step-by-step procedure to get you started.
Step 1: Determine measurements.
Like we’ve mentioned, there is no specific length when it comes to hanging window scarves. You can opt for shorter or longer lengths with balanced or imbalanced fabric flowing from the rod itself. Decide what type of look you want to achieve before measuring the fabric.
Note: To make the steps clear, we will use a traditional window scarf design with its ends flowing just above the window sill as our point of reference.
To determine how much fabric we are going to need, get a spool of thread. Yes, not a measuring tape, but a spool of thread. It would be easier to maneuver a thread and wrap it around the rods to get the ideal length compared to tape measures.
Step 2: Thread your string.
Unwind your spool and thread the string from one end of the rod to the other. Treat it as a curtain that you readily drape over the rod. Determine the swag of your depth and adjust the strings until you get your window treatment’s exact look.
The thread will serve as a guide that will enable you to visualize how your curtain will drape and wrap around the rod. For easy window scarves, hang one end of the string on the left side of the rod, let it loose along the middle and hook the other end of the string on the right side of the rod.
Once you have the correct length and placement of the string, clip the ends and remove it from the rod. Measure the total length of the string as it will serve as the length of your finished curtain.
Step 3: Make adjustments.
Regular-sized sheer curtains should be able to give you a neat window scarf without extra tailoring. If your fabric lacks an inch or two, you can always adjust its arrangement so that you utilize the exact length of your curtain.
If you prefer to make longer or shorter curtains to drape over the rods, you can easily remove the hem, cut off the excess fabric, or add some inches (depending on your desired result). Hem the sides again and iron the fabric.
Step 4: Drape the curtain.
Hang your rod onto the brackets. Take one end of your curtains or pre-adjusted curtains and drape it on one side of the rod. Make sure that you support the front weight first so that it doesn’t drop right away.
Carefully take the other end and drape it over the untouched side of the rod. Adjust the fabric so that it can balance itself on the horizontal pole. You can secure the edges of the curtains by adding pins, staples, or tacks to anchor the fabric in its place.
Design Tips
You can make single, double, or multiple swags or curves in the middle of the rod. Wrap the curtains around the rod and let the sides form flowing drapes. Secure the fabric using staples or pins.
You can finish it off with some pleats and other decorative embellishments like string lights and many more. You might want to use decorative rods with finials rather than your regular curtain rod for this type of window treatment.
The window scarves only soften the rigidness of the curtain’s hardware. It does not entirely cover up the rod, especially if you use sheer curtains as your drapes. However, you can experiment with other designs to really hide those unpleasant curtains rods.
Summary
Overall, learning how to drape curtains over rods is a pretty easy feat. There’s not much hardware to work with, especially if you already have your rod and brackets installed. Drape curtains elegantly to add depth, texture, and additional colors to your window treatments.