- 1). Lay the drapery panels side by side. Measure the total drapery width across the drapery tops, which are called headers. Measure a panel from top to bottom for the finished drapery length.
- 2). Check the drapery rod packaging for the return, which is the amount of drapery that folds back to the wall to cover the side gap between the wall and the rod. On pinch pleat drapery rods, which are traverse rods, the return is the same as the end bracket depth. If the return isn't noted on the package, measure the bracket depth. Double the return and subtract it from the total drapery width noted in Step 1. Subtract another 4 inches from the total drapery width for overlap to allow the panels to cross over each other in the center for privacy and light control. Your final total is the rod width for standard traverse rods or the width minus finials for traverse rods with rings.
- 3). Subtract 1/4-inch from the finished drapery length in Step 1 if you're using a standard traverse rod. For traverse rods with rings, subtract 1/4-inch from the finished drapery length then add the distance from the top of the rod to the pinhole at the bottom of a ring. You'll use these measurements to determine the rod-hanging height.
- 4). Measure up from the spot where you want the drapery hem to fall, using your total from Step 3. Add another 1/2-inch to the total if the draperies are floor length. Mark the spot on the wall with a pencil.
- 5). Assemble and adjust your traverse rod to the rod width you determined in Step 2. Mount the brackets on the wall then attach the rod to the brackets. Align the top edge of the rod with the pencil mark from Step 4. Make sure the rod is level and centered over the window. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for rod assembly, adjustment and mounting. These procedures will vary by rod type and manufacturer.
- 6). Measure from the top of a standard traverse rod to the pinhole in one of the glides -- the carriers that move along the rod's track. Add 1-5/8 inch to the measurement for the insertion point for your drapery pins. For traverse rods with rings, the insertion point is 1-5/8 inch.
- 7). Lay your draperies right side down. Locate the vertical seams along the backs of the headers. Measure from the top of the first seam to the insertion point from Step 6. Insert the straight end of a 1 3/8-inch drapery pin into the center of the seam at the insertion point. Push the pin toward the top of the panel as far as it will go but don't let the pin pierce the front of the panel. Repeat with the rest of the seams then insert a drapery pin 1/8-inch from each end of the panel. Repeat with the second panel in the pair.
- 8). Hook the first pin on the left panel's leading edge, which is the inner edge, to the first pinhole in the overlap carrier. Hook the second pin into its corresponding pinhole on the carrier. Hook all but the last two pins into the pinholes on the glides or rings. Wrap the panel around the side of the bracket and hook the last two pins into the corresponding pinholes on the bracket. Repeat with the right panel.
SHARE
