Custom drapery is cut and sewn for one window rather than picked from a size chart: the fullness, the lining, the header style and the hem are chosen for the room, and the panel is made to the actual drop. We sew ours in the Akron workroom in ripplefold, pinch pleat, inverted and box pleat, grommet and sheers — on decorative rods or on track, on their own or layered over a roller shade.
Sewn in our own workroom
Ready-made drapery comes in a few widths and two or three lengths, gathered to whatever fullness the packet decided, and hemmed to a length your window probably is not. It is a reasonable product for a window it happens to fit.
Custom is a different set of decisions. Fullness — how much more fabric than the width of the opening — is what makes a panel look like drapery rather than a flat sheet, and it is chosen, not assumed. Lining decides how the panel hangs, how much light it stops and how it insulates a Northeast Ohio window in February. The header decides the whole character of the thing. The hem decides whether the panel breaks on the floor, kisses it, or floats above it. And the panel is cut for the window you actually have — which is what tall, wide, arched and out-of-square openings need.
Header styles
| Header | What it looks like | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Ripplefold | A continuous, even S-wave with no pleats sewn into the header. Hangs from a track. | Contemporary rooms; the natural motorized drapery, because it stacks tightly and moves cleanly |
| Pinch pleat | Folds sewn in, two or three fingers per pleat, on a rod or a track. | Traditional and formal rooms; the classic |
| Inverted and box pleat | The fold turned to the back, or a flat tailored box. Reads flat and quiet. | Tailored, architectural rooms where the fabric should not shout |
| Grommet | Metal rings set into the header, sliding straight onto a rod. | Casual rooms, dens, informal spaces |
This is a look decision far more than a performance decision. Any of them can be lined, blackout-lined, or layered over a shade.
Sheers and layering
Sheers by themselves
Sheers soften the light and blur the view in during the day. They do not give you privacy at night with the lights on — the room is brighter than the outside, so a sheer reads as very nearly transparent. That is the single most common mistake made with them, and it is worth knowing before rather than after.
Drapery over a roller or solar shade
Layering is what a workroom is for. A solar or light-filtering roller handles the sun, the glare and the fading. Drapery over it handles how the room looks, softens the sound, and cuts the draught around the perimeter through a Northeast Ohio winter. If you want sheers for the look and privacy after dark, that is the same answer: sheers over a light-filtering or room-darkening shade, and you use whichever one the hour calls for. Because we make both, they are specified together rather than bought separately and made to fit each other afterwards. See the roller shades underneath.
Blackout drapery, honestly
A blackout lining behind a drapery panel does a great deal, and it does it beautifully — a lined panel has weight and hangs well. The light that remains comes around the sides and over the top, exactly as it does with a shade. A proper return that wraps the panel back to the wall, a generous overlap in the centre, or a blackout roller behind the drapery are the three ways to close that. A blackout roll behind your fabric, or the longer explanation of where the light gets in.
Hardware and tracks
Decorative rods, rings and finials are part of the design decision rather than an accessory bought afterwards — the hardware is visible on every drapery treatment and it sets the register of the room as much as the fabric does. Track is the other half of the answer: it is what makes ripplefold work and what makes motorization possible. Motorized drapery tracks and cornices and valances over the top.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between ripplefold and pinch pleat?
Ripplefold hangs from a track in a continuous, even S-wave with no pleats sewn into the header — it reads modern, stacks tightly and is the easiest style to motorize. Pinch pleat has the folds sewn in, two or three fingers per pleat, and hangs from a rod or a track — it reads traditional and formal. They are a look decision more than a performance decision.
Do sheers give you privacy?
During the day, yes — they soften the light and blur the view in. At night with the lights on, no: the room is brighter than the outside, so a sheer reads as almost transparent. If you want sheers for the look and privacy after dark, layer them over a light-filtering or room-darkening shade and use both.
Should I put drapery over a shade, or just pick one?
Layering is what a workroom is for. A solar or light-filtering roller handles the sun, the glare and the fading; drapery over it handles how the room looks, softens the sound, and cuts the draught around the perimeter in a Northeast Ohio winter. Because we make both here, they are specified together rather than bought separately and made to fit each other afterwards.
Have the fabric brought to your room
Drapery is chosen in the light it will live in. A designer brings it to you, measures the drop, and quotes it there.