DOUBLE PLEAT (PINCH PLEAT)

• Buckram
• Fullness Ratio 2.2 to 2.4
• Lined Course
• Interlined Course
• This header gives you a slightly more contemporary feel to triple pleat but still has the tidy stack back and professional look over pencil pleat header. You may be able to use less fabric widths but this will depend on the pole length.

TRIPLE PLEAT (FRENCH PLEAT)

• Buckram
• Fullness Ratio 2.5
• Lined Course
• Why would I go for triple pleat heading? Some of my customers are adamant that they want triple pleats so I honestly think that’s purely a design decision. To make them look good, you will require 2.5 x fullness and this cannot be skimped on and I think they work best as interlined in a more formal and traditional setting. If you are concerned fabric amounts, check out out fullness ratio guide for tips and suggestions.

GOBLET PLEAT

• Buckram
• Fullness Ratio 2.5
• Lined Course
• Goblet pleats will give a window dressing a very grand and opulent feel so you would not want to skimp on fullness ratio. Suitable for a formal and imposing scheme and work well with buttons and braids for greater impact.

CARTRIDGE PLEAT

• Buckram
• Fullness Ratio 2.0 to 2.2
• Lined Course
• I would treat this in a similar way to double pleat. Remember that cartridge pleats are stuffed to hold their shape. This means that they will not stack back as compactly as other headings which could be a problem if they encroach too much on the window and block out light when stacked back. In which case a double or single pleat may work out better.

PENCIL PLEAT

• Tape
• Fullness Ratio 2.5
• Lined Course
• This is a really good style of curtain for the beginner curtain maker. The tape at the top gives you 3 positions for the hook so you don’t have to worry too much about the getting the length perfect (if you don’t mind them being a cm or so longer than needed). You can make them lined or unlined depending on your needs and they can be machine made for ease or hand stitched if you prefer (not the header tape). The downside with pencil pleat header is that, to look their best, you would require 2.5 x fullness. The implications of this is that you may need more fabric than other header types and this means more space to work on and more fabric to handle which can cause you problems in itself. If you are new to sewing and want simple easy to make curtain, don’t have lots of space to work or time to make them up, then I would consider the Pin hook, header tape curtain. see below