Please see our 'everything you need to know about tracks and poles' section for advice on these products. Here is our guide to hanging pencil pleat curtains, please see the index on the left for instructions on other types of curtains and Roman Blinds. So your eagerly awaited new curtains have arrived at last! But what if you’ve never hung a pair of curtains before?! Don’t panic: here is your indispensable guide to hanging your curtains like a professional! Firstly you need to unpack your curtains. They’re probably pretty creased from sitting inside the packaging. Some customers are happy to hang the curtains and let the crease drop out over time. Others like to give them a gentle press. Either way works well but please read the pressing instructions on the label- some fabrics have special finishes (ie flocking or metallic details) that don’t respond well to the heat of an iron. You’ll find a strip of curtain tape stitched across the top of your curtain. This heading tape will usually have three rows of string threaded through it.

These strings have to be pulled in order to achieve the gathered look that you’re aiming for.Before you go any further you need to tie a knot in one end of all of the strings or they might just come all the way through and out the other side. Sometimes the ends have been machine stitched down, but if you can, it’s always a good idea to tie them off on the outside edge of each curtain. Now you can pull up the strings! 19mm curtain pole elbow jointsTake hold of all three and try to pull them evenly. ramsdens curtains grimsbyYou’re aiming for each curtain to be pulled up to the width of half of your track plus a centimeter or two for overlap.19mm curtain pole elbow joints

Once you’ve done this it’s a good idea to offer them up to the window to check that they are the right size, before tying off the strings. It’s also a good idea to use a slipknot for this end so that you can adjust them or undo them if you’re able to wash the curtains. Then distribute the gathering evenly across the width of the curtain. Now that the curtains are pulled up you need to put in the curtain hooks. ready made curtains 270 centimeters widthIn most pencil pleat heading tapes there are three rows of pockets to choose from. whiteheads loretta silver curtainsWhich pocket you choose depends on how long or short you would like your curtains to be. anthropologie sculpted mums shower curtain white

The benefit of having three options is that your curtains can be adjusted easily by 1 to 3 inches. Hooks should be placed in the heading tape every four pockets or so, depending on how many runners or hooks you have. Standard tracks don’t tend to be very generously supplied with runners or hooks so it’s always a good idea to buy an extra packet or two. Your curtains are now ready to be hung! Just remember to have a friend or relative to hold the ladder for you. Make sure you support the full weight of the curtain to avoid those carefully distributed pleats from being pulled out of shape. A professional fitter would then pleat the curtains into a concertina form by pushing the fabric gently back in between the curtain hooks. They would then tie the pleats in place loosely with some scrap strips of fabric and leave overnight. This step can be time-consuming but is worth it in the long run as your curtains will ‘remember’ this pleating and return to form each time they are opened.

Sit back and admire your beautiful curtains! Here is a link to our pencil pleat headed ready-made curtains. All of our made-to-measure curtains are available with a pencil pleat heading, click here to view the range.Hanging your new curtains really needn't be a chore. You've already chosen the ideal heading, now it's time to hang them. Whether you've taken the easy route of pencil pleat curtains or the even easier route of eyelets, your curtains will be up in a matter of minutes, completely transforming your home. These curtains will be up in a jiffy! Feed each eyelet over the pole; make sure that the leading and outside edge of the curtain points inwards towards the window. Position the final eyelet between the bracket and the finial. There you go, all done, and relax. Pinch pleat curtains are already pleated for you so they will be hanging and looking lovely in a trice. All you really need to do is decide where to position the hook that sits at the back of the pleat.

If you have a pole then move the hook to the top of the heading, this will make sure your curtain hangs below the pole. For curtain tracks position the hook towards the middle so that the heading will cover the track. Make sure that you have the same number of track gliders or pole rings as you have pleats and then simply hook through. If you have a curtain pole attach the final curtain hook between the bracket and the finial and for a curtain track attach it to the fixed glider at the end. All done, sit back and relax. If you've never hung pencil pleat curtains before we've made these instructions really detailed to help you, rest assured its common sense rather than rocket science! The key thing here is to just take your time. Tie the cords before you gather! You will need to tie the cords at one end of the heading tape. If you don't do this when you start to gather the curtain the heading tape will unravel and this is never a good thing! Most people like to tie the curtains off at the leading edge, i.e. the edge that will meet the other curtain in the middle.

In the unlikely event that you do accidentally unravel the heading tape then get a tapestry needle to re-thread the cords through the holes.) Before you start to gather grab a tape measure and check the width that the curtain needs to be. It's worth gathering the curtain to a few centimetres wider than you actually need so that there's no need to yank each side of the curtain to get them to meet in the middle once they are hung! Take hold of the loose cords at the un-tied end and start to pull them. Pull the cords evenly so that the pleats will be nice and straight. It can be easier to check the evenness of the pleats by looking at the heading tape rather than the actual pleats in the curtain. Once you're happy with the width of the curtain tie the cords. Don't cut the cords though as you may at some point want to loosen the curtain for cleaning or maybe to hang at a different window. So that the long cords don't keep peeping out at you wind them up over your hand.

Some people attach the cords to the lining with a safety pin to really keep them hidden. At this point take the time to make sure your gathers are nice and even, it takes a little patience but we promise it will be worth it! Count the number of gliders or rings that you have on your track or pole and then divide by half. This is the number of hooks that you need to attach to each curtain. Before you put the hooks into the pockets it's worthwhile placing them loosely on top of the heading tape. An even distance between the hooks makes all the difference and will give your curtain a professional edge! Make sure that you place a hook on the outside edge of curtain so that when the curtain is pulled closed it will stays securely at the end of the track or pole. It's worth considering the position of the hook on the leading edge too. Place it so that you can achieve a nice 'overlap' with the other curtain when they are closed. The heading tape has three rows of pockets. For curtain tracks you will need to insert the hooks into the low or middle row of pockets so that the heading hides the track.