How to hang curtains on traverse rod

[micky]

I have a traverse rod in my bedroom. The string has broken and the
curtains are frayed, but to buy pre-made replacement curtains seems
hard.

First, I can't tell what size they are selling. Some say in parens, (2
Panels, 52 inches Wide by 63 inches Long).
So is each panel 52 inches wide or the two together? It would have
been so easy to include the word "total" or "each", but they don't.

Second, my curtain rod has 2 big things that meet in the middle when you
pull the cord and draw the curtain shut, and little things with holes
that follow behind the big things I have curtain hooks that hook into
the holes and the curtain clips to the hooks, which have four
up-pointing prongs. That was the standard method for nice curatains in
1950 and still in 1983.

But now most of them for sale on Amazon are
Back Tab -- Amazon says these shouldn't be opened or closed often
Grommet -- the curtain zig zags in front of and behind the rod, as the
rod goes through the grommets.
Rod Pocket -- the whole rod goes through a tube in the curtain, so the
curtain won't open or shut
or
Tab Top -- are these like back tab?

Some are
Goblet Pleat
Pencil Pleat
Ripple Fold
Tie Top or
Versatile Pleat I don't know what these 5 are.

I think what I've been using is Pinch Pleat Is that right?

I'm willing to buy new curtain hooks if any of these other styles for
the top will continue to hide the rod and will hang from the little
holes. Or must I limit myself to Pinch Pleat??





Extra credit given to anyone who reads the background:
When I moved in here, the bachelor I bought it from had 4 prefab
curtains that reached to the floor even the window didn't go below 3.5
feet, And iirc he just had them nailed up, and they weren't wide enough
to meet in the middle. I had found in the trash a beautiful brown wood
grain traverse rod that was long enough for my 98"w windows. I cut 1/3
off each of his curtains, sewed the four pieces into 2 new 2/3rds-length
curtains, so now I had 6 and I sewed two sets of three together side by
side. Then I took the cord, made a pully on the bottom right corner and
used the commericial pully with a spring on the left so that the cord
ran right under the entire window, and I could reach back from my bed
and open or close the curtain while barely moving. Worked well for 35
years, but the cord broke a couple years ago. And the bottom of the
curatins are raggedy, plus there are what look like mud-dawber nests in
the folds, which is very strange since I never saw any such insects in
my bedroom. I don't use screens and there were firefliesm, and little
things, and one year stink bugs, but now wasps. Yet there are at least
2 feet of nests (in 4 parts.)

I want to do as little sewing as possible this time, but I can't find
anything 98" wide, let alone pinch pleat.

[Cindy Hamilton]

On 2023-09-19, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
> I have a traverse rod in my bedroom. The string has broken and the
> curtains are frayed, but to buy pre-made replacement curtains seems
> hard.
>
> First, I can't tell what size they are selling. Some say in parens, (2
> Panels, 52 inches Wide by 63 inches Long).
> So is each panel 52 inches wide or the two together? It would have
> been so easy to include the word "total" or "each", but they don't.

Here's something in the "About this item" for a random pair of drapes
on Amazon:

"MEASUREMENT: Sold per panel. It has been pleated. For proper fullness,
panels should measure 1-1.2 times the width of your curtain track or
pole width. If you cover window 120" wide, you should choose 2 panels of
72"( 2 * 72"=144"). "

Read the fine print. Don't just stop at the description.

> Second, my curtain rod has 2 big things that meet in the middle when you
> pull the cord and draw the curtain shut, and little things with holes
> that follow behind the big things I have curtain hooks that hook into
> the holes and the curtain clips to the hooks, which have four
> up-pointing prongs. That was the standard method for nice curatains in
> 1950 and still in 1983.

But fashion has moved on. What you have is considered "too old for
grandma".

> But now most of them for sale on Amazon are
> Back Tab -- Amazon says these shouldn't be opened or closed often
> Grommet -- the curtain zig zags in front of and behind the rod, as the
> rod goes through the grommets.
> Rod Pocket -- the whole rod goes through a tube in the curtain, so the
> curtain won't open or shut
> or
> Tab Top -- are these like back tab?
>
> Some are
> Goblet Pleat
> Pencil Pleat
> Ripple Fold
> Tie Top or
> Versatile Pleat I don't know what these 5 are.

Google? Here are most of those:

https://www.cheerycurtains.com/heading-types

You don't want ripple fold (doesn't use hooks), tie top (simply ties
on the top of a non-traverse rod), or versaile pleat (you have to
figure out how to form the pleats yourself).

> I think what I've been using is Pinch Pleat Is that right?

Yes.

> I'm willing to buy new curtain hooks if any of these other styles for
> the top will continue to hide the rod and will hang from the little
> holes. Or must I limit myself to Pinch Pleat??

Goblet pleat might work for you. It looks a little different, but
should cover the rod if you insert the hooks low enough.

> Extra credit given to anyone who reads the background:
> When I moved in here, the bachelor I bought it from had 4 prefab
> curtains that reached to the floor even the window didn't go below 3.5
> feet, And iirc he just had them nailed up, and they weren't wide enough
> to meet in the middle. I had found in the trash a beautiful brown wood
> grain traverse rod that was long enough for my 98"w windows. I cut 1/3
> off each of his curtains, sewed the four pieces into 2 new 2/3rds-length
> curtains, so now I had 6 and I sewed two sets of three together side by
> side. Then I took the cord, made a pully on the bottom right corner and
> used the commericial pully with a spring on the left so that the cord
> ran right under the entire window, and I could reach back from my bed
> and open or close the curtain while barely moving. Worked well for 35
> years, but the cord broke a couple years ago. And the bottom of the
> curatins are raggedy, plus there are what look like mud-dawber nests in
> the folds, which is very strange since I never saw any such insects in
> my bedroom. I don't use screens and there were firefliesm, and little
> things, and one year stink bugs, but now wasps. Yet there are at least
> 2 feet of nests (in 4 parts.)

You get a big old eyeroll for that. Use screens. Why make yourself
a feast for mosquitos?

> I want to do as little sewing as possible this time, but I can't find
> anything 98" wide, let alone pinch pleat.

Most people would go to a drapery store or have them custom made. Or
get rid of grandma's traverse rods.

You'll certainly have to buy a couple of sets for a DIY effort.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Retirednoguilt]

I won't even try to deal with the question of pleat type vs hooks.
However, for the issue of hanging shorter panels on a wide traverse rod,
I do have a little experience. I've used multiple shorter panels
without sewing the edges by overlapping by one or two eyelet rollers
where the edge hooks on adjacent panels are attached to the traverse
rod. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Worth a try to see if it works
for you and if it is cosmetically acceptable. As far as a broken cord,
you can probably buy long lengths of replacement cords either at a big
box hardware store or at a chain crafts store such as Micheal's.

And, especially with climate change, there are more and more cases of
serious insect borne diseases in areas where those diseases haven't been
known to be a problem in the past. Ticks and mosquitos have been the
carriers of most of these. The diseases can be caused by viruses,
bacteria, or parasites and can produce life threatening infections even
if recognized early and treated properly. GET SCREENS!! Your out of
pocket cost to treat one serious infection (not even considering health
risk) is likely to be similar or even more than the cost of installing
screens.

[Leonard Blaisdell]

On 2023-09-20, Retirednoguilt <Hapily...@fakeaddress.com> wrote:

> I won't even try to deal with the question of pleat type vs hooks.
> However, for the issue of hanging shorter panels on a wide traverse rod,
> I do have a little experience. I've used multiple shorter panels
> without sewing the edges by overlapping by one or two eyelet rollers
> where the edge hooks on adjacent panels are attached to the traverse
> rod. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Worth a try to see if it works
> for you and if it is cosmetically acceptable. As far as a broken cord,
> you can probably buy long lengths of replacement cords either at a big
> box hardware store or at a chain crafts store such as Micheal's.

I recently went through the drapes dilemna on a sliding door. My wife
took care of it. If you think you need two panels, you need four.
She used rings with clips on the rod, and we ditched the pulley. I now
drag two panels to the middle and adjust the other two if necessary.
Just make sure the drapes are roughly the right length. Shorter is
better than longer.
Use velcro with a sticky back to join two curtains together if you want.
The curtains and hanging equipment cost roughly eighty bucks from
Amazon, and the covering area is roughly eight feet long by seven feet
high. They're not high-dollar drapes, but effective.
My wife should have posted what she did, not me.

> And, especially with climate change, there are more and more cases of
> serious insect borne diseases in areas where those diseases haven't been
> known to be a problem in the past. Ticks and mosquitos have been the
> carriers of most of these. The diseases can be caused by viruses,
> bacteria, or parasites and can produce life threatening infections even
> if recognized early and treated properly. GET SCREENS!! Your out of
> pocket cost to treat one serious infection (not even considering health
> risk) is likely to be similar or even more than the cost of installing
> screens.

I agree. For many years, I left my curtains open without a screen. We
don't get too many mosquitoes or flies, but I occasionally saw skinny
black bugs on my ceiling. I finally did a little research, and they're
kissing bugs. You don't want those. Creepy doesn't even describe them.