Custom Pleated Curtains: Pencil Pleats on a Track

Curtains look custom when they have enough fabric, hang from the right height and stop at the floor. Those three things matter more than the price tag. Pencil pleat curtains on a track can look tailored, as long as you get the fullness, the track position and the hem right.

If yours look flat or stiff, it's very common, and it's usually fixable without buying new panels. Here is what to check, in the order I'd check it.

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What are pleated curtains called?

There are several types of pleats for curtains, and the names are used loosely by shops. The three you'll meet most:

• Pencil pleat: tight, narrow, evenly spaced folds made by pulling cords in a heading tape. It's the easiest to make and the most common in ready-made panels.
• Pinch pleat: the fabric is stitched into groups of folds, usually two or three, spaced apart. It looks more formal and is often sewn by hand. See how to pinch pleat curtains.
• French pleat: a pinch pleat with a three-fold group. Here is how to make French pleat curtains.

Pencil pleats have a reputation for looking dated. With enough fabric and a clean track, they don't.

Where should the track go?

As an architect, I'd mount the track on the ceiling whenever you can. A column of fabric from ceiling to floor makes the wall read taller. A track fixed right above the window frame cuts the wall in two and the room feels lower. If you're installing one, this ceiling track guide covers the steps.

If you must wall-mount, as many renters must, set the track several inches above the window frame instead of directly on it.

Extend the track past the window

When the curtains are open, the bunched fabric needs somewhere to sit. If the track ends at the frame, the stack covers the glass and you lose daylight. Extending it roughly 10-12 inches on each side is a common starting point, and more for heavy fabric like velvet or blackout lining. Daylight also helps you control glare and heat: the Building Science Education site notes that overhangs, fixed shades, louvers, and screens can help control unwanted glare and heat, and curtains do a similar job indoors.

Also measure the deepest thing near the window, such as a crank handle or radiator, and keep the track far enough out that the fabric clears it.

How do you make curtains look pleated and full?

Fullness is the whole trick. Many readymade pleated curtains are made at about 1.5 times the track width, which tends to leave the pleats thin. I recommend 2 to 2.5 times: for a 100-inch track, that's 200-250 inches of flat fabric across all panels.

More fabric lets you pull the cords tighter, so the pleats stand up and hold their shape down the length of the curtain. It also gives you more folds to absorb sound, which helps in rooms with hard floors.

Pull the cords evenly

Pencil pleat tape has cords running through it. Pull from both ends in small steps, checking the width as you go. Pulling one side harder makes the panel hang crooked.

Keep cords away from pets and kids

Don't cut the extra cord, because you'll need to flatten the heading for cleaning. Wind it into a small bundle and tuck it behind the tape, or sew a small pocket on the back. Loose strings are tempting to cats and a hazard for small children.

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Which fabric works best on a track?

You want fabric with some weight, so it drapes instead of flaring at the hem. Mid-weight linen blends, velvet and heavy polyester blends do this well. Stiff cotton and canvas tend to kick out at the bottom. Pure linen can change length with humidity, so a linen-polyester blend is steadier. If you love a light fabric, add interlining for weight.

Always line them. Lining adds body and protects the face fabric from sun, and it's one of the biggest differences between curtains that look custom and ones that don't.

Choosing fabric if you have a cat

Loose weaves and embroidery catch claws. Tight weaves such as velvet and microfiber give claws less to hook, and heavily textured fabric is easier to climb. If your cat is a climber, a cat shelf near the window may help more than any fabric. For any behavior or health concern, check with your vet.

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How do you hang pencil pleats on a track?

Pencil pleat tape usually has several rows of hook pockets. The top row hangs the curtain below the track, which suits ceiling-mounted tracks. A lower row lets the heading stand up and hide a plain wall track.

Space the hooks so the pleats don't droop between them. Roughly every third or fourth pocket works for most tapes, but follow the spacing your tape and gliders are designed for. Count your gliders before you close the end caps, because running short on a heavy curtain is annoying to fix.

For a deeper walkthrough, see how to hang pencil pleat curtains on a track. If you have eyelet panels instead, check whether they work on a track.

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What length should the hem be?

Curtains that stop an inch or two above the floor leave a strip of light that looks unfinished. Puddling looks romantic but collects dust and pet hair, and it's a tripping spot. The tidy option is a hem that just touches the floor or hovers a hair above it.

Measure from the hook to the floor at the left, center and right, since floors are rarely level. Use the shortest number. If one side floats, move the hooks up or down a pocket to compensate.

Keep the hem clear of walkways, too. The National Institutes of Health reports that loose throw rugs and area carpets with curled edges or folds are among the extrinsic factors most frequently mentioned in the literature as unsafe. Trailing fabric isn't the same thing, but the principle of keeping floors clear is.

How do you train the pleats to stack neatly?

New curtains tend to spring open. Hang them, push them fully back and arrange the folds by hand so they're even. Tie the stack loosely at the top, middle and bottom with soft ribbon or fabric strips, and leave it for a couple of days, or up to a week. The folds settle, and the curtain stacks tidily afterward.

Before you finish, steam the hems, hook the last glider to the wall or track end so there's no light gap, and spray a little dry silicone lubricant in the track if it feels gritty.

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Custom or ready-made pleated curtains?

Ready-made is fine if the fullness and length work for your window. Check the width against your track and remember the 2 to 2.5 times guideline; you may need two packs per window. Custom makes sense for odd heights, heavy fabrics or trim borders. A contrast trim along the leading edge is a simple way to make curtains look custom, and some sewing shops will add it to plain panels.

For a wide window, I'd split the curtain into two panels so the stack is balanced on both sides. For a sliding door, one wide panel stacking to the fixed side keeps the walkway open.

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