So I wanted to title this post “hanging drapes for dummies” but I didn’t want to scare anyone away before reading the first line. Another title choice was “hanging drapes for thirty year olds” because if you are an actual adult i.e. over thirty, you probably already know how to hang drapes the old school way and you will learn nothing new from this post.
But as it seems, the last time I really saw drapes in my home was circa 1989 and I wasn’t hanging them. Then the 90’s hit. Oh the 90’s. Balloon valances. Need I say more about the puffy beasts that hung over suburban windows everywhere?
Moving onto the new millennium. Or so.
My window treatments up until recently have always involved sheer panels, tab tops, grommet tops and funky, ornate hardware. That sort of thing. I have never once hung a drape. Or draperies. That word sounds so grown up and maybe even old-fashioned.
But there is a first time for everything and that was a really long introduction to…hanging drapes for dummies. With pictures.
Follow along as I become an actual adult and introduce drapes into my home.
First let’s review what I mean by drapery. I am talking about heavy curtains with pleats. Old school.
Specifically, I am talking about this fabulous pair of handmade, vintage toile drapes that I scored for a song! The fabric needs to be attached to the curtain rod. But how? I don’t want to use the modern ring and clip method.
We’re going way back. This, my friends, is a drape hook. This little device does all the work! A package of drape hooks costs about $2.50 and can be found at your local hardware store.
Flip over the drape so you are looking at the back side of the pleats.
The drape hook has one pointy end. Insert the pointy end upward into the seam of the pleat so it is running parallel with the pleat.
Once inserted, the curved part of the drape hook should be near the top of the pleat.
Repeat this process pinning each pleat with a drape hook making sure each hook is sturdy.
And that’s it. They’re ready to be hung!
Fun fact: A package of drape hooks contains 14 hooks. Each of my drapes had 7 pleats. Coincidence?
Stay tuned for the reveal! There’s still a lot of work to be done in the dining room.
Signed, Your first time drape hanger
Circa Dee 