Best spacing for curtains (especially too big ones)

dekaspace

I have some curtains in my bedroom that are id say at least a foot too wide (if streched out so no bends in them) I have 20 rings on each side of curtains and still have to space them out hooks each, I think my windows are about 200cm as my kitchen one is 180cm and its a tiny bit wider,

I'm trying to minimise the light coming out of top so is it better to have curtains with the top straight or crushed like when they are fully open.

rach_k

Curtains aren't supposed to be flat when closed unless you're going for the 'student with a sheet at the window' look. I usually aim for the fabric to be at least twice as wide as the window when laid flat, then you gather it to fit. I would imagine that the gathering at the top would prevent so much light coming out of the top and it will definitely stop as much getting though the fabric.

Hoploz

You need to pull the cords within the curtain tape. There's normally three strings which you tie at one end and pull the other, to make the curtain gather as far as you need, for the curtains to be the correct width at the top for the track or pole.

seashore22

As others have said, it's almost impossible to have too much curtain width. The best curtains with a standard heading tape are as wide as you can afford. What sort of curtains are they? Tab top? Eyelet?

If it's a curtain with heading tape which you can pull to create gathers then it may be that your curtains are actually too narrow, rather than too wide. A picture would be useful.

Annie1960

As others have said, do they have cords that need to be pulled?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umPKoKAJosY

dekaspace

I see some scraggy bits of thread on end of curtains but they look more like that than stuff you pull, but I know from past experience when I have pulled that string it tightens it up too much so you can't get it normal after.

rach_k

You don't have to pull the strings to gather the top if you don't want. I think it's usual to gather curtains on proper rings with the strings, but curtains that have those big eyelets in the curtain itself just fold gracefully onto the pole. Most of our curtains are on proper rings but I don't use the string as I prefer the gentle folds of the eyelet style. Just space the rings evenly across the full width of the curtain then hang it. If the fabric is quite thick/stiff, you may have to encourage it to fold properly but once it's done it should stay.

Either way, the curtains should still be double (or more) the width of the window (so each curtain would be the width of the window on its own), for it to look decent. Depending on the curtains, if yours are too narrow and you can't take them back, you could buy another set the same and stick four up - two on each side. I've done that with plain ones and I did sew them together eventually but they were fine just hanging next to each other for ages until I got round to it. Just position the join in a fold when you open/close them.