How to Choose Fabrics for Curtains in Your home
Find Simple Ideas for Making Fabric Selection Easier for Your Curtains
It is most important that the fabric will drape or hang well.
In general the heavier the fabric, the tighter the weave should be to ensure that the fabric will hang well.
The looser the weave the more prone it is to environmental factors like heat and moisture which will mean that you can physically see your drapes rise and fall.
The most common types of fabrics that are used for drapery and curtains are as follows: sheers and nets, most commonly synthetic, used for privacy.
Casements, which are made from loosely woven textured yarns and also used for privacy.
Prints, probably the most popular, these are generally made from tightly woven cotton or cotton polyester blends and are of medium weight and practical from most window treatment situations.
Satins and jacquards, mostly for formal applications, heavy tightly woven supple fabrics that hang very straight and formally.
Sheers or nets are a popular choice for casual uses of curtains, shown in this photograph, they are a perfect fabric choice for a difficult set of french doors. The fabric diffuses the natural light but you can still see out and access the door handles in the center.
There are no rules, you can use almost any fabric for drapery and curtains with careful thought about the application, as long as you can justify your selection with all your knowledge – go for it, dare to be different.
If that sounds too scary, go through the web site and look at examples of curtains and the fabrics that have been used, get some ideas of what works in the situations and what doesn’t. Go and look at friends curtains, look at magazines, visit home stores and start to get a feel for the fabrics and how they hang or drape, see the applications that they are used in and you will find that you can start ruling out some fabrics as you search to choose your own.
Interested in taking your love of fabrics and curtains further? Only watch if you are ready for change!
