Finials and Standards and Pulleys, oh my!

Window Covering! You either love to be covered or don't mind being open to the world - there seems to be strong feelings on both sides of the debate. Personally, I prefer my windows covered - it is way easier to hide a messy interior that way ;) There are so many styles of window coverings that are available, from blinds to valances to roman shades - the possibilities are endless!

One thing we get asked more than anything is "can this be made into a traverse rod?" More often than not, the answer is no. Traverse rods are intended for draperies that you want to be able to open and close with a pulley mechanism, which pulls the drapes open from the center, or as a "one-way draw", which would open them to the right or to the left only. These systems use a pulley system, rather than manually moving the curtains. They differ from a rod that uses rings or tab-top drapes in that you have to manually move those with a baton or by hand.

With regards to traversing track, there are also your more "industrial" options, flexible tracking and cubicle tracking-type systems. The flexible tracking is just that - flexible. You can make it follow most any pattern you need, from straight to a 360-degree circle. The cubicle tracking systems are more like what you would find in a hospital/doctor's office setting and are typically use for applications which require straight sections or sections with a 90-degree curve.

Another system that has become more popular is a wire system. These types of systems use steel wire held between two or more brackets and can use small rings to slide your curtain along the wire. They are very popular in areas where you may have little room for drapery hardware.

Along with the decision of the type of hardware, you must also decide the type of drapery style you wish. There are different types of pleats (i.e., goblet pleat, pinch pleat, knife pleat, etc.), tab-top, rod-pocket styles as well as swags, jabots, puddles - it's unreal how many choices there are!

There are also other options which do not necessary require rods or curtains. Roman shades, blinds, roller-shades - take a look!

(photo copyright to www.simplesewingprojects.com )

After you've decided on a style, you get to find a fabric and that can be the most fun of all!