Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Fullness and what it means...

When discussing the fabric used for window treatments there are more measurements than just length and width.  The length is just what you think, how long the treatments are.  The (finished) width refers to how far the treatments cover side to side when pleated and closed. 

Note:  Don't confuse "width" with "widths" {say that 5 times fast}.  Width is the side to side, widths refers to the number of pieces of fabric sewn together.  A single piece of fabric is normally 54" wide.  And just to make is more confusing , yes a single piece is still referred to as a width.

So, length, width, and...fullness.  Fullness refers to the amount of fabric compressed into the finished width and is often expressed as a multiplier.  If you had a 100" space and compressed 250" of fabric into that space it would be 2.5 times full.  Traditionally sheers use 3 times fullness and pleated drapes use 2.5 times fullness.   Contemporary treatments tend to use less fullness and 2 or even 1.5 times fullness is not uncommon.

Pro-Tip: Don't try to save money by using 1 times full treatments.  Lined or not it will still look like a sheet hanging in front of your window.

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