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DIY Black & White Horizontal Stripe Draperies (Lined & Pinch Pleated) – Finished!

I finished my dining room draperies! This is a BIG project marked off of my dining room “to do” list, and it feels so good to have them done after procrastinating so long on them.

If you missed part 1 of how I made these draperies (the part where I pieced together the face fabric using solid black and solid white linen), you can click here for those details.

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - part 1

I did not do a tutorial on how I finished the draperies (the part where I hem the panels, add the lining, and sew in the header and pleats) because I already have two very detailed tutorials that demonstrate that process. You can see the first one here

How to make double-width lined pinch-pleated draperies - part 1

…and here

How to make double-width lined pinch-pleated draperies - part 2

…and the other one here

DIY pinch-pleated lined draperies with two accent fabrics

The first one is a double-width drapery panel, and the second tutorial is a drapery panel using three different fabrics on the face. But regardless of what you do with the face fabric (one single solid piece of fabric, pieced fabric to make stripes, double width, etc.), the process of hemming, adding the lining, and adding the header is all the same.

Anyway, here’s how my black and white striped dining room draperies turned out!

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 4

I love them! I’m so glad that I went back to the black and white stripes that I’ve wanted for so long. I had changed my mind for a while there because I was so afraid that four panels of stripes would be overwhelming to the room. Now that they’re finished and installed, I don’t feel like they overwhelm the room at all.

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 5

And of course, once I get my furniture and other fabrics in here, they’ll just be one of many layers in the room, rather than being so front-and-center like they are in an empty room.

Also, in order to lessen the amount of fabric and stripes, I did something that I generally never do. I only used on width of fabric for each panel on the wide front window.

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 3

That’s generally a decorating faux pas in my book, because even if draperies are going to be stationary and purely decorative, they should still at least look like they could be functional. And that means that they need to be wide enough to cover the window (generally the fabric needs to be 2.5 to 3 times the width of the window on pinch pleated draperies). But I took a chance on using one width. I’m still getting used to it, but I think it’ll look fine in the finished room, and it’s probably something that guests in my house would never notice.

Also, in my last post showing how to piece together the face fabric, I explained how to arrive at your finished length for the panels and explained various ways that panels can be finished (e.g., puddled, breaking on the floor, just above the floor, etc.) and how to figure each one.

I like for my drapery panels to hang just above the floor, without breaking on the floor at all. So after measuring from the floor to the pin loop on the drapery ring, I subtracted 1/4 inch to arrive at my finished length. You generally need to account for the fact that draperies will hang just a bit longer once you get them hung and get the wrinkles steamed out.

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 1

And of course, I can’t NOT mention this awesome drapery hardware that I learned about from A Storied Style and Hunted Interior.

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 2

The acrylic rods are from Nationwide Plastics in Dallas. You have to call to order, and their number is (214) 239-3870. I ordered the 1.5-inch cellcast rods, and they cost about $69 for an eight-foot rod. They’ll cut them for you free of charge, but if you want the ends polished (i.e., if you don’t want to use caps on the ends like I did), there’a an additional charge of about $15 per rod. For four rods, I also paid about $30 for shipping, but of course, I’m just 90 miles south of Dallas, so it might be more for those of you not in Texas. This company is very nice and incredibly helpful on the phone, and they were very patient to answer all of my questions over three different phone calls before I actually placed my order.

(Side note: The terms Lucite and acrylic are often used interchangeably. Lucite is a brand name of a company, but it’s often used as a general term to describe acrylic products. Kind of like Sheetrock and drywall are often used interchangeably, but Sheetrock is an actual brand name.)

The brackets and end caps are from Buy Railings.  I used the Polished Brass Flush Center Post 1.5″ OD (item #00-342/1H) for the brackets, and those fit the acrylic rods perfectly. For the end caps, I used the Polished Brass 2″ OD (items number 00-600/2).  These were NOT a perfect fit because these are actually made to be used inside the ends of brass rails, so they don’t make any end caps that fit perfectly OVER the ends of 1.5″ diameter rods. I just used a bit of hot glue on the ends of the rods, and centered the caps as perfectly as I could. There’s about a 1/16″ space between the inside of the caps and the acrylic rod. I doubt anyone would ever notice that.

And finally, the rings came from Overstock.

Just two more final notes:

The brass brackets and end caps are VERY brass. The kind that has a slight hint of red. I’m not really a fan of bright, shiny brass, but it’s nothing that a bit of antique brass Rub ‘N Buff can’t fix. That made them closer in color to the rings, which are an antiqued gold color.

And most importantly (and I can’t believe I didn’t see anyone else mention this about these rods), yes, these rods will bow if you put too much weight on them. On a long window like I have, I would not use these rods with double-width lined draperies, and I certainly would not use them if I were actually going to open and close my draperies every day.  Now a double width of thin, light, unlined curtains would probably be okay to open and close every day on these rods.

So I guess it’s good that I decided beforehand to just use stationary, decorative panels, and to only use one width. 🙂 If I hadn’t decide that beforehand, and had still been planning on using double-width panels that I’d open and close every day, I would have been incredibly disappointed and frustrated that no other blogger had mentioned this in their posts about these acrylic rods.

So, consider yourself warned. 🙂

DIY black and white horizontal striped draperies - 4

EDIT: I will have to find a solution for privacy, since these are just decorative. Right now, I’m considering some simple, solid white Roman shades. I’d like something that will kind of disappear when they’re open, and just blend right into the window trim so that they don’t compete with the draperies.

 

 

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56 Comments

  1. Perfection. I love them:). Great idea to just put them on one side of the window—– on the fireplace wall!!!
    So glad that you just did curtains, and skipped the blinds/curtain combo.
    Bravo.

  2. Just lovely Kristi and especially so with the new windows. What perfect accents! Thanks for the tutorials as well on how you were going to do these. Am impressed how beautifully the stripes match. Way to go Kristi! I know you are encouraged by this project and as you stand to look into that room you will always stop and admire how lovely an addition to this space. Can’t wait to see the rest. Getting closer to a finished dining room. My hats off to you!

  3. These are gorgeous. I’m so glad you went with the acrylic rods…….they are show stoppers!

  4. I’m so glad your beloved stripes worked out as beautifully as you were hoping, they really look great. I think what I love the most about the room so far is that beautiful shade of green on the walls subtly peeking through – it looks so much friendlier than all white would have looked.
    Thanks for the recent post about your favourite fabric sources. I am embarking on recovering some very simple chair cushions and have spent many happy hours looking at online fabric samples!

  5. Love how they look! But what will you use for privacy if these can’t be drawn? I think you’ve mentioned before how you can see all the way through the house from these windows…

    1. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m considering a couple of different options. Right now, I’m leaning towards some white Roman shades. I don’t want anything really eye-catching. I’d rather they just kind of disappear and blend into the window trim and let the draperies have center stage on the windows.

      1. Kristi, I have a similar set up in my dining room, and the sun comes in so bright it’s blinding. I have toile back and white on those windows. I decided to go with Roman shades in a beautiful black with tiny little “dots” – fabric looks like a very conservative tie. They don’t have to come down but occasionally, but I leave them showing a bit because they are really beautiful! Hope this helps some!

  6. Wow! I. Am. Impressed. I did not think I would like the black and white horizontal stripes, but once again your vision is spot on. The decision to only have the one panel on each of the fireplace wall windows, as well as using only one fabric width for the front windows worked out beautifully. I don’t think they overwhelm the room either, and, as you said, once you get the other elements in the room, they will take a supporting rather than a dominant role.

    Now, if I understood you accurately, the drapery is stationary, so what WILL you use for privacy?

    1. Right now, I’m considering some simple white Roman shades — something that will kind of disappear and blend into the window trim when open so that they don’t compete with the draperies.

  7. Your draperies are lovely. I particularly like the width of the stripes you fabricated. You know quite honestly I thought that the draperies would overwhelm the space as I imagined full panels on both sides of each window. I even suggested doing Roman shades instead 😊 Now that I see them as you imagined them on only one side of the windows on each side of the fireplace I see that it works. The lucite rods are so cool, and thanks for the heads up on the weight issue! Cannot wait to see the other fabric layered against these drapes. It’s going to be amazing.

  8. This is what happens when you follow your gut! I love how the acrylic rods lost below your crown moulding, allowing all the wood details in your room stand front of the stage. They are the perfect jewelry 🙂 Soooo looking forward to seeing everything else come together!

  9. I’ve been looking forward to seeing these draperies complete since you came up with the concept. Well done. I love how they look in the room!

  10. They. Look. Fabulous!

    I was wondering what you were going to do on the large window. It looks so cool but does NOT overpower at all! And, as a true procrastinator, I can say that YOU are not one! 🙂

    I went back and reread your tute in part 1. If I missed it, I’m sorry…but…can I ask how wide each panel was pre and post pleating? i.e., did you go with a standard 54-56″ width of fabric then pleat it? Or did you piece the fabric to 2.5(ish) times the window width, then pleat?

    Thanks for offering so much helpful info.

    Looking forward to what’s next! (Though feel free to sit back and enjoy your progress first!)

    1. On these panels, I used one width of fabric, and each width was about 56″ wide. After the side hems, and before the pleats, the panels were 51″ wide. After pleating, and with the panel installed with a 2.5″ return, and fully extended as far as it will extend, the panel covers 30 inches of width.

  11. Yay for the striped curtains! They look amazing, so well done, and the rods and rings complement them so nicely! You know, getting rid of that striped floor in your kitchen was one of my biggest disappointments, and I was soooo rooting for these curtains, and I even decided to paint a striped wall in my house… but I only actually figured out I love stripes while I was reading this post!!! Go figure! lol Thanks so much for the moment of self discovery!

  12. I’ve never seen an acrylic rod up-close, in real life, and never would have guessed that they bow with a lot of weight. Thanks for THAT little tip!

  13. WOW! They turned out fantastic. Now I want to make some striped curtains for my house, just not sure where I want to put them :).

  14. I’m so happy your drapes are done & turned out perfect. I wish I could say the same with the drapes I’m currently working on.
    I just left you a detailed comment on your tutorial from from 2014 explaining my problem. If you have a second, I hope you read it and come up with a solution for me. Thank you.

  15. Wonderful. All of that careful workmanship is what has made these curtains so beautiful. I appreciate the work, the tutorials, and the photos. I have seen these acrylic rods on so many blogs lately and had wondered about them holding any weight, particularly if they are longer. Thanks for including that info. I don’t imagine that many millennials will be hanging anything more than some flimsy IKEA rag from them anyway, but your curtains demonstrate the way these rods should really be used.

  16. I find that i often close my drapes to keep heat from the sun out on summer days. It’s best to know which windows are affected by the sun before deciding about window coverings. Your view from your front window is just lovely – it would be a shame to hide that.

  17. They are FABULOUS!!!!!
    I LOVE them…and the rods look awesome!
    So glad you have your new machine to sew them……😆
    Thanks for sharing these beautiful drapes!
    I LOVE the black and white!

  18. Your draperies and rods look absolutely A-MAZ-ING!!!!! So pleased you splurged (yay to Matt) and got the new sewing machine and I imagine making your drapes with it was such a delight. Oh my gosh your dining room is really transforming now and getting super excited both for you and me to see it finalized.

  19. Love!
    For privacy, how about cordless honeycomb shades? They collapse to nothing and are available in varying shades of white.

  20. So I hate to admit it, lol, but when I first saw your green pain I thought “not going to like this one”. But now I’ve seen it with the mural (which I adore!) and then the draperies and it is such a lovely combination! Now I’m anxiously waiting to see the furniture and the completed room.

  21. Have you considered cordless honeycomb pleated shades? I have one in my kitchen & it just blends into the top of the window when it’s open. I believe they have them at Bed Bath & Beyond.

    1. Kristi,

      The black striped curtains are simply beautiful and with the acrylic rods with the brass accents, so sophisticated. The stripes really keep your eyes moving around the room instead of settling on any one feature. Plus the use of brass is really unifying. Glad you stuck to your guns about the curtains and painted your walls a light green instead of all white.

      To weigh in on possible shades, I also like honeycomb pleated shades especially the ones with small double or triple honeycombs. I love how they disappear when open plus they are excellent at blocking tje heat and cold. I had them on my west facing dining room windows when I lived in Houston and it was the only way one could use the dining room because the sun was so hot. Then in winter they really blocked the draft from my old original windows. I know you had your windows replaced so that shouldn’t be an issue for you.

      It seems your choice is between decorative or functional. I know you will make the best decision for you.

  22. The draperies are lovely and the stripes match up beautifully across the windows. I don’t envy you that task. Thanks for the tip on the acrylic rods bowing. I love the way they look but would have thought the main problem would be them scratching each time the drapes were opened and closed; not bowing even when there is a center support.

  23. Perfection! They turned out so beautiful. I like the idea of the roman shades, but won’t they show about 8 inches when open? Can’t wait to see the rest!

  24. The large stripes are just perfect, love what you do . Thanks for sharing this whole journey with your home with all of us.

  25. They turned out beautifully! Congrats, beautiful workmanship also. Love,love those acrylic rods! Can’t wait to see as you do the rest of the room. That’s why I love this blog, it’s like a great novella 🙂 every day brings an interesting development!

    Take care and do tell how the new machine feels/sews!

  26. Very nice! I was wondering about the privacy issue myself so I’m glad you mentioned it. I also thought that if someone were to close the drapes, even just on occasion, wouldn’t that mar the acrylic? It would eventually show up as scratches, I’d think.
    Looking forward to seeing the completed room.

  27. Wow! Kristi they look so darn beautiful. This room is coming together and bet you a very happy with your progress. Like the idea of plan white blinds for privacy. Another project ticked off. Well done.😍

  28. This room is really coming together. I wasn’t sure about the striped drapes, but they look wonderful.

  29. I really, really like these! You inspired me to want to try a striped fabric for a loveseat I was covering. Unfortunately I couldn’t find what I wanted, and the love seat is just for staging houses, so I went for a plain tan cover. This way the piece should match pretty much any living room I put it in. I can accessorize and bring in color with accent pillows. Also, watching you paint your chairs, inspired me to paint a table black for staging in the same house. I love how it looks!!

  30. Love the stripes!!! So beautiful😍 I’m glad you came back to your first plan- they are perfect!

  31. There are brackets you can purchase to support super long rods in the middle. They support the rod from the top so that they do not interfere with the drapes closing. I don’t know that you can find they just anywhere, but specialty shops that sell curtain rods would have them. They support the rod and keep it from bowing.

  32. Hi Kristie! I’m sure you already know, but thought I would put it out there anyway…Country Curtains has the Best rods out there! They install easily, have a pretty cover, and are very substantial! I highly recommend them for future projects!