• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
    • IF YOU’RE NEW HERE…
    • WORK WITH US
    • 11 MAGNOLIA LANE 101
    • DISCLOSURE + PRIVACY (the fine print)
    • BEST OF 11 MAGNOLIA LANE
  • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • CHRISTY’S MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
    • CHRISTY’S MCC HOUSE
    • Christy’s Stuttgart Flat
    • Amy’s Virginia Craftsman Home Tour
    • AMY’S VIRGINIA CRAFTSMAN Building Process
    • HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SERIES
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • EVENTS + ENTERTAINING
    • GIFTS
    • HOLIDAYS
    • RECIPES
  • HOME
    • CLEANING
    • DECORATING
    • ORGANIZING
    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
      • CLOSETS
      • CRAFT ROOMS + OFFICES
      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
      • OTHER SPACES
      • PANTRIES
      • PLAYROOMS + BONUS ROOMS
      • PORCHES + OUTDOOR SPACES
    • TIPS
  • SHOP
    • SHOP OUR INSTAGRAM
    • SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE
    • FRIDAY FAVORITE FINDS
  • PROJECTS
    • CRAFTS
    • DIY PROJECTS + TUTORIALS
    • FURNITURE
    • PRINTABLES
    • WINDOWS, DOORS, + WALLS
  • LIFE
    • FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL
    • HEALTH
    • SIMPLY ON SUNDAY
  • TRAVEL
  • CONTACT
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

11 Magnolia Lane

Sharing our easy DIYs, decorating, entertaining and more!

How to Pleat Curtains for a Custom Look

January 29, 2020 By Christy 12 Comments

This Post Contains Affiliate Links

2740 shares

Last year, when I first shared the living room at Magnolia Cottage, I had several readers ask for more details about how I added the pinch pleats at the top of the IKEA curtains to make them look more luxurious and custom.

The answer is that it’s a super-easy project (my absolute favorite kind) so I thought it would be helpful to share the products I used and how I did it. Also, you don’t have to use IKEA curtains; I’ll tell you what to look for so that you can do this with almost any curtain panel.

As you can see in the below photos, I try to use the same white curtain panels throughout the house (they’re white IKEA Tibast panels that are 98″ long). Because we move so often thanks to the military, it’s SO much easier than having different colors and sizes for every room. I also try to use only two colors of curtain rods–oil-rubbed bronze that reads as black, plus gold.

2019 Holiday Home Tour - Annabelle's Nutcracker Bedroom

In this particular house, the downstairs curtain rods are all mine, and the upstairs ones are wood and will stay with the house when we move. The rods above are in my daughter’s room and they were white when we moved in; I just spray-painted them gold (this is the best gold spray paint) to update them a bit and hung them a little higher and straighter than they were.

2019 Holiday Home Tour - Annabelle's Nutcracker Bedroom
Shop the Post

I began with my usual IKEA Tibast curtains with RIKTIG curtain hooks. I linked to them above on Amazon but the lowest price is currently at IKEA, even though you’ll have to pay for shipping.

The Ivilon 2″ curtain rings are from Amazon (linked above in my source list) and I use them throughout the house since my rods are all 1″ thick.

The RIKTIG hooks are two-pronged and I honestly prefer those to the 4-prong hooks that seem to be the industry standard. If you’d like to see a different and more detailed tutorial using 4-prong hooks, visit the Grit and Polish here. I use ten hooks per curtain panel, so twenty hooks per window.

I follow the instructions on the Riktig package; they’re super simple. Begin by threading the left side of the curtain hook all the way through the pockets that are three spaces to the left of the loop that’s there for those who prefer to run their curtain rod through the loops.

Then run the right side of the hook through the pockets that are just one space to the right of the loop:

Repeat that times ten.

They’ll look like this on the back when they’re done:

It’s usually easiest for me to hang the panels up on the rings and then “fluff” them from there. I usually put at least one ring, and sometimes more, outside of the rod bracket; it just depends on that particular installation and what looks right to me.

Once the panel is hanging, I smooth the pleat into place and arrange the panel so it covers the right amount of window.

This is how it looks once it’s been smoothed a bit, but the last step is to use my steamer to get the wrinkles out. I find this works so much better than ironing and is much faster.

Here are a few more pictures from different rooms around the house:

If you’re buying curtains that aren’t the exact ones I used, you’ll want to read the item description to make sure they have a “hook belt” or “pleating tape” on the back side for you to use with the pleat hooks. The ones I’ve linked to below all have that so you can use any of them to recreate this look.

Alternatively, if you’re decent at sewing, you can buy pleating tape and sew it at the top of virtually any curtain panel, but panels with it already in place are so inexpensive that I’m not sure it’s worth your time–I mean, I linked to velvet ones like the ones Amy has in her bedroom and they are dirt cheap!

Don’t forget that you can also trim curtains like this with inexpensive ribbon to customize them for every room. Amy used Greek key ribbon in her library (the how to’s are HERE) :

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for stopping by!

Shop the Post
Final New Christy headshot 2015
icon-facebook-1icon-instagram-1icon-pinterest-1icon-twitter-1

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE POSTS... :

Simple Summer Bedroom Update
Fall Touches in our Master Bedroom
New Roman Shades in Our New Master Bedroom
From the Archives: Our Easiest, Affordable Ho...

Filed Under: DIY/Projects/Tutorials, Window Treatments Tagged With: curtains, window treatments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    January 29, 2020 at 2:11 pm

    Are the curtains from IKEA true white? I just returned the Ritva IKEA curtains because they had a yellowish hue to them and I’m looking for true white. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      January 29, 2020 at 2:41 pm

      The Ritva curtains are more off-white than the Tibast ones, but these still aren’t pure white. I recommend you order one set before you take the plunge and order a whole bunch–that’s what I did and that’s how I know that the Ritva ones were too creamy for me.Hope that helps!Christy

      Reply
  2. Marty says

    January 29, 2020 at 10:33 pm

    Love these curtains and I really like the look of the pleats too. Great tutorial

    Reply
    • Christy says

      February 3, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Thank you, Marty!

      Reply
  3. Dori Johns says

    February 2, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    Thank you SO much for this very helpful and useful tutorial! I’ll be shopping at Ikea soon. 😉

    Reply
    • Christy says

      February 3, 2020 at 8:51 am

      You’re so very welcome! Happy shopping!

      Reply
  4. Carolyn Anderson says

    March 8, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    I was wondering what steamer you use. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      March 10, 2020 at 2:38 pm

      I have one from HomeRight (it’s HERE on Amazon) and love it because it does so many things! Christy

      Reply
  5. Kate says

    July 18, 2020 at 11:22 am

    5 stars
    This is a really helpful tutorial – the best I’ve found after combing through YouTube videos and having to undo the pins a few times. The specificity of where to put the pins, and the pictures, really helped. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      July 22, 2020 at 9:40 am

      You are so welcome, Kate! Glad you found it helpful—thanks for letting me know.
      Christy

      Reply
  6. Angie says

    April 17, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you! This made a very inexpensive pair of curtains look so pretty and polished!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      April 20, 2021 at 9:18 am

      You’re very welcome. I’m happy to have inspired you!
      Christy

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Lowest prices. Straight Teeth,

•Don’t Miss A Thing!!•

•Do You Know Jesus?•

•Featured In•

Holiday Gift Ideas

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · 11 Magnolia Lane· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer
Privacy Policy

11 MAGNOLIA LANE IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR US TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM AND AFFILIATED SITES. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE, WE EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. WE ALSO PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL OTHER AFFILIATE PROGRAMS; THIS INCOME ALLOWS US TO MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF YOUR USER EXPERIENCE AND KEEPS OUR CONTENT FREE. WHEN YOU PURCHASE THROUGH ANY OF OUR AFFILIATE LINKS, WE EARN A SMALL COMMISSION AND YOU DON’T PAY A CENT MORE THAN YOU WOULD OTHERWISE; THAT WOULD BE TACKY!   READ OUR FULL PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE POLICY {HERE}.
  ©11 Magnolia Lane 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s authors and/or owners is strictly prohibited. Please email us at admin@11magnolialane.com for more information.

  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
    • IF YOU’RE NEW HERE…
    • WORK WITH US
    • 11 MAGNOLIA LANE 101
    • DISCLOSURE + PRIVACY (the fine print)
    • BEST OF 11 MAGNOLIA LANE
    • Back
  • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • CHRISTY’S MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
    • CHRISTY’S MCC HOUSE
    • AMY’S NEW HOME BUILD
    • HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SERIES
    • SPRING HOME TOUR SERIES
    • Back
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • EVENTS + ENTERTAINING
    • GIFTS
    • HOLIDAYS
    • RECIPES
    • Back
  • HOME
    • CLEANING
    • DECORATING
    • ORGANIZING
    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
      • CLOSETS
      • CRAFT ROOMS + OFFICES
      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
      • OTHER SPACES
      • PANTRIES
      • PLAYROOMS + BONUS ROOMS
      • PORCHES + OUTDOOR SPACES
      • Back
    • TIPS
    • Back
  • SHOP
    • SHOP OUR INSTAGRAM
    • SHOP OUR AMAZON STORE
    • FRIDAY FAVORITE FINDS
    • 11 ML ETSY SHOP
    • 11ML ORGANIZING SHOP
    • Back
  • PROJECTS
    • CRAFTS
    • DIY PROJECTS + TUTORIALS
    • FURNITURE
    • PRINTABLES
    • WINDOWS, DOORS, + WALLS
    • Back
  • LIFE
    • FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL
    • HEALTH
    • SIMPLY ON SUNDAY
    • TRAVEL
    • Back
  • CONTACT
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
2740 shares