Glossary Of Drapery Terms
All of the terms associated with draperies, measurements, and fabrics can become confusing. Below is a list of some of the most commonly used drapery terminology.
Sidemark - Customer Name and/or Job Number
Headings-
Rod Pocket – Sleeve sewn in the top of a drapery to accommodate a rod.
Pinch Pleat – Basic pleat folded and tacked to accomplish fullness.
Crinolin or Buckram: Stiffener included in Pinch Pleat heading.
Shirred Headings: Decorative Heading accomplished with a sewn on tape.
Valance - A horizontal treatment used to top and frame a window.
Rod Mount – A valance mounted on a pole or rod
Cornice - A 4-sided wooden box that is padded and covered with fabric.
Roman Shade - A functional treatment that raises and lowers to cover a window. Can be
flat or have various types of fullness added.
Swag - A board or rod mounted
valance that is accomplished by separate pleated or gathered “swoops”.
Cascade - A “fall” of fabric that descends in a zig-zag pattern usually found on the ends of a swag treatment.
Jabot - A fall of fabric that descends in a zig-zag pattern to a center point, usually found between swags.
Bias - Swags are cut on a bias or diagonal so that the pleats in the swag will arc instead of crease.
Finished Width - The completed width, board or rod, that the treatment is to finish to.
Cut Width - The amount of extra fabric need accomplish the fullness required by a specific treatment, including hems.
Finished Length - The exact length the treatment is to finish to. A swag treatment may have 3 finished lengths, the swag length the jabot length and the cascade length.
Cut Length - The length the fabric is to be cut to to allow for hems, heading, fullness and repeats.
Return - The distance from the face of the rod or board to the wall.
Pin Set - Placement of pin in a drapery heading which determines the distance from the top of the drapery to the rod.
Ring Deduction - The distance that the ring drops the drapery from the top of the rod.
Width - The distance across the fabric from selvage to selvage.
Repeat - The distance from one design point to the next on a fabric. This must be accounted for when determining cut length.
Interlining - A soft lining that is placed between face fabric and standard lining to improve drapability, usually used with silk.
Pair - A drapery that is split in half so that each side will pull apart to open the drapery.
Overlap - A 3 ½ inch section on the inside edge of a drapery pair that overlaps when closing.
Railroading - A fabric that is woven or printed in a way that allows the width of the fabric to be used for the length of the drapery to avoid seams.