How to correctly calculate the width of tulle for a window

Today, many options for ready-made curtains and tulle are offered. But sometimes the windows have non-standard sizes and configurations. Or the design of ready-made textiles does not match the interior. It happens that the family budget does not allow buying expensive curtains with multi-layer draperies. For all these cases, there is one universal solution - custom tailoring. Doing the assembly yourself is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. But you need to know how to correctly calculate the tulle and curtains for the window.

Window decoration with tulle: types of assembly

Tulle gathered in folds looks elegant and airy. Previously, each fold had to be made manually. Now it is very easy to achieve uniform and beautiful gathering - you need to buy a special tape for curtains.

Curtain tape is a strip of fabric with cords threaded through it. By sewing the tape to the canvas and tightening the cords, you can make beautiful folds on the material. It is attached using special textile loops on the tape, which are attached to hooks. Transparent tape is bought for light transparent textures, such as: organza, mesh, in rare cases - crystalon, veil. Opaque tape is dense, on a cotton base, intended for curtain and opaque fabrics.

Important! The opaque tape is made of natural cotton. When washed, it may shrink up to 10-15% of its length. Therefore, you need to take it with a reserve and iron it in the "Steaming" mode before sewing.

Different models of tape will help to make different types of assembly on the material.

• Uniform. When the cords of the braid are pulled together, waves with even "columns" are obtained. Another name is "pencil".

  

• Puffs. The second name is "waffle", because the three-dimensional pattern is similar to the relief of the famous dessert.

  

• "Little glass", "little wine glass". All these names are used for beautiful goblet-shaped folds.

  

• Bow. Creates uniform bow folds on the fabric. It is quite difficult to do them manually, without tape, especially for beginners.

  

• "Houndstooth". Triple tucks are evenly distributed across the fabric.

  

If you plan to set the fabric for a certain fold splendor, you need to know the tulle assembly coefficient. It will help you calculate the footage that will be needed for a particular drapery.

Assembly coefficient

The gathering coefficient (GC) is a value that helps determine how much fabric needs to be gathered in width. In essence, this is an allowance for waves and folds, and it determines how voluminous they will be in the end.

Before calculating the tulle for a window in width, it is necessary to find out what the KS will be. To do this, you need to know two values:

1. Length of the cornice.
2. Model of tape.

The footage by width is calculated using a simple formula:

Amount of fabric = k x length of cornice

Where k – this is the assembly coefficient (filling). It will be different for different types of assembly that the tape forms:

• Pencil - k=2.5-3.
• Puffs - k = 1.5 – 2.5.
• "Goose Feet" - k = 2.
• Goblet-shaped, bow-shaped – k = 2.5-3.

Please note! The packaging of the curtain tape should indicate the coefficient of tensile strength. Usually the average coefficient is 1:2.5. It is suitable for almost any curtain design.

Knowing the KS, all that remains is to calculate the required amount of fabric. If, for example, k=1.5, and the length of the cornice is 275 cm, then to sew curtains you will need to collect 375 cm (3.75 meters) of fabric (1.5 x 250 cm=375 cm).

Important. When calculating, it is necessary to add allowances for side seams. As a rule, 6 cm are added, 3 cm for each side seam.

In our example, to the width of 3.75 m, we need to add another 6 cm for the side seams. The total width of the fabric will be 3 m 81 cm.

How many meters of tulle are needed for a three-meter window?

This is the question that often worries housewives. The popularity of the dilemma is easy to explain – this width is the most common and is considered standard. In this case, the width can be different: from 4.5 m to 9 m. Naturally, in the first case, the material will lie in a small, uniform wave, in the second – in chic, lush folds.

Important! The window width is measured not by the frame or opening, but by the length of the cornice. This does not take into account decorative elements such as knobs on the sides of the rod.

As a rule, if the curtain rod is 3 meters, then how much tulle you need to take depends on the selected assembly type. If the length of the rod is 3 meters, then the calculation is made using the same formula as above. First, you need to decide what kind of tape will be used. Accordingly, then the KS will be known, which will be needed to calculate the width of the material for sewing curtains.

So, let's find out how much tulle is needed for a 3-meter window. Let's say the tape is chosen with large goblet-shaped folds, k=2.5.

3 m x 2.5 (KS) = 7.5 m + 6 cm (side hem allowances) = 7.56 m.

That is, for a three-meter window, 7 meters 56 cm of tulle will be needed for goblet-shaped folds.

Calculation of tulle by cornice: degrees of filling

To calculate the material for the length of the cornice, you need to know what the filling is. This is one of the most important criteria in the calculation. It determines how lush the curtains will look in the end. There are three types of filling:

1. Small. The minimum acceptable level. Designers recommend taking material no less than 1:1.5. That is, with a window width of 3 m, the minimum amount of fabric for sewing is 3 m x 1.5 = 4.5 m. If you take a smaller amount of organza or veil, the appearance of the product will be more than modest.

   

2. Average. The optimal fabric set is considered to be 1:2. With this value, 6 meters of material will be needed for a three-meter window. Average filling is the most common option. It allows you to make beautiful drapery with the help of a tightening tape and small folds.

   

3. Full. The most magnificent, luxurious filling – 1:3. Looks rich, allows you to make any fancy folds. For a 3-meter length, you will need 9 meters (3 m x 3 = 9 m). But this option is not suitable for material with a large pattern or embroidery. Rich drapery will hide the beauty of the design.

   

There are a few more nuances that may affect the calculations:

• Density. The denser the material, the less filling it should have. Otherwise, little light will enter the room. And vice versa, the thinner and more transparent the texture, the more filling you need to choose.

  

• Pattern. If the material is not monochromatic, but has a large pattern, then the KS should be small. If the filling is too large, it will be simply impossible to see the flowers, patterns and butterflies, they will be hidden in the lush folds.

  

Choosing curtain sizes

Now it is necessary to determine how to choose the right size of curtains and tulle. That is, to find out what the dimensions of the curtains should be for a certain width of translucent curtains. The curtain curtain has a denser structure. Therefore, the KS will be less than for light veils and will be k = 1.5-2.

Let's calculate the required amount of material for thick curtains that are difficult to drape due to their rough texture.

The length of the cornice is 3 m.

KS = 1.5.

Allowances – 6 cm.

Quantity of curtain material: 300 cm x 1.5 = 450 cm + 6 cm (allowances) = 456 cm or 4 meters 56 cm.

If the texture is a little softer, lighter, allows for beautiful drapery, then the KS can be chosen larger – k=2. Then the calculation will look like this:

The length of the cornice is 3 m.

KS = 2.

Allowances – 6 cm.

Quantity of curtain material: 300 cm x 2 = 600 cm + 6 cm (allowances) = 606 cm or 6 meters 6 cm.

Examples of different concentration coefficients

In addition to the tape, there are several other options for decorating window textiles when sewing. When choosing one of them, it is also important to consider the KS.

• On eyelets. The fabric is strung on a rod using special metal or plastic rings installed along the upper edge. This option is often used for draping balcony windows. Curtains on eyelets do not interfere with opening the door, since they can be easily moved aside with one movement. For curtains on eyelets, it is better to choose k = 2.

  

• On loops. This type of curtain design looks good in modern interiors. The fabric is attached to the rod using textile loops. They can repeat the print of the main fabric or differ in contrast, can be solid or designed as ties, k = 1.5-2.

  

Before you collect fabric for window curtains, drapes or drapes, you need to decide on the filling coefficient, type of tape, design features of the textile and accurately measure the length of the cornice. Knowing these parameters, sewing beautiful window textiles will not be difficult. Examples of photos of window curtains with different KS will help you choose the right option that will appeal to the whole family.

Video on how to correctly calculate the width of fabric for curtains