If a professional has made your curtains and they are hanging them up, you should be able to leave the dressing of your curtains to them. If, they are not providing this service do not despair, you will be able to achieve the look you desire from your window dressings if you follow these suggestions.

Ensure that the track or pole has been fitted. (See our article section on measuring up for curtains). Make sure that they any track or pole is fitted level.

Press the curtains with a dry iron bearing in mind the fabric composition.

If the curtains are made with a tape heading, holding the tape firmly in one hand, to gather up the fabric as tightly as possible. You may find it helpful to wrap the cords several times around a door handle and then gather up the cords.

Space out you curtain hooks, clips or rings approximately every 4 inches / 10cm apart. Make sure you have enough rings, clips or hooks on the track or pole. This will help the curtains from drooping once they are up.

Hang the curtains up.

Cut several pieces of muslin/ fabric. These will be used to tie around the pleats once they are in place.

Draw the curtains back into the stack position. Starting at the outside edge and at the top, guide and arrange the pleats into soft folds ensuring that any linings and interlinings attached to the curtain are incorporated with each fold.

Once you are happy with the pleats, tie a piece of muslin/ fabric around the pleated curtains. You need to do this at intervals from the top to the bottom of the curtains. Two or three may be required depending upon the length of the curtains and the weight. Make sure that you do not tie up the curtains too tightly as wrinkles will occur.

Leave the curtain to set in this position for a few days.

Once the setting process is completed, make the position of the tie back. This is usually two thirds of the way down the curtain with the hook in the wall between 4- 6 inches/ 10 and 15 cms from the outside edge. However you may wish to position your tie backs higher or lower that these parameters.

Dressing Blinds

Just as curtains, blinds need a little encouragement in order to naturally fall into the right position. If they have been made professionally then blinds will come ready to hang.

Once the blind is fitted, according to the fitting instructions, pull the blind up and leave in the desired position for a few days so that the folds set.

These tips are useful for blinds such as Roman Blinds and Austrian Blinds. If you have chosen a London Blind, then once the blind has been pulled up, it is best left in that position.

Time taken over the dressing of either curtains or blinds will enhance the final finish.