Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Fake a Pleated Curtain With No Sewing Required I Weekend DIY + Buying Guide
Original article published: 4/22/21
Article updated: 2/14/24
2024 Update: After Hurricane Ian hit our house in 2023, I ended up having to throw away some water damaged curtains and came up with a new method for making my curtains look EVEN BETTER! Check out my pinch pleat method below and my fold over pinch pleat no sew hem hack by clicking here.
Want an easy method for creating a sleek pleated style for your curtains? Look no further…I’ve got it covered with my DIY no-sew pleated curtain hanging method.
Our main bedroom has A LOT of windows, which I love, but sometimes I like to sleep past the sunrise. It’s pretty much impossible with all the windows so I recently hung up some black out curtain panels.
My Room Darkening Curtains Before Pleating
I wanted to be able to open and close them easily in the morning and evening, so I hung them with curtain hooks on rings. No matter how many hooks I placed on them though, they still looked really messy. To me, messy curtains can make an entire room look messy. I am a very organized person (think—Monica from the show Friends organized) and think more clearly when things look tidy.
My Room Darkening Curtains Before Pleating
After researching pleated curtains, I saw I could sew them to make pleats, but it seemed complicated and I do not like complicated! I brainstormed and tested out a method where I merely folded the curtain panel slightly and clamped on a hook. I tested it out and it worked!
Read on for the full tutorial plus lots of photos!
The Items You’ll Need for This Project: Curtain Panels and Curtain Hooks
What you’ll need:
Curtain hooks/rings: I purchased these black matte clamp hooks via Amazon. I bought a pack of 100 because I had a lot of curtains to hang. Each panel took about 12 hooks.
Curtain rod: I used this black telescoping curtain rod from Amazon. You don’t have to get a new rod BUT make sure the hook rings will fit around your existing rod.
Your choice of curtain panels: I was in need of “black out” curtains for our bedroom and selected these linen textured neutral panels via Amazon. Because pleating with shorten the width of your curtains slightly, you may want to purchase some that are a bit wider than you need. You can either purchase some that are wider OR you can purchase extra panels and double up. For example: If you traditionally would hang only 2 panels, buy 4 panels. This can create a fuller “designer look” that is aesthetically pleasing.
See this in a one-minute video format below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Folding The Curtains for the Hooks
My process: I experimented with folding over small sections of the curtain and clamping on a hook. I laid out the curtain panels (with the front facing me) onto my bed, and got to work.
Folding The Curtains for the Hooks
I folded a small “pinch” of fabric and clamped on a hook along the top of the curtain panel.
Pinching and Clamping the Curtains with the Hooks
I continued to “pinch” and clamp on the hooks until I reached the end of the curtain.
The Pinch of Fabric for the Curtain Hooks
As you can see in the photo above, I folded over about 2 inches of the curtain. I did not do any exact measurements but you could if you wanted. I clamped on the hook at the front of each fold.
Continuing to Fold and Clamp on the Curtain Hooks
Visually, my sections all looked pretty even. I didn’t worry too much about them being perfect because I knew as soon as I hung them up, they would look fine.
Here’s the what the back-side of the curtains looks like:
Continuing to Fold and Clamp on the Curtain Hooks
BEFORE PLEATING
My Curtains Before the Pleating
AFTER PLEATING
My Curtains After the Pleating
I liked the look so much, I followed the same folding process on the other curtains in my bedroom as well. I still have to hem all the curtains (their length is slightly too long), but I wanted to experiment with the no-sew pleating before getting out my sewing machine so I knew if it would work or not. If it didn’t, I knew I could go the route of sewing on on some pleating tape, but luckily, my pinch and hook method worked!
My Curtains After the Pleating
You can buy pleating tape to use to pleat your curtains (and attach curtain hooks) if you want to do it that way. That’s a more permanent solution as it’s best to sew the pleating tape onto the curtain, but I like my method for now in case I want to change up the pleating in the future.
My Curtains After the Pleating
I like how they turned out. It’s a very simple and easy solution that cleans up the curtains and makes them look more uniform.
My Curtains After the Pleating
Did you do this DIY? Please let us know by commenting below! We love to hear when our readers use our tips and tricks and share their experiences.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.