Frequently Asked Questions

Measuring for your custom drapes is easy with Spiffy Spools. Just refer to our Drapery Measurement Guide for detailed, easy-peasy instructions coming straight from our stylists’ notepads.

Length fraction refers to ‘part inch’ measurements. For example, if a client wants to order curtains that are 86.50 inches inches long, they’d choose “86” under “Length” specification and “1/2 (.50 inch)” under “Length Fraction” specification on our site.

Unfortunately not; we do not sell or include any hardware with our drapery.

We offer a standard white privacy lining to block glare and protect fabric from sun damage and color fading.

Clients also have the option of ordering blackout lining to be used in place of privacy lining for room darkening and better insulation. For blackout lining, we offer three color options – white, light grey and light beige.

The blackout lining is stitched on the back of drapes. It is *not* provided as a separate, removable liner. Blackout lining replaces the standard privacy lining. It is not in addition to privacy lining.

For further details and reference images, please refer to our blog post on Lining Options from Spiffy Spools.

The term ‘heading style’ refers to the construction of the top part/ header section of the curtains. Determining the pleat formation, looks, and functionality of the drapes, the heading style is a key factor that needs to be considered while shopping for custom drapes.

From modern styles like flat panels and grommet tops to classic styles like goblet pleats and French pinch pleats, we offer a dozen different heading styles that cater to varied tastes and requirements.

Please refer to our Drapery Headings Styles Guide for further details and reference images.

While stackback widths are not possible to determine precisely, we advise clients to expect their non-pinch pleat style drapes (grommet top, rod pockets, etc.) to stack to 20% of the panel width, and for pinch pleat drapery to stack to roughly 25%  of the panel width.

Please note that stackback widths vary not only based on heading style, but also depend on the thickness of the fabric and lining, as well as how tightly the drapery is gathered by the user.

Fabric bolts come in continuous lengths but in fixed widths (typically 48-54 inches wide). Therefore, while there will never be a joint to get extra long lengths, if your made-to-measure curtains are over a certain width (48 inches), then you can expect to have a vertical join in them.

But sweat not; a vertical join can be very discreet if handled well. If the fabric is patterned, our pro seamstresses match the pattern along the seam and the join becomes almost invisible; noticeable only if you are deliberately looking for it. Though do note that the join will be slightly more prominent on plain fabrics. A spiffy hack is to simply hide the seams within the folds of the lush pleats.

Please refer to our blog post on Joins & Patterns Matching in Custom Curtains for more information and reference images.

Our default bottom hem size is 2 inches.

If you’d like the hems on your drapes to be larger or smaller, please write to us at info@spiffyspools.com before placing your order. We always ty our best to accommodate custom requests.

We offer grommets in four finishes: silver, bronze, brass (gold) and black.

All finishes are available in standard sizes with inner grommet diameter of 1.5 inches.

Silver and bronze grommets are also available in large sizes with inner grommet diameter of 2 inches.

Small grommets of one-inch diameter are available in silver.

The header tape used behind our pinch pleat, pencil pleat and flat panel top curtains is four inches wide.

This is probably the most frequently asked question from our clients who order custom curtains with pinch pleats or flat panel top for the first time.

While there are multiple hardware options based on price and quality, we are ardent fans of the functional efficiency of the simple pin and hook mechanism. In a nutshell, drapery pins are inserted into the back (lining side) of the panels through the heading tape. The sharp, pointed end goes into the tape, directly into the center of each pinch pleat. Then the curved end of the pin goes through the eyelet of your drapery ring/clip or rod carrier. And that’s it!

You’ll get a super tailored, polished look from the front – and your new drapes will glide smoothly over your drapery rod. For handy reference images, see our blog post How to Hang Pinch Pleat Drapery.

Pleats in our pinch pleat drapery are stitched roughly at gaps of 3-4 inches. Ideally, we recommend a drapery pin behind each pleat so please calculate how many ‘pinches’ your chosen width drapes will have, and decide number of drapery pins to order accordingly.

In case of flat panel tops, the number of pins required can vary depending on how you’d like your curtains to look and how flat or rounded you want your pleats to be.

If you prefer your flat panel curtains to have deep pleats, we suggest inserting the pins around 6-8 inches apart. On the other hand, for a relatively flatter look but with more pleats, insert your pins closer together at approximately 4-6 inch intervals.

Remember as a rule of thumb that pins placed at shorter intervals will give you a flatter look (with more pleats) while pins placed at greater intervals will produce deeper rounder (but fewer) pleats. Therefore, calculate the number of pins required based on how far apart you want to place your pins and the width of the panel.

Our default pocket size is 2.5 inches. If you’d like the pocket size to be larger or smaller, please write to us at info@spiffyspools.com before placing your order and we can usually accommodate.

Yes.

If you have a sidelight window and need drapery with two rod pockets for tension rods, please buy standard rod pocket style on our site and leave a note under ‘Special Instructions’ box at time of checkout, requesting two pockets instead of one.

We do not charge extra for two pockets. We’re nice that way.

New curtains rarely ever fall in straight folds right out of the package. They need to be ‘trained’.

Please refer to our Drapery Training Guide that handholds you through a few simple steps to ensure your curtains look fabulous soon after unboxing.

While the cost of pinch pleat drapes versus non-pinch pleat styles such as grommet top or flat top may ‘seem’ to be double, it actually is not. This is best explained with an example.

For a window of width 36 inches, the panel width would be different for pinch pleat versus non-pinch pleat drapes.

If a client chooses grommet top, they’d ideally order two panels of 36 inches EACH for 2x fullness for this window. Whereas, if they choose a pinch pleat style, they’d order two panels of about 20 inches EACH for the exact same window.

This is because fullness is pre-sewn within the panel widths in pinch pleat drapes.

Therefore, while the price of a 36 inch pinch pleat panel is double the price of a 36 inch wide grommet top, the same window, in fact, does not require 36 inch wide panels in both styles. The correct comparison would be 36 inch wide non-pinch pleat panel versus a 20 inch wide pinch-pleat panel.

To make a true cost comparison of dressing a window in two different heading styles, we recommend following the measuring guidelines in our Curtain Measurement Guide to first calculate correct panel widths for various styles, and then calculating prices for those widths.

Yes, we can stitch any length and width for drapes. If your ideal sizes are not available on our site, please send us an email at info@spiffyspools.com noting the exact sizes you’d like. We’ll send you a custom quote, usually within a few business hours.

Sorry to disappoint but we only work with fabrics from our own collection. We hope you find a suitable alternative!