Attached: Method of applying trim that is added after the treatment is sewn together rather than inserted into a seam. Specify if we are attaching the trim with adhesive or hand sewing.

Bar-tack: The stitch line behind the pleat of a drape or valance that creates the basic pleat. A spot tack is sewing back & forth closely through all thickness of the pleat forming the shape of the pleat.

Bedskirt or Dust ruffle: Fabric that is attached to a decking in a variety of styles to cover the box spring and the space beneath the bed.

Bias: The 45-degree angle of a fabric. Fabric is cut on the bias to create soft folds in valances, curves for borders, and welt. Plaid and stripe fabrics that are being used as decorative elements such as borders and flanges are cut on the bias for effect.

Bleed through: Natural light that filters through fabric giving the face fabric a shadow or color distortion from colored facings or linings that are behind. An opaque lining or interlining will avoid this.

Border or Banding: Fabric that is folded flat and attached to the front of a drape or valance to create a decorative element. Decorative fabrics such as plaids and stripes are cut on the bias

Buckram or Crinoline: The stiffening material used at the top of pleated drapes. Standard buckram is 4”, although this is frequently reduced to 2” for other pleat styles.

Bullseye: Stripes fabric in four pieces mitered around a center point creating a bulleye.

Cascade: Fabric angled at the bottom and hanging at each side of a valance. Also called jabot.

Choux: pronounced shoo (French for cabbage). A decorative rosette with random tacks creating a round a full element resembling a cabbage.

COM: Customer’s own material. Any element of a treatment that the customer will provide.

Cornice: Wooden valance constructed of plywood. Shaped, padded, and covered with fabric.

Cording:  Trim that has a lip attached and sewn into a seam. This can be a factory trim, called a deco cord, or a piping cord that is covered with fabric and called a welt. Because our labor price is different for each of these we prefer that you be specific and say deco cord or welt.

Cut Length: The length required to cut each piece of fabric. This includes the hem, heading, and pattern repeat unless a solid is used.

Cut to measure: Flat rods that a cut to a specific size and have no returns.

Decking: The lining fabric on a bed treatment that lies between the mattress and box spring to which the bedskirt is attached. This lining fabric is included in the labor price of the bedskirt. A fabric band is created from the bedskirt fabric that goes around the outside edges of the decking to enclose the seam and create a finished edge.

Drop: The finished length of a valance or bed skirt from the top to the bottom.

Dust cap: The valance board or cornice top that supports the treatment. This board covers the top of the drapes and protects them from dust. If drapes are used with a valance board the projection must be sufficient to clear the drapes. Standard projection for stationary panels is 4 ½” projection and for a single traverse rod it is 5 ½” projection. We cover our boards with lining fabric and the board top will be covered with leftover face fabric if yardage allows.

Dust Ruffle or Bed Skirt: Fabric that is attached to a decking in a variety of styles to cover the box spring and the space beneath the bed.

Face Fabric: The main fabric of a drape or valance that faces the room.

Facing: A border used on the lining side of a valance to prevent the lining from showing. This could be a self-facing or a contrast facing.

Finished width: The width of a drape after the returns and overlaps have been added. When using the term finished width, please indicate the size of the return and overlap that you have calculated into your finished width.

Fingers: The number of folds in a drapery pleat.

Finger pleats: Small decorative pleats formed with the fingers to create a pleated looking “ruffle”. Used as embellishment on leading edges of drapes or on pillows and valances.

Flange: A lip added on factory made rope cord. An extension of fabric that is added to a drape, valance, or pillow for embellishment.

French Seam: Seam sewn once with wrong sides together, then trimmed closely, pressed, and sewn again with rights sides together, leaving no raw edges exposed. Unnecessary on lined drapes.

Fullness: The amount of fabric in a pleat or gathered on a rod in addition to the rod width. Standard drapery fullness is 2.5X rod width and often 3X on sheers.

Gimp: A flat decorative trim. Tassel trim etc. is attached to a gimp edge.

Gusset: A flap of fabric at the foot corners of a bed skirt which hangs down to prevent any notice of the box spring.

Heading: The fabric that extends above a rod pocket or valance board.

Hems: Finished sides and bottoms of drapes. Hems are doubled. Drapery side hems are 1 ½” and bottom hems are 4” unless otherwise specified.

Interlining: Flannel fabric placed between the face fabric and the lining to add richness and bulk.

Inverted Pleats: Pleats that are formed to the back and folded flat behind the fabric. These can be used on valances, bed skirts, and non-traversing drapes.

Jabot: Fabric angled on the bottom and hanging separately at the sides of a valance. Can also be referred to as a cascade.

Leading edge: The center hem of drapes and opposed to the return edge.

Length: Amount of space covered from the top to the bottom. Also called FL (finished length).

Maltese Cross: A cross formed by four equal size loops gathered together in the middle with a center button creating a rosette.

Mirror Image: A design or a stripe that is the reverse of itself

Miter: Fabric that is turned to form a 90-degree corner.

Mock-flange: Fabric that extends beyond the pillow edge, but is not a separate piece of fabric.

Mock shade: A stationary valance that appears to look like a functioning shade.

Overlocked or Serged edge: Seam formed by a machine that cuts off selvages, sews fabric together, and overcasts the edge.

Pelmet: A decorative cone, or small double cascade between sections of a valance.

Panel: More than one width of fabric sewn together. A pair has two panels.

Pillowcase: A method of attaching lining to face fabric where the fabrics are stitched together with the right sides facing each other and then turned.

Pinch Pleat: Pleat divided into three sections, or fingers, and tacked at the bottom.

Projection or Return: The distance from the front of a valance board to the wall. Standard lumber projections are 1, 1 ½”, 2 ½”, 3 ½”, 4 ½”, 5 ½”.

Railroad: Fabric that is used lengthwise with a selvage edge at the top and bottom.

Repeat: Distance from one point of a pattern to the same point further up the fabric. This information is necessary when calculating yardage.

Return: The part of the drapery that returns to the wall from the front of the rod. This covers the rod projection. Standard projection for a traverse rod is 3 ½”.

Ripplefold: A rod system that controls fullness by allowing it to roll back and forth in a rippling fashion. Snap tape is attached to the drapes, which snaps to the rod.

Rod width: This tells the finished width of the rod that you are using. The workroom will add the returns and overlaps to this measurement.

Rod Pocket: The hem at the top of a treatment through which a rod will pass. This can also be done at the bottom of a treatment for a top & bottom pocket called a T&B.

Ruching: A strip of tightly gathered fabric used as trimming.

Seamless fabric: Wide fabrics in which the width of the fabric becomes the length of the drapes. The fabric is used lengthwise with the selvage edges at the top and bottom. When calculating yardage for seamless fabrics the formula is: rod width X fullness (include side hems, returns, & overlaps) divided by 36”= amount needed.

Self:  Self refers to using the same fabric that is used in the body of the treatment such as self-welt, self-lined, self-facing.

Shade: A window treatment that can be raised and lowered.

Sham: A pillow covering that has an opening in the back for removal.

Sheer: See-through fabric.

Shirr: Another name for gather.

Space: Flat space between pleats. Must be equal in size. Fuller drapes have smaller spaces.

Spring skirt: A flat panel using no fullness that is attached to decking with a short drop used to cover the box spring only.

Spot tack: Repetitive stitches in the same spot to hold pleat folds in place.

Stack or Stackback: The amount of space occupied by a drape when it is drawn open. Rule of thumb is that stackback is 1/3 the rod width. This varies depending on the thickness of the fabric and linings.

Stationary or Side Panels: Draperies or other treatments that are non-functioning.

Stretcher: Fabric, usually lining, that is added to create hem due to insufficient fabric length.

Swag: A top treatment of fabric folded into soft pleats. A true swag is an individual semi-circle piece although we also use the term for softly folded sections with a curved bottom that connects to trumpets at each side of the swag.

Tail: An angled piece of fabric at the ends of a valance that is usually sewn to the valance.

Turned cording: Fabric that is sewn to encase a cord and then turned on itself to have the seam allowance inside the fabric casing.  The result is a cord without a lip. This is done to have a fabric cord that will not be used in a seam, but will be knotted or draped.

Trumpet: A cone or gathered cone connecting valance sections. Trumpets are sewn to valance sections rather than separate pieces.

Valance: Any style top treatment that covers only the top of the window and is non-operable. Fabric is attached to a wooden dust cap and has a soft front as opposed to a cornice, which has a wooden front.

Width: On traverse drapes the width needs to specified as finished width or rod width.

Width: Single width of fabric from selvage to selvage. One or more widths are sewn together to make a panel.

WOM: Widths of Material