Tail Lengths

[Michelle]

I have been asked to 2 dress 1 window & 1 door within the same room with curtains and an informal swag & tails in voile, having not made swags for a very long time I am unsure what to do with the length of the tails.

The window is to have curtains just past the cill approx. 55" & the door to have full length curtains approx. 88", should I make the tails the same length on both and is there a rule of thumb you should follow regarding the length of the tails ie 1/3 of the length of the curtains.

Thanks
Michelle

[dee]

Re: Tail Lengths

i did swags and tails and a door in the same room and kept to the same depths for the tails, they were i remember being a between a 3rd and 1/2 down the shorter pair. (like the swags i think they need to be the same depth for the tails on both window and door if possible. personally if i make full length curtains i tend to go for a longer swag . if you look in the gallery you can see some nice pictures.as you know in different rooms comes different things, sometimes things jutting out of walls etc, like in the room i did that was never going to be moved so then that might dictate a shorter swag.

[Michelle]

Re: Tail Lengths

Hi Dee,

Thanks for the reply it was really helpful. I will let you know how I get on.

Michelle

[Jules]

Re: Tail Lengths

Hi Michelle,

I've never made s & t's but I know there are a few pics in the gallery. I 'think' there is a suggested length as a guide. Shouldn't they be in proportion to the finished drop of the curtains? I'm sure Philip, Louise, Penny, Karen, Bev, Enid, Dee, Kathy et al will know and come to your rescue before you begin.....

[Schuhby]

Re: Tail Lengths

Hello...

If you make the first pleat of the tail (Shortest fold) level with the deepest point on the swag (centre) and then add 1 to 2 times this length extra, this will give you a well proportioned tail. I wouldn't make the tails to long if the curtain drop isn't very deep - It's all relative and I would suggest that your tails are at least twice the lowest point of the swag.. If the curtains are for a nice long window, then I would go longer with the tails up to half the curtain drop, it's all relative to the overall design.

As you have two windows at different lengths, you could calculate the tails on the curtains length, but this would lead me to ask are the curtains on the same wall? Will they hang next to each other? Look at a mental picture and decide what looks best for your room and then draw it out.

Philip

[dee]

Re: Tail Lengths

i did mean to say it might dictate a shorter tail not swag.(hope i dint confuse)

Re: Tail Lengths

MIchelle - - - The classic proportions of swags and tails are one fifth of the drop for the swags and three fifths of the drop for the tails. Many beautiful S&Ts are not made to this proportion however and the rule is not a hard and fast one. If you start to work up your design based on the classic style and then find that you dont like it you can easily shift the proportions according to your chosen design but you should have a reason for doing so.