Old fashioned curtains with little hooks

Well, I'm afraid I have given up on buying any more curtains with hooks and tapes that you draw up. We have had two rooms completely redecorated, then put up new curtain poles and bought eyelet curtains, so much easier. And will do the same with any future new curtains.

Pencil'pleat curtains hang from both track and ring poles. You can still put the hooks on direct to the curtain for the tracks but for the rings you hook them through the upper part of the pleat then hook through the bit on the bottom of the rings, hope that makes sense! ?

We are finding it difficult to buy them in the size we would like hence the question
Just wondering if you live in a stately home Floradora!

Flora what size do you need that's proving so difficult? I promise I 'm not advertising but I really suggest that you look at the elmet site where they offer all the standard widths, free alterations to your length and both eyelet and pencil-pleat styles. Plus advice on requirements and measuring. If you buy curtains which are too narrow, you can make them fit but the pleats will be too spread out and your curtains will look skimpy. Even if you find they have nothing you like, it's quite a helpful site.
Curtains arrive flat.
On the carpet, mark the width you want your curtain to be (approx half the total length of your curtain rail).
Lay a curtain flat on floor.
Find the strings at one end of the heading tape and knot them together.
Find the corresponding strings at the other edge.
Pull the strings, forming the pleats as you go until the gathered heading is the width you need.
Insert your existing hooks (then you know they'll fit the rail) into the little gaps in the top, middle or bottom row, depending on distance from rail to floor.

We are finding it difficult to buy them in the size we would like hence the question .

If I buy pencil pleated curtains less than twice the half size of the window will they meet in the middle or not . do they come like a concertina all bundled up ?
I really would go for twice the width or more, ie each curtain should measure at least the width of your track.

You have to pull them yourself to fit, and don't pull them so tightly that they don't meet in the middle!

Once you have gathered them the shop won't take them back if you change your mind.

I dislike choosing curtains and when I have finally decided I then wish I hadn't bought them!

They usually come in pairs Floradora unless it states on the packet that it is a single curtain, eg for a door.

Choose very carefully, don't compromise as I did (price was a factor, but you have to live with them for a long while).

Sorry new question you can see we hate buying household things. If I buy pencil pleated curtains less than twice the half size of the window will they meet in the middle or not . do they come like a concertina all bundled up ? When ordering online when it ask how many I want to order do they mean pairs or single curtains ? We have not bought curtains for years . Thanks for your help I could give up and live with the ones we have but I hate them when pulled in the winter months.

I like eyelets. So easy to put up.

I grew up with my grandparents. They used portier door rods with thick door curtains. Not so long ago individual door curtains were available, sold as such.
They worked beautifully, I'm hoping to get some, i shall be watching this thread.

Couple of superfluous letters there
“Eyelet or tab top”

Several posts down the line I am bemused by the “old fashioned curtains with little hooks”!
Yes there has been a trend forveyelet or tab top curtains but whether you use curtain rods or poles, gathered, pinch pleat and pencil pleat heading tape are what I regard as standard curtain heading!

mcem, I confess that I have never bought ready-made curtains, so have never looked at them. When I buy curtain poles, and I have recently, they come with rings and either combined hooks and ring hangers or have a small metal eye screwed into each ring to hold one of those white hooks, so i assumed that was the only way to attach curtains.

I did once make some tab top curtains after seeing them in a magazine, but took them down pretty quickly and put tape in because they were so difficult to open and close.

I'm thinking that portiere rods are the only way to close the curtain and the door together on the way out and also that they'd open with the door on the way in.
They do look a bit unwieldy so just wondered if there's an easier way.

Goodness, haven't seen portiere rods with curtains for years!
We do have a door curtain but it's on a pole, not attached with eyelet holes but with hooks fitted into rings which hang from the pole.
It's strictly for very cold weather, never normally used but it does make the house seem more cosy even if it's not necessary.

Sorry, I misunderstood your post, gmelon.

I've never had door curtains but my neighbours have had them on their back door for years - using portiere rods.

At least double width if you want neat tight pleats. Skimpy curtains look cheap and nasty!
monica the pole does go through the holes with eyelet style curtains!
May I digress slightly and ask if anyone has successfully used portiere rods with door curtains?

For pencil pleats, it's a minimum of double the width, preferably two and a half times the width.

We have pencil pleat curtains hanging from poles but they will also fit on your existing rail. I hope you find some really lovely curtains - it's worth spending time getting them right because you will be looking at them for a long time!

I buy double the width for curtains.

kittylester mine are all pencil pleat on poles and tracks.
I mentioned that I don't like the holes/eyelets .

I would definitely order at least twice the width, if not 2.5 width. It depends on the thickness of the curtains and lining too.
Pinch pleats look nice and tidy too.

This link may help:
www.curtainscurtainscurtains.co.uk/curtain-heading-styles-hhid232.html

Sorry it is me again I almost got to bed but wondered with the pencil pleats do we order twice the width of the window or one and a half times ?

Thanks so much everyone we just hate choosing new things for the house . Give me a garden to plan instead that is fun .

Recently bought some new curtains from ikea. I got them with the tape you pull up, which would take the hooks you talk about. I saw a gadget to pull the curtains together into an attractive pleat and the metal gadget then hooks onto the little hooks.
Not necessary to get the gadget but it does make the curtains hang nicely.

Poles have rings on them and little hooks screwed into them that take the little white hooks. The pole does not go through holes in the curtain, although some shower curtains may.

I have French curtain poles and English and several English curtain tracks and all the curtains attach to them the same way.

I have just looked at the Dunelm site and some of the track fixings incorporate the curtain hook, but always at the bottom of the device is a little round hole that you can attach the curtain to with those dinky little white hooks.