A Guide to Pencil Pleat Curtains

True to their name, pencil pleat curtains gather into slim, close-packed folds that look like a neat row of pencils. Behind the top sits a header tape with drawstrings: pull them, and the flat panel shirrs into pleats, ready to hang from rings on a rod or hooks on a track. That simple mechanism is the charm of this heading. It strikes the perfect chord between the formal elegance of pinch pleat curtains and the laid-back ease of rod pocket tops, imparting a classical touch without being overly dressy or casual, and it lets you fine-tune how full the curtain looks once it’s up. Their shirred headers are a natural fit in rustic interiors where handmade details and tactile textures enjoy a distinct place, yet a plain linen in pencil pleats looks just as right in a calm modern bedroom. Read on for our stylists’ favorite reasons to choose pencil pleat curtains, plus how to size, gather and hang them.

Pencil Pleat Curtains: A Snapshot of the Style

Named for their slim ruched header that resembles a neat row of pencils, pencil pleat curtains are instantly recognizable for their softly tailored rhythm. With the gentle flourish of an Elizabethan ruff, these drapes bring a soft rhythmic order - measured, graceful, and full of homely warmth.

This distinct beauty is credited to their clever construction method, made possible by a unique header tape. Stitched behind the curtain’s header, this 4-inch tape has three drawstrings, which, when pulled and tied, coax the panel to form close-packed, sleek pleats. These clever drawstrings have earned pencil pleat curtains alternate names like tape top curtains and rufflette curtains, hinting at the technique behind their charm.

Pencil Pleat Curtains: Perks to Pick

While some drapery styles vanish into the archives of time, others thrive - ever fresh, ever adored. Pencil pleat curtains are one of those immortal classics that offer something compelling to every era, and that explains why they are still here, flaunting their frills. But going beyond aesthetics, there is so much more to love about pencil pleats, like -

RUSTIC CHARM: Bringing soft nostalgia to traditional country homes, pencil pleat curtains have a storybook charm that whispers of fields, fireplaces, and bucolic countrysides. Their beautiful shirred headers and the drawstring mechanism behind the scenes fit in seamlessly with the woven textures and hand-tied elements of these raw-finish homes and the simple lifestyle they endorse. This rustic romance is behind their enduring presence in heritage homes, charming cottages, and rustic settings.

FLEXIBLE WIDTH: Pencil pleat curtains don’t come with ‘fixed’ pleats like pinch pleat drapes do. Instead, pencil pleat curtains form their pleats at the pull of the drawstring. What does this mean? You can adjust their finished width to suit your window. Say, you ordered a 100-inch-wide panel. Gathered into a lush, dense heading, it covers about 40 inches of rod; gathered more loosely, it stretches to about 60 inches.

This flexibility is credited with some precious advantages. To begin with, if your measurement is a little off, pencil pleats won’t let you feel the pinch. You can adjust the width by spacing out or gathering together the pleats as required. Secondly, you can easily swap the curtains amongst windows of almost similar sizes. This makes pencil pleats particularly suited to evolving interiors, rentals, and temporary homes, as they can effortlessly adapt to minor width differences without the slightest fuss.

PERSONAL TOUCH: Pencil pleat is one of several heading styles that offer adjustable finished width as they are ‘hand gathered’. But what sets it apart is how intimately involved you can get in shaping its final look. The strings are in your hands, quite literally! You decide how tightly or loosely the pleats gather, giving you the freedom to tailor the fullness and fall to suit your space and preference. For hands-on decorators, it’s a quiet thrill - your curtains arrive ready to mount, yet leave just enough room for a creative touch. It’s a small act of tailoring that adds a personal imprint - just a tug of a drawstring - nothing complex but immensely satisfying.

HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY: Pencil pleat curtains can be mounted on rods as well as tracks. So, no matter what you prefer, the decorative presence of drapery rods or the pared-back beauty of tracks, you can count on pencil pleat drapes to blend into your design narrative.

PERFECT FOR LAYERING: Pencil pleat curtains are one of the few heading styles that have a dense gather of pleats and yet feature a low ‘depth profile’. This is because the pleats are fine and shallow, projecting outward as little as possible. This sleek silhouette makes them the perfect candidate for layered window treatments, where two sets of curtains can glide past each other without friction.

EXCELLENT LIGHT CONTROL: In nurseries and bedrooms where room-darkening is a priority, pencil pleats are a great find. Their full-coverage headers leave light no way in at the top - no grommet holes or loose fabric tabs - just neatly sealed, beautifully ruched headers. For real darkness, add our sewn-in blackout lining, in white, pale gray or pale beige.

PLAIN FABRICS SHINE: While pencil pleat curtains wear both plains and patterns with grace, it is solids they truly befriend. Their rhythmic, ruffled gather breathes life into an unassuming fabric, turning it into a soft sculpture of light and shadow, something dimensional and deeply textured. Had the heading been plain, too, the effect would have been forgettable. But with pencil pleats, the simplicity of a solid color becomes its strength, allowing the pleats to take center stage. The pleats, in turn, bring out the best of the fabric - its richest color, deepest texture, and softest luster.

HAUL 'EM HOME: Plain/ Textured Curtains | Blackout Curtains

Sizing Made Simple: Measuring for Pencil Pleat Curtains

As we’ve said before, pencil pleats will not make you dread the numbers. But, a touch of precision indeed is what turns drapery into something like couture. Here are the essentials:

WIDTH: Measure your rod or track, not the window, with a steel tape, and order the flat width of the panel before gathering. For a full, even heading, aim for about twice the rod length in total (2x fullness), and no less than 1.5x. As a guide, a 100-inch-wide panel gathers to cover about 40 to 60 inches. Panels can be up to 288 inches wide; anything wider than about 48 inches is joined with vertical seams, with patterns matched across them.

LENGTH: Every panel has a 2-inch hem, you can order sizes to the quarter inch, and panels can be up to 252 inches long. Because the hooks can sit in any of the tape’s three rows, the curtain’s final drop can be nudged up or down a little once it arrives.

When you’re ready to pick up the measuring tape, our Drapery Measurement Guide is ready to walk you through it, simply and clearly, including exactly where to start measuring for your rod or track. And who knows? You might find yourself falling a little in love with math, because measuring for pencil pleats is a breeze!

HOMESEWN HANDBOOK: Curtain Measurement Guide | Curtain Headings Style Guide

Hanging Made Hassle-Free: Installing Pencil Pleat Curtains

A curtain looks only as beautiful as its drape and fall. And so, having run the extra mile of going custom only becomes worth the toil when you hang your pencil pleat curtains correctly. Interested in polishing this art? Let’s help you get there -

Hardware & Accessories

Pencil pleat curtains can go on both drapery rods and tracks. To mount your curtains on drapery rods, you will need drapery pins and rings, and for tracks, you’ll need drapery hooks (none of these are included, as Sewn doesn’t sell curtain hardware). Once your hardware is ready and the curtains are unboxed, follow the steps explained ahead to hang them correctly.

How to Hang Pencil Pleat Curtains

Mounting pencil pleat curtains is a three-step process that is very easy to follow. This is how it goes -

Step One: Gather the Panel into Pleats

• Tie the Drawstring: Begin by laying the curtain panel flat on a table, the reverse side facing up. Locate the drawstrings at one end, knot them together, and neatly tuck the loose ends into the pocket of the header tape.

• Gather the Panel: At the other end, hold the three drawstrings together and start pulling them outward. The panel will begin to gather, forming soft pleats. Continue pulling until the panel contracts to your desired width. Secure the strings with a knot and tuck the loose ends into the pocket of the header tape.

• Arrange the Pleats: Distribute the pleats evenly by adjusting and smoothing the fabric along the drawstrings. Take your time here because well-set, uniform pleats offer a clean finish.

Step Two: Insert Drapery Pins

The key to achieving a uniform drape and fall lies in spacing the drapery pins evenly. Here’s a no-fail strategy: insert first and last pins on the curtain’s edges, and the rest in between, spaced equally. But before inserting the pins, there are two things to decide: the spacing between the pins and the tier.

• Spacing: We recommend spacing of 4-5 inches between the pins to offer adequate support to the header, so it does not sag or droop on the rod/track.

• Tier: Our header tape features three ‘tiers’ of pin insertion points. At this stage, you’d need to decide which of these tiers you’d like to insert your pins. Keep in mind: the lower the tier, the higher the curtain’s end/drop point. Hold up your panel close to the rod/track and gauge which drop point aligns best with your desired look. For a more accurate sense, you may even want to go for a test with a few inserted pins on a tier of your choice and partially hang the curtain to preview the finish.

Once you’ve decided on the tier, start inserting the pins at even, predetermined gaps.

Step Three: Hang the Curtains

Finally, hook the pins into the eyelet of the curtain rings or track carriers. And just like that, your curtains are pleated, prepped, and ready to shine!

Pencil Pleat Curtains: FAQs

What are pencil pleat curtains?

Curtains with a header tape sewn across the back of the top. Pulling its drawstrings gathers the fabric into slim, tightly packed folds that look like a row of pencils, and the curtain then hangs from rings on a rod or hooks on a track.

What is the difference between pencil pleat and pinch pleat curtains?

Pinch pleats are stitched into fixed clusters at the workroom, so the width is set and the look is more tailored. Pencil pleats are gathered by you with drawstrings, so the folds are finer and softer and the finished width can be adjusted a little to suit the rod.

How wide should pencil pleat curtains be?

About twice the length of the rod or track in total, and at least 1.5x. A 100-inch-wide panel gathers to cover roughly 40 to 60 inches, depending on how tightly you pull the drawstrings.

How do you gather pencil pleat curtains?

Lay the panel face down, knot the drawstrings together at one end, then pull all of them at the other end until the panel reaches the width you want. Knot them, tuck the ends into the tape and spread the folds evenly before you hang it.

Do pencil pleat curtains need hooks or rings?

Yes. On a track, the hooks clip into the carriers; on a rod, drapery pins go into the tape and hook onto curtain rings. Sewn doesn’t sell hardware, so pins, hooks and rings aren’t included.

Are pencil pleat curtains good for blackout?

They’re a good choice, because the gathered heading has no holes or gaps for light to slip through at the top. Add a blackout lining, extend the rod past the window and let the curtains reach the floor for the darkest room.

Do pencil pleat curtains suit modern rooms?

Yes, especially in plain or textured fabrics, where the fine gather adds quiet texture without fuss. On a slim track or a simple metal rod, a pencil pleat looks clean and current rather than country.

Seal the Deal: Shop Pencil Pleat Curtains from Sewn

In the world of drapery, few echo the quiet poetry of pencil pleats. Subtly detailed like a hand-smocked dress, delicately hand-gathered yet beautifully tailored, they walk the line between structure and softness with rare elegance. Whether dressing a sun-warmed attic dormer, sweeping across grand French doors, or cocooning a bedroom in blackout bliss, pencil pleats adapt effortlessly - equally at home in rustic charm and laid-back calm. If their graceful versatility speaks to your style, it’s time to bring a little of that quiet magic home - with bespoke pencil pleat custom drapery from Sewn, made to measure in our studios in India or the UK in any of our 2,500+ fabrics! If you’d like a hand choosing a fabric or working out your sizes, our designers are just an email away at hi@sewndrapesandshades.com.

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