A Guide to Tie Top Curtains

Tie top curtains, like a cherished gift tied with ribbons, whisper of old-world charm. Each hand-tied bow is a tribute to crafted beauty, simpler living, and the comforting embrace of home. Suspended from softly tied fabric loops, tie top drapes bring an easy elegance to casual spaces, country cottages, and handcrafted homes, where beauty feels curated with care, and comfort is stitched by hand. For those who delight in decorating Christmas mantles and festive tables with ribbon bows, the nostalgic charm of tie top curtains feels especially familiar. Thinking of bringing this hand-tied beauty into your home? Stay with us as we share everything you need to know about tie top curtains in this blog. 

Tie Top Curtains: A Snapshot of the Style

Tie top curtains are simple fabric panels hemmed on all four sides, featuring long ribbon-like strips sewn evenly along the header. These strips are knotted directly onto the drapery pole, creating little bows and fluttering ends, earning them alternate names such as ribbon top curtains, bow top curtains, and tie tab curtains.

The handcrafted beauty of the knotted fabric tabs makes tie tops ideal for spaces steeped in romance, rustic charm, and whimsy. Worlds apart from dressy pinch pleat drapes and streamlined grommet tops, tie top curtains shine in rustic sunrooms, casual lounges, and country kitchens where light drifts in and textures feel lived-in. 

Since the fabric ties don’t glide as easily on the pole, tie tops curtains are best left as stationary panels, doing what they do best — make places pretty with their soft ties and golden diffused light. No surprise, tie top curtains are usually found dressed in delicate sheers and lightweight linens, serving as kitchen cafe curtains, soft room dividers, sidelight curtains, and stationary framing panels for doors and windows. 

HAUL EM' HOME: Linen Curtains | Floral Curtains | Sheer Curtains 

Tie Top Curtains: Perks to Pick

Unrushed, unfussy, unforgettable - tie top drapes beckon a timeless beauty full of homespun warmth, the kind that lends artisanal beauty to cozy cottages. At the same time, their airy silhouette resonates with the quiet elegance of modern homes that favor rich textures and pronounced simplicity. Bridging yesterday’s warmth with today’s understated luxury,  tie top curtains continue to enchant both hearts and homes. Here’s why:

ULTRA CASUAL: Tie top curtains are typically low-body, lightweight curtains envisioned to draw in light in semi-private spaces. This airy character, coupled with their knotted loops and unstructured silhouettes, makes them favorites in informal spaces. Think lazy sunrooms, bohemian porches, and kitchen patios, where their tied loops can harmoniously blend with rattan chairs and macrame pot hangers. Or, sun-kissed window seats and breakfast nooks stamped with the sense of everyday ease.

HANDCRAFTED BEAUTY: Tie tops carry the beauty of things shaped by hands. From single loops to crossed tabs, from simple knots to layered bows, their styling can be as personal as the space they adorn. Each knot is a modern echo of an age-old art where softness, craftsmanship, and nostalgia meet.

This old-world charm, evoking the knotted ropes of moored boats, bundled harvest, and suspended hammocks, makes tie tops a natural fit in rustic farmhouses, country cottages, and coastal retreats. 

FLEXIBILITY OF SIZE: Tie top drapes possess a quiet genius for adapting to a range of window dimensions - both in length and width. While other header styles offer some degree of flexibility as well, tie tops especially excel in their generous adaptability, never compromising their visual appeal.

When it comes to width, tie tops are not constrained by ‘fixed’ headers like the pinch pleat drapes. They gather organically along their fabric loops, allowing you to space them out for wider windows or gather closer together to fit narrower ones. While this subtly affects the drapery’s fullness, of course, the overall appeal tends to remain charmingly consistent.

The knotted loops are providential for height adjustment, too. There is ample room to customise the curtains’ drop point as the fabric loops sewn by us are 18 inches long. The longer the tied loop, the lower the curtain’s drop point. You can lift or drop the curtains several inches by just knotting the ties differently. 

Together, this flexibility offers two wonderful advantages. One, tie tops allow a generous margin of measurement error - missing a few inches will hardly make a difference. Second, you can easily swap the curtains between windows of slightly varying sizes in the home, as it suits your evolving requirements and styling experiments. And when moving homes, your tie tops may make the smoothest transition without a fuss, making them ideal for rentals and temporary homes.

EASE OF MOUNTING: The most loyal drapery fan can find curtain installation daunting—from measuring and pinning to the careful undoing on laundry day. Tie tops lift that weight off your shoulders, turning that process into a pleasure—as effortless as tying a ribbon, as satisfying as wrapping a gift. This practical ease makes tie tops triumph in homes that cherish both beauty and convenience. Further, they bring some smart savings as you only need a drapery rod—no need for additional accessories like drapery pins and clips.

Tie Top Curtains: Points to Ponder

Although tie tops are both easy to install/maintain and visually charming, they are not ideal for all homes or decor settings. Like any other heading style, there are places where they shine and others where they invite reconsideration. So, before you commit to tie tops, bear these things in mind:

SLOW GLIDE: Tie top curtains don’t glide as smoothly on the pole as curtains with rings or clips do. Therefore, they are not recommended for windows where you expect to open and close the drapes often. Instead tie tops are better suitors for stationary — primarily decorative — curtains. Or for sheers which are intended to stay put most of the time anyway.

TIP IN A PIC!

If you love the look of tie tops and want a smooth glide too, here's a smart little workaround. Skip tying the loops directly to the pole. Instead, thread them through curtain rings and slide the rings onto the pole. This way, your curtains glide effortlessly while still keeping their sweet, tie-top charm.

NOT LIGHT BLOCKING: The intervals between the fabric loops ensure light inflow even when the drapes are drawn, ruining the complete blackout agenda of bedrooms, nurseries, and media rooms. Light leaks through the header can be reduced by placing the drapery pole a few inches above the window, but never truly eliminated. 

NOT FORMAL: Tie tops are casual in a very pronounced way—not just in structure, but also in the materials they sport. They are typically sewn from tactile and homely fabrics like cotton and linen, not plush velvets or luminous silks. This unpretentiousness makes them shine in casual spaces and out of place in formal rooms where structure and sheen take precedence.  

HARDWARE CHOICES: Tie tops go on poles only, so if you have tracks installed, you might have to reconsider either the hardware or the heading style. Secondly, the header with its spaced-out fabric tabs completely exposes the drapery pole. So, if you’d rather keep your hardware out of sight, you might want to consider other heading styles that conceal the pole.

LIMITED BY SUPPORT BRACKETS: Since tie top curtains are looped and knotted around the pole, any support brackets along the way limit the panel’s movement. So, for a drapery pole with a central support bracket, opt for double panels; a single one-sided pull panel is not an option. An extra-long drapery pole supported by several brackets will require multiple tie top panels to cover the pole.

Sizing Made Simple: Measuring for Tie Top Curtains

Tie top curtains are one of those drapery styles that will not test your math. However, measuring correctly is still important to getting perfect-fit drapes. For the step-by-step detailed process of measuring, please visit our Drapery Measurement Guide. But, before you head to the guide, below are a few key points to bear in mind:

• Fabric Loops and Final Length: Our tie top curtains come with 18-inch long ties to form the knots. However, note that the length of the ties should not be factored into the panel length you specify at time of ordering with us. Please measure from the point where you want the panel to start up to the desired drop point, and we’ll add the ties separately.

• Measuring Width: Tie tops are usually envisioned to have a relatively flat, less full look than curtains of most other styles. Therefore, we recommend a width that measures 1.5x fullness, as opposed to the 2-3x fullness that we usually recommend. Don’t worry if you’re not sure what ‘fullness’ means. Just head to the measurement guide now - where it is explained in detail with illustrations.

Hanging Made Hassle-Free: Installing Tie Top Curtains

A light, billowy curtain swaying with softly tied bows brings a fresh charm to any room. But, for the look to feel truly pulled together, the supporting cast also matters. Your hardware - especially the pole in this case - needs to support the rustic flair of tie tops. So, we’ve put together a cheat sheet in case you’re still scouring for the apt drapery pole. Go with:  

• Distressed wooden poles with handcrafted finials to offer organic, rustic accents.

• Wrought iron poles with ornate scroll or spear finials to contrast the drapery’s airy softness.

• Sleek metal poles—brushed brass, nickel, or gold—with clean-lined, low-profile finials for a modern refinement.

• Artisanal poles and finials for homes that celebrate art, craft, and handmade details.

Whether you live in a rustic farmhouse, a bohemian cottage, or a modern city condo, you can find a hardware finish that strikes a chord with your tie tops. And the good news is that once you’ve found your pick, there is nothing more you need - no pins, no clips, no eyelets or rings - your drapery can go straight from the box to the pole in a simple two-step process explained below.

The Steps to Hang Tie Top Curtains

After you unbox your tie top drapes, you may want to steam them to smooth their creases. And then, follow these simple steps -

TIE THE KNOTS: Lay the drapery pole on a flat surface and start tying the fabric loops around the pole, keeping the following points in mind: 

•  The drop point of your drapery depends on the length of the fabric loop—the longer the loop, the lower the curtain’s drop point. So, hold up your panel close to the pole 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 tied loops and partially hang the curtain to preview the finish. Once you’ve decided on the desired drop point, you will know how long your fabric loops should be kept to achieve it. Accordingly, customise the finished length of your hand-tied fabric loops.

• Knotting the tabs offers a chance to leave an imprint of your style. Whether it’s generous sash bows with short tails or long trailing ties in a minimal knot, ruffled double bows, or sleek single bows - your knotting style can be as personalized as your space. It’s a little detail, but one that can shift the mood of the entire decor. So, give your best to exploring the art of knotting. 

MOUNT THE POLE: Once you’ve finished tying all the loops, mount the pole onto the brackets. While doing so, tuck the first tie loop outside the bracket to lock the panel on one side, preventing it from bunching up in the middle. Finally, fit the finials and the job is done. Your tie top curtain is ready to unleash its rustic, handcrafted beauty! 

Seal the Deal: Shop Tie Top Curtains with Sewn

Not mere curtains but quiet conversations between fabric, light, and hand—tie tops are understated marvels in the world of window drapery! They remind us that sometimes it is the simplest gestures - a knot, a bow, a soft fold - that carry the fondest charm. Whether styled in loose romantic bows or crisp, tailored knots, tie top curtains offer a canvas for creativity, a chance to make each space feel intimately your own. For those drawn to the quiet luxury of hand-finished details, Sewn’s collection of tie top curtains is a great starting point, where slubbed linens, breezy cottons, and delicate sheers bring warmth and ease to every fold, every knot, every room. So, explore our custom curtains collection today and find the pair that feels made for your space.