Beaded Cafe Curtain and How to Sew On Curtain Rings

When it comes to curtain hardware – rods, brackets and rings – I have a few standards that I tend to use the most often.

This small 1″ black metal ring is available just about anywhere curtain hardware is sold. The trouble is it’s usually available as a clip ring.

What if you’d rather sew on the rings? No problem. Nothing a pair of pliers can’t fix. 

The 1″ metal twist rings are one of the most popular options. 

The clip can easily be removed with a pair of pliers. 

I’ve taken the clips off many sets of rings. I’ve even removed the clips from the larger 2″ rings. With big jobs, I’ve recruited my husband to remove all the clips for me. Especially if they’re a stronger metal and difficult to remove.

Where To Put The Rings and How Many To Use
Where the rings are placed and how many you use depends on the look you’re after and how the curtain will be installed. Inside mount curtains differ from outside mount.
There are certain standard measurements used for more tailored curtains like Pinch Pleats, Goblet Pleats, etc but In this case I’m doing what works best for this curtain.

Basically, fewer rings allows the curtain to droop in between the rings.
More rings = less droop or no droop.

For this cafe curtain we wanted a droop so I’m using 5 rings per width (approx. 50″ w) of fabric.

The lead edge shown above is the inside portion of the left curtain panel. The lead edge will hang in the center once installed. The pin marks where the first ring will go.
For this curtain I’m placing the ring 3/4″ from the edge.

The rings are sewn along the fold of the curtain and contrasting flap. Above you can see the white lining, the animal print curtain and the ivory harlequin which is the contrasting flap. 

It’s very important that you sew the ring on perpendicular to the fold of the curtain. If it matches I might use quilting thread but I use regular thread most often.

I always match the thread to the curtain. If it’s a dark fabric I might use black to match the rings otherwise I stay with the fabric color. My reasoning is any stray stitches will not be seen against the fabric. These can be hidden by using a matching thread. If the thread was black you might not see it against the ring but you would see it against the fabric.
It’s just my personal preference.

As a general rule I’ll sew on each ring using 8 to 10 loops of doubled thread (two strands) around the ring and double knot it before trimming the thread. 

See the way the first ring is positioned? This way the curtain will hang straight and not twist.
The next 3 rings will be sewn on exactly like the one above. (See below for spacing)

The exception to this…is the last or outside ring.

Even though this curtain will be installed inside the window – inside mount – rather than outside I wanted the outer edge of the curtain to “return” or fold back. In order to accomplish this I sew the ring on parallel to the fold in the curtain. Opposite from above description. 

*If the curtain does not need to “return” then all the rings will be sewn on the same as the lead edge ring. 

I am sewing the ring approximately 2.25″ from the outer edge to allow for a 2.25″ return.

*If you were using an outside mount…this measurement would be equal to the extension of your brackets. Most returns are 3 to 3.5″ the same size as your bracket extension.

Once I’ve marked the position of the inside ring and the outside ring I measure the distance between them to determine how far apart to space the remaining three rings.

Example: 50″ wide curtain – .75 (inside ring) – 2.25″ (outside ring) = 47″ ÷ 4 (spaces required for 3 rings) = 11.75. The curtain rings will be spaced 11.75″ apart. 

Once all the rings have been sewn on you can thread the rings onto your curtain rod. Be sure to turn the outer ring to encourage the curtain to “return” instead of opposite which will make the curtain turn outwards.

Above you can see how the placement of the last or outer ring encourages the curtain to “return”.

The return and inside edge measurements may change or be altered based on how a curtain is installed, the weight of the fabric or how the hardware is made but this is the basic process I use to sew on curtain rings.

This sweet little cafe curtain now brightens up a master bathroom window.

Sources
Fabrics and trims – Fabrics Unlimited OKC
Curtain rings – fabricresource.com

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