OK, I'll get the humiliation out of the way early. I am now separated from wifey and I am having to put together a new home, this now involves the fitting of curtains. The relatively easy job of installing timber battens to the wall and fitting the pelmet rail and curtain track have now been completed and are ready to go. Straightforward bloke stuff I'm sure you'll agree.

Now I need to hang the curtains but Satan has conspired against me by making the pleats a DIY job, why don't they come ready pleated? So, I have all this string stuff weaved into the top of the curtains and I haven't got a clue what do, let alone how to do it properly. I can hear the female board members wetting themselves laughing but some jobs just ain't for men, right?

OK, I am prepared to give it a go myself but I need instructions. Can anyone offer advice or maybe direct me to a website where kind old ladies have shared the secret of curtain pleating for mere mortal men to understand?

[Ian J]

I haven't hung any new curtains since yesterday

The curtains should ideally be a lot longer than the width that they need to fit into. The curtain will have a thingie on the top with three rows of wotsits for sticking the hooks in and each of these three rows will have a piece of string running through it. Carefully pull the string from the top and bottom of the three rows at one end which will cause pleats to form in the curtains. Do the same at the other end and manoeuvre the pleats along so that they are roughly equidistant apart and the curtain width has been reduced to the size that you need.

Lastly ties up the strings at each end to stop the curtain "unpleating"

Ian,

Is that it? I've had a quick look and pulled the strings, pleats are now appearing just as you said. Ace! Thanks, man.

[DJT75]

Originally Posted by Ian J

a thingie on the top with three rows of wotsits

Excellent description

[Chris Muriel]

Originally Posted by Ian J

I haven't hung any new curtains since yesterday
The curtains should ideally be a lot longer than the width that they need to fit into. The curtain will have a thingie on the top with three rows of wotsits for sticking the hooks in ...

Thingie = (curtain) tape.
My wife, who regularly makes & fits curtains for people, doesn't know the official technical term to substitute for "wotsits" though.
She tells me you supplied a good set of instructions , Ian.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

[Mep]

i normally knot them at one end first and then do it....ever since i pulled teh string out by mistake and had to rethread it!

[DLPMaybe]

This makes me imagine blokes having to call handy woman round to do odd jobs. Woman arrives, job described, sharp intake of breath by handy woman "this is one hell of a job... £200 please". Helpless man knows no better and pays up

[Mep]

Originally Posted by DLPMaybe

This makes me imagine blokes having to call handy woman round to do odd jobs. Woman arrives, job described, sharp intake of breath by handy woman "this is one hell of a job... £200 please". Helpless man knows no better and pays up

[johnscarlet]

I can handle fridges , freezers , even hoovers . They all have plugs .
But , please , CURTAINS and how to pleat them . That has to be a step to far , hasn't it ?

:headinhandsshakingslowlysidetoside:

John

[Mr.D]

Get some blinds . They will make you more attractive to potential new mating opportunities.

Unless "Pleating curtains" was a euphemism for something and you don't need the additional help of advanced interior design to attract them in.