What is the top detail? Pleats?
I think it is best for the drape to still have a definite "ripple", or shape, when fully closed, so my tendency would be to say "yes" you need this much fabric to cover the window.

I think a lot of "off the rack" panels that are popular nowadays are much too skimpy and look flat like a shower curtain when closed. If you are going custom, you don't want that. You also want them to stack off the window, and mostly to each side when open.

the top detail is something new he told me, the wave. Would another top detail require less fabric?

Yeah that's about right, depending on drape style and fabric. Typically you want at least double the width so at least 3 widths of fabric, assuming it's 54" wide. The finished length I'm assuming is the 88" you said which should take it to the floor. You'll need at least 8" extra just for the bottom hem. Not sure what they're doing up top but rounding to the nearest yard, that's about right.

Wow, that is expensive, over a grand for that window

Like a ripplefold? You may be able to do the 3 widths and have it look fine because a ripple fold is more contemporary, and less full than a French pleat drape. Something other than ripple fold would take More fabric, not Less.

Custom is expensive. It can be $1000s a window. I just plugged in Ripplefold in the lowest fabric price range in your dimensions at The Shade Store, and got almost $900. Your more customized drape is probably right in the ballpark.

If you stack the drapery for one foot on either side of the window, you are covering a 6 ft. area, not a 4 ft. area. Additionally, side hems on drapery panels are double turned which take quite a bit of the width of fabricated panels.

So with 72" wide area, assuming your fabric is 54" and they calculate not quite 2 times fullness, you would end up with 1.5 panels width of fabric on each side of the window x 110" in length or 330" divided by 36" for each yard or 9 yards +/- of fabric

OR

Again with 72" wide area x 3 times fullness or 216" width, divided by the width of the fabric, assuming 54" would be 4 panels or 2 panels on each side of the window x 110" in length or 440" divided by 36" for each yard or 12.5 yards +/- of fabric

Making this decision depends on the fabric you have selected and how flat you want your panels to appear. The deeper the wave or pleat the more fabric it uses.. Sheers are fabricated with no less than 3 times fullness and often 4 times fullness. I wouldn't consider drapery panels less than 2,5 - 3 times fullness. This fabricator is trying to save you some money by quoting you at a bit less than 2 times fullness, but I'm not sure you will be happy with the appearance when the drapes are closed if you go with the 9 yard option.

Three times the width should be sufficient, yes it is a lot of fabric.

I do have shutters on that window, so these drapes would be more for appearance although i did tell him that I wouldnt mind closing them at night, I do like to sleep in complete darkness, the shutters do allow some light in. If I wanted just for decorative purposes how much material would I need. I picked the wave header detail but that can be changed. I would go of the rack panels but cant find 88" length.

I just went to smith & noble site and picked a fabric at random and a pinch pleat top drapery and 6' wide by 88" tall, they quote $216. They have a nice selection of fabrics and an in-home service, so it might be a way to get a custom look that's easier on the wallet.

I need draperies for my home office. Ready made pinch pleat draperies from Restoration Hardware -- which come folded (which I hate) are $400+ per panel. Those panels are not the generous 2-1/2 times fullness. They hang straight down. $1K per window is not even a custom price.

For me, draperies are nice when installed about 3" above the window in most cases. That eliminates the wall gap issue unless they are combined with some type of shade.

thanks Annie, definately much better price. Will pop over to that site, hopefully they ship to Canada.

rocogurl, imo everything in Restoration Hardware is overpriced!

smith and nobel dont ship to Canada :>(

I would go of the rack panels but cant find 88" length.

If you find ready-made panels that you like, buy the next standard size up - 96 inches - and have a local seamstress hem them for you.

That is an option gray, thank you I am guessing I would need to buy at least two panels for each side, correct? As you can tell, I know nothing about drapes.

Unless I misunderstood, the length is not on the quote, but I measure 104 inches from the floor to the bottom of the crown. Not sure how he got 88". This is the window

@Rose Abbey - I agree about RH. But they are the closest to custom. So if the quote you get for custom is near their prices your custom quote should be OK.

The rod should be just below the crown for that window IMO. The measurements can be deceptive because there are offsets that need to be calculated. You must trust the drapery people you hire. They take the measurements and they are responsible.

It looks to me like the first quote -- for the 9 yards will give you straight draperies. The second quote will give fuller panels.

Have you discussed what happens on the floor? Do they break on the floor - which means just touch it? That also can affect length.

rocogirl, the drapes should just touch the floor. I think he didnt see the measurement properly, I gave him my small measuring tape, as he left his in the van, he was here delivering some other window treatments, when I asked him for a quote. I think he misread the tape, there is no way 88" would go to the floor.

custom can be very, very expensive! if you tend to change the 'look' of your bedroom periodically by changing out the comforter, etc keep that in mind when selecting your drape material!!!

I would make them so they could close over the window completely tho because a very dark room is awesome to sleep in!! you might want to consider some blackout liner too in the drapes (depending on how dark your shutters make the room) because a surprising amount of light can come through many material types and linings!

Don't forget that if you picked a print, more fabric may be needed to match the print repeat.

busy, the price included lining. I picked what looks like a satin, has a bit of a shimmer to it, in a goldish tone, goes well with the bedding now and would in future should I decide to go another color. But, I dont think I will be going ahead with this order, I cant justify paying 1k for one window. I think I will try the off the rack and maybe involve a seamstress here to alter if need be.

kippy, thanks, I picked a solid.

I have used halfpricedrapes.com with great success.

Beverly that is brilliant! I see they ship to Canada, I will definitely go through the site and see what I can find. Thank you

They would look very skimpy. They need some fullness.

skimpy when open?

You'd need 2 widths on each side to not look skimpy, but depends on the header you want. There are headers that can be used so you could get away with 1 1/2 on each side, but this would only be available for custom. Readymade doesn't give you the same choices.

Maybe it's the pic, but looks like 8ft ceilings in the pic, so the 88" sounds correct. Only going by what I see tho, since pics can be deceiving.

shadylady, what type of header can I use to get away with 1 1/2 on each side? When you say 2 widths, how many yards would that be for this 4 foot window.

The ceiling is 9 feet high, I think I misunderstood and he might have said 98 which makes sense.

i think how much fabric you need partly depends on the fabric you use and the linings chosen because that affects the fullness... and also how far beyond the window you plan to install the hardware...

I brought customs here from old house- silk with bo lining and interlining - pleated and measure ~ 52-54" wide... I have the rods hung pretty close (~3") to the window trim because of furniture arrangement. the 4 panels on 2 40" windows (including trim) are actually a little too wide for the windows... I have 2 more of the panels on a ~80" wide window and they are clearly alittle skimpy if pulled all the way back, but look ok when spread alittle...

I also have ~ 50" silk and velvet ready mades on rings (unpleated) on windows that are 60" wide (including trim) and they look ok, imo... even tho the the silk panels are skimpier than the velvet. on an ~ 80" window, I have 100" wide velvet panels on each end and that looks good. if they're meant to be stationary, you can adjust how open they are to look their best... easier with some fabrics/panels than others...

busy, the fabric I chose, looks like a satin, but doubt it really is. It is 40 dollars a yard, so not very expensive. I dont care how they looked closed because since I have the shutters, I dont need them closed but will probably just pull them over at night even if they are flat across the window, it doesnt matter. I would like them to be about a foot on each side of the window when open. So can I get away with 1.5? I could buy my own rod, install myself so I could actually get the cost down to under 300 dollars.

The 4 widths would be at least 12 yards, and that would be a solid fabric, but does depend on the fabric, the header used and even the method of construction. The linings have nothing to do with fabric calculations.

I multiplied your window width by 1.3 to determine stackback.

A few headings that come to mind are Ripplefold, Butterfly pleats (two fingers rather than three), flat panels with tucks sewn in for the rings or the rings could be spaced further apart and the fabric in between would gets pulled down to give a cuffed top look or gathered on rings (pretty for a bedroom). I have the gathered on rings (below) which is on the same size window as yours and uses 1 1/2 widths per side.

1 1/2 x's would make the panel ~ 75" wide... I think that would be plenty of fullness for the type of panel you are having made- some pleats take more fabric... in fact, I think double width would be too much, unless the fabric/linings were very thin. (that wasn't clear in my rambling above!? :)

you can always adjust where you hang the rods if you really find that you want more fullness-- 8 or 10" away from frame rather than 12...

I have found lining type/wt does make a difference in fullness and stackback... ???

shadylady, your window looks perfect. I would not want it any fuller on the sides. Thank you. I am going to go back to my guy and have him price me at 1.5 instead of the 3 and 4 widths.

Thanks busy, we must of been typing at the same time. I'm excited now. I really liked the fabric and color I chose. It is so hard for to pick something on line. I would rather deal locally than order on line. If something isnt quite right, it bugs the heck out of me. My DH says I worry too much about details....I cant help myself!

Just to clarify, that is 1 1/2 widths per side, so 3 widths total.

oh, so that is 9 yards?

You need to determine what the size of the panel will be after pleating or shirring or whatever, not before.

I interline and use a heavy lining on everything (those in the pic are interlined. It doesn't change how much fabric I need.

If they're 9ft ceilings, and you're using a solid or small print fabric, then I'd probably go with 10 yards.

I am so confused :(

But with interlining and lining the draperies look fuller at 1-1/2 than if they didn't have that support I believe. Is that not correct shadylady?

Just as a yardstick, the most desired custom fullness that will drape away from the window slightly when stacked back is 2-1/2 widths. How that looks is the third photo on the link. Those are by Guy Goodfellow, an English designer. As long as you don't mind less fullness - i.e. a straighter look on the bottom, then 1-1/2 would work. Straighter across the bottom looks more like RH on this link.

Well, you need to count in extra length for both the heading and hem. I'm adding 16" to the finished length. We're not all equal, so not sure what the fabricator you talked to does. I also allow a little extra fabric, just in case.

The person you choose should have different options for you and tell you exactly what you need. If they said 9 yards, then they may fabricate differently than I do.

Yes, it looks fuller, but I wouldn't use less fabric because of that. I see what you're saying tho. If no interlining and thinner lining is used, they may not look that full at 1 1/2 widths. It's true, but with the headings I mentioned, it should help with them looking not as skimpy.

At $1,000, I'd hope this included interlining. Or does this include the fabric? Not sure what's included.

1 1/2 widths would = ~ 9 yds...

1 width would = ~ 6yds...

2 widths would = ~ 12 yds

but, what is the 110 you list above?? are you saying your fabric is 110" wide???

Roco, good examples, I prefer the RH drapery, more streamlined.

shady, The 1K includes everything except tax.... fabric, lining, rods, brackets, finials and install

busy, his quote reads; 3 widths x 110 = 9 yards fabric, 4 widths x 110 = 12.5 yards fabric

I assume the width is 110".

I found this online on how to measure for drapes, and yes it came out to almost 9 yards, but I am assuming this is measuring if you want the drapes to close.

For Drapes

Step 1: Measure the width of your rod in inches. If you don’t have drapery hardware installed yet, measure the width of the area you would like covered by the drape.

Step 2: Multiply this amount by 2 if you want your drapes to be 2 times fullness. If you choose a fuller look, then multiply by 2½.

Step 3: Divide this amount by 54 inches. Now you know how many drops/widths of 54 inch wide fabric you will need.

Step 4: Measure the length you want the finished drape to be in inches.

Step 5: Add 16 inches to allow for the hem (8”) and heading (8”). Now you know how much fabric you will need for each drop/width of 54” wide fabric.

Step 6: Multiply this answer from step 5 by the number of drops you will need. (answer of step 2) Now you have the amount of fabric you will need in inches. Divide by 36 inches to get the amount of fabric you will need in yards.

if your fabric isn't very lightwt/sheer and the 110 = inches (ie not centimeter,s) then one width will give you a panel that is ~100+" wide... one width would probably give you enough fullness for a 40" window ... even if you hang the rod ~ a foot out to either side and close the drapes every night, that's ~200" covering a 60"space... the pleats you want don't take up a lot of fabric.

so, I would double check with the guy who gave you the quote the width of the fabric, but i would think ~ 6' should be about enough- again, assuming the fabric is drapery wt and lining/interlining is used....

110" width = 2x's the width of 54" fabric's( 1 1/2 of ~54 = ~80") ...

Thanks busy, I am assuming the fabric is drapery wt, I dont think he would give me swatches that werent. He said this fabric makes beautiful drapes. That is what I wasnt understanding, why I needed so much fabric, when the fabric is so wide already. I am going to check with him again. I might even get a second quote from somewhere else. Thanks again for your help,