How to Make a Butterfly Pleat Drape

Measure the width of the curtain rod. This is the finished width of the curtain. Cut the curtain fabric to this measurement times 2.5 plus 4 inches, joining widths of fabric together if necessary. Cut the length of the fabric to the length of the finished drape plus 12 1/2 inches.

Turn the bottom hem 4 inches twice and sew in place. Turn the outer edges 1 inch twice and sew in place. Turn the top edge 1/2 inch and press, turn again 4 inches, press and pin in place.

Lay the drape on the table, wrong side up, with the folded edge toward you.

Calculate the pleat and space measurements. The drape will have an equal number of pleats and spaces; the two outside spaces will be half width.  Measure the width of the curtain panel. Subtract the required finished width. The resulting number is the amount of fabric that will go into the pleats. Find a number, between 4 and 6, that will divide evenly into both the finished width and the fabric for pleats. On a curtain that measures 100 inches flat, and the finished width required is 40 inches, the amount for pleats is 60 inches. Ten will divide into these two numbers evenly. There will be 10 spaces of 4 inches and 10 pleats of 6 inches.

Place pleat and space placement marks equidistant across the top of the panel. The first mark will be at 2 inches, indicating the end of the first half-space and start of the first pleat; the next mark will be at 8 inches (2 inches plus 6 inches), indicating the end of the first pleat. The next marks will be at 8 inches plus 4 inches for the next space, which is a full space. Continue marking across the top of the panel.

Measure 4 1/2 inches from the fold at the top of the panel and draw a line across the panel.

Mark the pleat and space placement marks on this line.

Create the first pleat by folding wrong sides together, matching the start and end marks of the first pleat. Tack through all layers on the line at 4 1/2 inches from the top of the drape. The fabric for the pleat will naturally fall into a fold; hold this fold between your thumb and forefinger and push it toward the area just stitched. This forces the two remaining side sections to “butterfly” out, creating a three-section fold along the drawn line. Stitch through all layers of the drape at this point. Continue folding and stitching across the drape width.