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Curtain Rod Glossary
- Apron
- Horizontal decorative wood trim below the sill.
- Baton
- A rod or wand used to hand draw traverse draperies. Also called a curtain pull or drapery wand.
- Center Draw
- Curtains stack to both sides when open and close/pull to the center.
- Clearance
- The distance from the mounting surface to the back of the curtain rod. Important consideration if an under treatment is to be used.
- Cornice
- A shallow, box-like structure, usually made of wood, fastened across the top of a window to conceal the drapery hardware.
- Finial
- Decorative end-piece of a rod or pole.
- Finished Length
- The distance from teh finished top edge to the finished bottom edge of a drapery panel.
- Finished Width
- The Finished Width is equal to Rod Width + Overlap + Returns
- Fullness
- Fullness defines the amount of fabric that is pleated or shirred for a given drapery finished width. Usually expressed in a percentage or 2 to 1 ratio. Example: 2X fullness
- Heading
- The top of a rod-pocket curtain which forms a ruffle when the curtain is on a rod. The pleated portion of a pinch-pleated drapery.
- Holdback/Scarfholder
- Decorative drapery hardware designed to hold draperies off to the sides of the window. Also used to hold scarves and create swags treatments. View Products
- Left Draw
- Curtains and drapes draw open to the left. When the curtains are open, they stack on the left. When you close the draperies, you pull them to the right.
- Overlap
- The part of the drapery panel which rides the master carrier and overlaps the other drapery panel in the center when the drapers are closed. Overlap allowance is not needed for one-way draws (left or right).
- Pin-on Hook
- A metal pin designed to slide into draperies, and then to attach (hook) to the carriers/slides of a traverse rod.
- Projection
- Distance from te wall to the front of the rod.
- Recess
- The available depth of the window opening. Important when considering an inside-mounted treatment. For most treatments, it is necessary to deduct the space that is taken up by a window crank, latch, sash or any other protrusion, to assure smooth operation.
- Return
- The drapery fabric that covers the area from the end of the curtain back to the wall. In shirr-on curtains, the fabric is eased around the corner of the curtain rod. In pin-on draperies, an additional pin is used at the outside top corners of the drapery and hooked into the rod bracket hole.
- Right Draw
- Curtains and drapes draw open to the right. When the curtains are open, they stack on the right. When you close the draperies, you pull them to the left.
- Rod Pocket
- A pocket or casing sewn across the top (and sometimes bottom) of a curtain panel through which a rod is inserted. Generally, the pocket should measure 1/2" to 1" larger than the rod.
- Sash
- The part of the window which includes the glass and the frame that holds the glass. Normally, the moveable part of the window.
- Sash Rod
- A small rod designed to be mounted inside a window frame on the sash. View Products
- Sconce
- A decorative bracket through which fabric is threaded. View Products
- Shirr
- Gathering a piece of fabric onto a rod through a rod pocket.
- Sill
- The horizontal ledge at the base of the window.
- Slides
- Small runners installed in a traverse rod which hold a drapery pin or hook.
- Stackback
- The amount of wall space occupied by draperies or vertical blinds when they are completely open.
- Swag
- Fabric which is draped above a window, possible extending down the sides.
- Tab Top
- A strip of material attached to the drapery which slides over the rod or pole, eliminating the need for rings.
- Take Up
- Distance the drapery is shortened when shirred through a rod pocket.
- Traverse Rod Hand/Baton
- A rod which incorporates slides and track to allow easy open and closed. Can be pulled by hand or baton. Designed for use with pin-on draperies and ripplefold snaps. View Products
- Traverse Rod Corded
- A rod which incorporates draw cords and a pulley system to open and close draperies. Available in decorative and non-decorative styles. Designed for use with pin-on draperies. View Products
- Valance
- A decorative fabric treatment installed horizontally across the top of the window.