Pinch Pleat, Ripplefold or Grommet: Choosing a Drapery Heading

January 20, 2026 · Draperies

Most people start with the fabric, which makes sense, and then get halfway through the conversation before anyone mentions the heading.

The heading is the construction at the top of the panel, and it has more say over the finished result than almost anything else. It sets how the fabric folds, how much wall the panels cover when they are open, how formal the room reads, and what hardware you are committed to. Here is what each one actually does, so the conversation is shorter when you get to it.

Pinch Pleat: the Traditional Choice

A pinch pleat, sometimes called a French pleat, gathers the fabric into groups at the top and tacks them together a few inches down so each pleat opens out below the tack. It is the most common heading in custom work, and it’s what people are picturing when they say they want tailored draperies.

You get a crisp, structured fold that repeats evenly all the way down the drop. Because the pleats are sewn rather than gathered, they hold their shape for the life of the panel. It reads formal, it suits traditional and transitional rooms, and it is the heading we make most often.

Pleats can be built in two, three or five folds. Three-fold is the standard. Two-fold is leaner and a bit more contemporary. Five-fold gives a deep, generous stack that suits tall windows.

Ripplefold: Clean and Contemporary

Ripplefold has no pleats at all. The panel attaches to carriers spaced evenly along a track, and the fabric falls into a continuous S-curve from top to bottom, like a soft wave held in place.

It does two things very well. It suits wide expanses of glass, because the fold repeats smoothly across any width without the visual rhythm of pleats interrupting it. And it draws more easily than any other heading, which matters a lot on a panel you open and close every single day.

The trade-off is the hardware. Ripplefold needs its own track system. You cannot hang it from a decorative rod with rings, so if you’ve got your heart set on a particular rod, this isn’t the heading for you.

Grommet: Casual and Practical

Grommet panels have metal rings set into the header and the rod passes straight through them. The fabric falls into a deep, relaxed fold and the panel slides along the rod with almost no resistance.

It’s the most casual of the four, and it earns its place in family rooms, bedrooms and anywhere the draperies get handled constantly. The grommet finish becomes part of the look, so pick the metal deliberately against the other hardware in the room. Two things to know: it isn’t a good fit for formal spaces, and because the fold is deep, the panels stack fairly wide when open.

Rod Pocket: Soft and Stationary

A rod pocket is a sewn channel at the top that the rod threads through, gathering the fabric directly onto it. It gives the softest, least structured look of the four.

Because the fabric grips the rod, these panels don’t slide well. That makes rod pocket right for stationary side panels, for a window you are dressing for appearance rather than function, or for a sheer layer sitting behind something else. For a window you actually work, choose something else.

Fullness: the Number Nobody Mentions

Fullness is the ratio of fabric width to finished panel width. A panel made at two times fullness uses twice the width of the space it covers.

This is the difference people see without being able to name it. Most ready-made draperies are cut thin, often around one and a half times, because fabric is the expensive part. The panels hang flat, the folds are shallow, and the window reads as though it has been covered rather than dressed. Custom work is normally made at two to two and a half times.

If you’re wondering why custom draperies look different from the ones in the box, that’s the answer, and it matters more than the fabric does. Sheers usually want more still, often three times, because thin fabric needs volume to read as anything but flat.

Lining, and Why It Matters More Here

On the First Coast, lining is the working part of the drapery rather than a refinement.

A standard lining protects the face fabric from sun damage, improves the way the panel hangs by adding weight, and gives your windows a consistent white appearance from the street.

Blackout lining blocks light almost entirely, which is what we recommend for bedrooms, and particularly for east-facing windows where the summer sun arrives very early. Interlining is a soft layer between the face and the lining. It adds body, it makes a panel hang beautifully, and it cuts the heat coming through the glass, which you’ll notice through a Jacksonville August.

Unlined panels have their place, mostly for sheers and for a deliberately light, informal look. On a window taking direct afternoon sun, an unlined panel will fade, and it will fade unevenly.

Measuring and Installation

Every heading depends on the rod or track being right, and on the measurements being taken from the hardware as it will actually be installed rather than from the window frame.

Getting this wrong is the most common reason draperies disappoint, and it isn’t something a tape measure and good intentions reliably solve. Bay windows, corner returns, arches and anything ceiling-mounted all have their own traps.

We measure and install everything we make, across Jacksonville, the beaches, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine and Amelia Island. If you’re weighing up headings, the quickest route is to bring photographs of the room and rough window dimensions to the showroom, where you can see the headings made up and handle the fabrics at the same time. You can see more of the work on our custom draperies and window treatments pages.

Frequently Asked Questions