I still remember the first time I saw a pinch pleat curtain.  I was seven and was going on a cross country trip with my mother and brother to see an uncle get married.  We were heading from our home in California and heading to Mississippi, a place I barely knew how to spell but was excited to go see anyway.

On that trip we stayed at hotel after hotel and I loved every second of the course sheets, chlorinated water that would make my skin peel, and the colorful pleated curtains.  I still have the image of blue, fuchsia, yellow and orange of our pleated curtain thrown together in an abstract tropical theme.  It held me captive as I lay bundle up in the massive queen bed with matching bed covers.

Those were the days!

A pleat is a way of forming fabric in such a way that it creates additional lines in the fabric, making it more interesting to look at.  This folding is formed by doubling back the fabric upon itself or pinching it together and then sewing it in place. This is a common practice in clothing, curtains, and upholstery work because it adds a new element to a straight piece of fabric.

One downside of pleats from a manufacturing standpoint is that you need additional fabric to make the pleated effect with.  This can sometimes result in higher prices for this type of design elements, but this is not necessarily the case.

In textile manufacturing, pleats are in the pressed categorization - meaning that they are ironed or need a heat-set so they can have a sharp crease - or in the unpressed category - meaning that the pleat falls in a soft, founded fold that billows out the farther you get from the top of the pleat.

Pinch pleats are generally in the unpressed category because they create have soft, rounded shapes at the bottom of the curtain.  If you don't want this look in your home then you should probably find another curtain style for your windows.

Pinch pleat curtains are a great addition to any room with windows that you want to look good without spending tons and tons of money to do so.  They provide an elegant style that goes well with many different interior styles (depending on the curtain fabric with which it is made) and will work well on almost any sized window.  They also work well as blackout curtains if you have the appropriate lining inserted in them.

Great for privacy and extremely easy to deploy, pinch pleat curtains are a great for any home.