Interesting thread I have had this type curtain up in my kitchen for 5 years with a skinny rod because I cann,t seem to commit to how high or what kind of rod works for them. Mine are on a french door as well. Looking at yours I had a ah ha moment that was 5 years in the making. It needs to be high enought for the tabs to be above the window frame and not puddle. Anyone have anythoughts on the best rods for this kind of curtain?

Thank you to both of you! Barb-I honestly think I got lucky with the folds. Either that or the interfacing may have been the key. I found that when I put the panel on the rings, the "wave" shape just happened naturally without any fussing when I adjusted the spacing of the rings. Once the top had the wave shape the folds pretty much fell from there. I did follow the folds from the top, down with my hand and then just very loosely put scotch tape around the edges for a couple of days. I would definitely do the interfacing again-I think it really helped. That being said the panels are actually linen so the chance of them staying like that are pretty slim! Plus this is in our family room and we have three young children so there's no hope at all! The dots are in fact embroidered. They're actually the Linen Embroidered Dot ones from Country Curtains. This neutral, blend-in-with-the-wall look is totally new for me. I usually go with something more contrasting and patterned but I've noticed in a lot of decorating pictures (namely Pottery Barn pics) the curtains almost fade into the background and the pillows and accesories provide more of the interest. So I'm going to give that a try and see how it goes. Right now the room is a complete blank slate because we recently moved in and there's a couch, a TV on an end table and curtains! So, I've got a long way to go! As far as the return, my pins are just evenly spaced with the first and last pins being at the very end of the fabric. The pins are about 8 inches apart. I think this rod sits closer to the wall than the Opus one so the end of the panel was very close to the wall to begin with. Most of the time I think silk panels have more of a relaxed look in terms of the folds. I thought yours looked great when you posted them. You had me rethinking my linen ones because the silk was beautiful. I don't think you even need to train the folds at all. By the way, Joann Fabrics sold that Tempo Tape we both considered. Thanks for your ideas along the way. I couldn't have figured this project out without your input!

I don't know where the photo is that you are referring to, but I think it is a matter of personal preference, and somewhat determined by the visible 'weight" of the draperies. Heavy velvet drapes would have chunky rods, a set of sheers would have a thinner rod. The shape of the finial could reflect the style of the furniture. Or just be a shape that you like.

Think about hotel rooms. They so often have a room-width black-out curtain ... and behind it a thin sheer ... and usually some type of non-moveable header (either cloth or wood) ... and they pull open so nicely. While staying in a hotel a year or so ago, I decided that's exactly what I want, so I took a good look at the hardware involved. Hotels have ceiling mounted tracks. Something like this: This ceiling-mounted curtain track can be supported every 2-3 feet, eliminating any possibility of sagging rods as years go by. You can cut them to fit your dimensions, and they're even available in around-the-corner styles. The negatives, of course, are that you'll need floor-to-ceiling curtains, and you'll probably have to do some sewing adjustments to the curtains yourself. Still, I'm going to do this in my bedroom, where I expect to open/close the drapes frequently. I wouldn't do it in, say, the dining room, where I'm going to use plantation shutters and curtains that'll essentially never move.