Take the pins out and reinsert them at the proper height from the pleated top. Why don't I see cords to pull the panels open and shut?

Your drapes will look great once they are hung. I'll add a comment that you didn't ask for. Once you have the drapes hung, then work on having them hang so that the folds are all evenly spaced. When they are even, first spray the drapes very lighty with water or steam them with an iron, then use a small ribbon or tie to hold the folds in place for a couple of days until the folds are set.

The drapery hooks on the back side need to be set properly. You'll want to hem so they hang free and will hold their folds. They should be a whisper above the floor.

Without seeing the back of the drape and knowing the construction details of the tops (header), hard to say if they can hang straight at the top without gravity being your assistant. The drapes are puddling on the floor. They can't hang down. The fabric has to bunch somewhere and it's bunching at the top and the bottom. I looked at the website and all the pictures have a slight bunch at the top. My guess is that because these can also be rod pocket hung, they are relatively soft at the top rather than stiff with the use of a buckrum or even a stiff tape. So they need gravity to pull the weight down and straighten them. The website photos look less bunchy at the top than yours because the pins are at the top of the drapery, creating a different angle that distributes the weight at the top differently from pins at the back so they do hang straighter. (any student who thinks they'll never use geometry or physics in their life have never sewn drapery or done tailoring).

Can you make them shorter and pin a hem in so they clear the floor by about an inch and see if that removes the bunching on the ones with the longer pins? You may need to rehem and add weighted drapery tape to the hem to get them to hang straight.

@arcy_gw the pins are measured and spaced properly, I think we used 8 on each, when we experimented with adding more, they wanted to slide and expand on the track covering much of the window.

@yvonnemartin , yes I should have added that I have learned that I will need to "train" them, and I will steam them..and working on the whisper...without paying a fortune to have them professionally hemmed...over $300 :(

@Rho Dodendron we did not order rods to open and close them...Should we have? The curtains are not pleated. The window on the right, where you can see the track (which we hate) are properly set using the curtain belt in the way it was intended. So we ordered larger pins and now it buckles, as seen on the left. But we do want to hide the track.

Is there drapery stiffener (buckram) inn the heading? Having sewn draperies, this is what I would put in the heading before adding the tape for the hooks.

@tozmo1 Thank you for this very thorough answer, I will attach the photo for what the back looks like, yes they can be hung 3 ways. We would of course like them to "kiss" the floor. I will try to pin them (might be using bobby pins to experiment). To see if it hangs properly.

In seeing the header of the curtain, are we using the proper pin? Should we have tried the pleat pins? Would that be more helpful? Do we need to add some of that buckram tape in order to effectively hang these on a track? As I said before, we ordered these large pins so that we could move the pin down further on the header to cover the track above, because frankly, it looks awful otherwise in my opinion.

The curtain hem is weighted, but I noticed only on the very corner of each panel, not all the way across. Any idea if I could "no sew" hem these once i have it figured out?

clt3 ooh.....So the tape is not the same as the buckram stuff? No i do not believe there is any in the header, It is pretty soft.

The good news is they look well made for the price you paid. The bad news is they are well made and therefore will be more difficult to change at the top so I'd try getting them off the floor and work with the longer pins before doing anything to the top's construction. Get the bobby pins out and fold it up. Go for shorter, at this point don't waste time trying to get your whisper with the bobby pins, you're just trying to see if lifting them off the floor will relieve the pressure at the top. Fold the hem up level all the way across. So if a two inch fold up makes it easy and fast to do with bobby pins, do that. In fact, you could fold it up the length of the bobby pin and then you won't have to measure, just make it consistent all the way across. If lifting it off the floor is the answer, then you will carefully measure for your whisper before sewing/fusing.

You may not need a weighted tape across the bottom if lifting them off the floor does the trick but if you do, this is what you need.

Take a picture of the hem. You may be able to use a fusible tape for the hem but you'll have to find one that does not cause stiffness at the bottom. I haven't used fusible tapes or interfacing for a while so I don't know what's out there but surely they are available to create a soft hem. You do own iron, don't you? 😂 If not, someone's mother or grandmother does. You can do this!

" @Rho Dodendron we did not order rods to open and close them...Should we have? The curtains are not pleated. "

In my experience ( I have never worked with ready made panels) stationary draperies are stapled to wood boards or hung on narrow decorative rods.

Rho Dodendron they are not stationary, we open the curtains every day. We did not want blinds or roman shades on these windows. And we also have 2 - 100" panels for the middle window..so the wall spaces in between the windows will look full.

If you want to add wands for opening and closing, this is what you're looking for. Wands are used to allow you to open and close the drapery without pulling on the header and also to keep them cleaner so skin oils over time don't build up where you grab the drapery to open or close it. The wands allow you to slide, not pull the header. They are an easy add once you get this figured out.

tozmo1 Will do...just threw some in...headed back upstairs to make sure it's proper now. I have to say they are definitely beautiful drapes...The other thing is...no one but us and our kids goes in our bedroom, so it's not the end of the world if we can't get them perfect. But we would like them to not look sloppy. :( I did double check the header, there is no buckram in it, just the blackout liner.

Should I leave them closed to help them fall out? or open?

Just because no one has answered this part of the question..changing to a pleat pin wouldn't change anything? The one with all of the prongs?

THANK YOU so very much.

If you do use bobby pins, make sure they are clean and not rusty. The last thing you want to do is leave marks on the velvet from the pins.

The pins with all of the prongs are made for pleater tape, which you don't have. The longer pins you've shown could work, but if I were you I would pay a seamstress to add buckram inside that heading - that will stiffen them up. It is not a complicated alteration. Buckram header tape

I agree with @clt3, the pleater prongs won't help you. The drapes are breaking below the header so I'm not even sure buckram will help as that will stiffen only the part above the break.

IMO, you just need to relieve the pressure on the top and add weight at the bottom to help you do it. I'd pull them closed to see if they fall into line.

Since the drapes have a rod pocket, I wonder if you could pull some buckram tape through it rather than having some sewn in. Might have to trim the width to get the right fit but it could be worth

I will start with the fact that I have made many drape panels, but have not used a track system. Did Half Price drapes send along any hanging instructions? I did find this video showing how-to-hang curtains on a track and it appears to me that your pin placement is too low on the panel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhQHTL01PJk

You are asking for the look of custom, on panels that are not meant for drapery pins. They are meant for a rod/rings, or simply to use the rod pocket.

When you ask a sewer/workroom to hem? There's a reason for the "outrageous" price. They will refuse to do shoddy work. The workroom process is to shorten from the top, not the hem.

That means the header is undone, they are checked for an exact length all panels as few are exact. The existing hem work, remains untouched.

In this case, you either live with the look you will have, use whatever to hem, live with floppy header etc. or......................

A bay window such as yours, with drapery that travels to closed, requires a "bent traverse rod" , pleats, and pins. The rod must be appropriate for the fabric.

https://www.draperyrodsdirect.com/basic/architrac-rods

Even a continuous rod for a window like this will mean supports, and elbow attachments.

You'd have been better off with privacy shades, and treat the panels as decorative only.

Bay windows are both complicated, and expensive to treat as one unit. To look very professional, and to operate nightly? You have the wrong fabric, the wrong rod, the wrong header all.

You won't like what I said, you will get a hundred suggestions. In the end? They will be a royal pain, and never look as good daily as you'd like.

Truth is brutal.

The truth is brutal....and I know I can always count on you to give it... however I did a lot of research on how to best dress this window with the funds we have...custom which we inquired about was about 2k....

We don't like blinds in this setting at all...and the window is huge...this we ended up choosing a track and we are purposely not connecting them so they can be individual because of the angles and how much wall is left for curtains to sit on...all this to say..it seems like I picked the wrong curtain...I saw many many reviews of people putting these specific ones on a track...so I felt clearly we were doing something wrong which is why I reached out.

These curtains are gorgeous and I would like to keep them....but thanks for the reminder that the designers in here tend to look down on those that like to do it themselves.

I will continue to problem solve with the advice offered until we have a solution.

Lovely drapes and you can certainly get them to hang straight without getting a custom drapery. My godmother had a custom drapery business and it's all about how you hang them.

See my diagram below, with before and after. Using the long pins you have, just push them closed and they will angle out much less. However, I don't think the long pins you have are making things easier. I would try shorter pins which would bring the balance point (black in my diagram) closer to the top of the drapery.

Edited to add: I don't think you picked the wrong curtain at all. They will look very good once you have figured out the right hooks and their position.

It isn't a look down on anyone.

You can diy a lot of things.! But every single good outcome for any diy involves a thorough thinking through of process, of questions asked of the best materials and all. Of the tools!

As I said, bay windows present challenges. Big ones. Function, looks rods, traverse or not, immaculate installations - hard enough in custom work and double the difficulty factor for DIY.

Is there an option to buy more carrier rings for your track? I wonder if adding more (and additional pins) would help distribute the weight better.

Nope - just realized that would make more and shallower folds.....

Since you dislike it, consider doing away with the existing white plastic curtain rod, and put your drapes on a decorative rod with rings.

They will look like the example you showed above from the website. A great look, and you'll love how easily they slide. Then you will put your hook right at the top of the curtain as the website picture shows, and so they will always hang straight down even if they touch the floor.

I think that "puddling" would look look elegant with your velvet drapes. I often browse English decor websites and they always puddle the full length drapes.

The money you save by not hemming can go towards the decorative rods and rings. And puddling will save you the stress of trying to make them exactly touch the floor. https://www.spiffyspools.com/spiffy-speak/puddled-curtains-guide/

Where I live the fabric stores have curtain rods for half price frequently, or at a discount if you buy an annual membership. Ikea has good prices too. But if you're thrifty/cheap like me, look on Facebook Marketplace where people often sell these when they redecorate. Habitat for Humanity Restore also often has them. One can of spray paint and they'll all "match" no matter what their original colour or metal finish. Like you, I think it makes sense to economize in rooms where I don't spend much time (except sleeping) and save the splurges for living spaces.

Amanda, please show us an updated photo when you solve this issue.

I will say what you don't want to hear:

If on a tight budget, with a big bay window:

You treat the privacy and light control issue, separately from a decorative curtain panel installation. Non custom means the mount of hardware needs to be determined simultaneously.

You are better off with allowing for a wall mount between window casing and ceiling. You needed wiggle room, but instead are out of room for wiggle.

You can not puddle curtains meant to move. It will be a continual mess.

You have no pleats

You have a heavy weight fabric, best used decoratively and in a stationary installation.

I would go on Facebook, find a local sewer within your budget, to completely redo the headers, make the cuts at the top of the panels, pleat them...position the rings , and help reinstall. Plenty of folks have a mini workshop of curtains, in their own home.

You are not going to get a good look or a really functional look, any other way.

I found a picture of the look I was suggesting for your curtains. The blue-green ones. https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/how-to-use-colour-as-a-minimalist#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_e67b15fa-e5f4-4f39-b999-1fc89b425add_entity-topic-similarity-v2_fallback_popular4-1

Above ( link )/pic below is pretty. But

the panel trailing sides should return to the wall, ( upper right corner of pic, hide that exposed bracket) which is prettier and saves you from light seep at the curtain sides.

The mount is wall, w/rod ring, easier slide. And pleats. A little less puddle and break if you are drawing closed nightly and add a wand.

Why? Over time, night after night your hand oil WILL leave stain behind. No different than the arms on a sofa.

My bedroom drapes are hung on rings on a decorative rod, with some annoying light spillage from the morning sun on one side. I tacked that edge of the drape to the window's wood trim with a few clear push pins. Not a perfect solution but good enough for me and DH. I am a believer that "Perfect is the enemy of good."

I haven't had a chance to work on this for a few days...

A couple of things....

Our goal is to hide the ceiling track

The shorter standard pins show the track (right side window)

We will put a wand on them so they don't get dirty

We were never going to PUDDLE

Just going to barely touch the floor.

Jan Moyer...I don't know what you mean by being out of wiggle room? The drawing with the arrows is what we are doing.

Wee aren't shooting for perfect..but a solution that fixes the header droopy issues? We will of course hem them properly, but seeing first what needs to be done?

Jan do you have any suggestions for a velvet blackout curtain that will go on a track like ours and HIDE the track?

Perhaps we just need to select different curtains?

@partim this rod is not a cheap plastic curtain rod, it is actually a pretty nice ceiling installed track which slides absolutely beautifully.

We chose this instead of a bay window rod system on purpose. Just trying to hide the track and have the buckling issue solved.

@jan Moyer...your link for the architrac ceiling mount is the same as the one I have, the only difference is the carrier...I had looked at these before we ordered ours..and since we don't have Ripplefold drapery or pleated header we didn't purchase.

Sigh....also I think most photos of ceiling mount tracks aren't as accurate as we think as far as being discreet...or maybe it's just something I am noticing because we have this beautiful rich color on the walls and then lighter drapes so the track definitely sticks out to me if we use the standard length pins. 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

I don't have anything interesting to add but wanted to comment so I could find this thread later. Good luck with your dilemma.

Could the track be painted to match your wall?

Wiggle room means you have a track TIGHT up at the ceiling line. Your fabric, minus pleats, minus buckram is not going to do what you want it to do. It just won't.

I will bore you.

Ninety nine of 100 professional sewers in a drapery workroom would have told you:

Don't make velvet traverse. Pick a different fabric. That last one of the hundred? They might call you and say "this isn't working"!

You hate the visible track. Unless you like a tomb? You will always see the track between panels. Paint the track WALL color.

Get someone to shorten from the top to an exact length. Have them sew in pleats and insert the pin

I do understand your complete frustration but you are attempting to bend unwilling materials and construction and hardware to your will.

In thirty plus years of design? There is NO WAY I tackle a custom window treatment for a bay window, for any client, without my sewer, and my installer ,, my selected hardware, and the fabric selection......all present in front of that bay window. Before one single aspect ever makes an actual order.

Success is staying in your lane. Yes, Even for Pros. Or the pro can go broke in a hurry: )