• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sengerson - Home DIY, Motherhood, and Family Vacations Blog
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Cricut & Silhouette
  • Travel
  • Motherhood
  • Crafts
  • Meet Seng
  • Shop
  • FREE Resource Library
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Tour My House
  • Home DIY
  • Cricut & Silhouette
  • Travel
  • Motherhood
  • Crafts
  • Meet Seng
  • Shop
  • FREE Resource Library
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Home DIY » Hack to Lengthen Drapery Panels

    Hack to Lengthen Drapery Panels

    Last Updated Date: August 8, 2021 | Published Date: April 8, 2015 by Seng Nickerson

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Learn a quick hack on how to lengthen drapery panels with fish hooks below!

    After following interior design rules, do you ever find that you have a need to lengthen drapery panels in order to skim, break, or puddle the floor? If so, I've got just the hack for you!

    For those that were unaware like me, there are standard design rules on how curtains and drapes should be hung so that the panels length hang appropriately. Fred Gonsowski's Garden and Home has a great illustration on how the right way to do this. Also, if you are a homeowner that buys pre-made drapery, please take note of this public service announcement from Elements of Style. Now, if you have followed all those guidelines and find that your drapes are just a tad short (like one to two inches short), I've got just the hack for you! It requires no sewing. This will not work for grommet styled curtains.

    First, buy Fishing Barrel Swivels with Interlock Snaps. You can get them at Walmart for about $3 in various sizes depending on how long you need your curtains to be lengthened.

    barrell-swivel-interlock-snap-for-curtains

    These bad boys were MADE to hold weight. And if you have heavy two story panels like I did in our living room (the weight was due to a layer of linen and a layer of black outlining), you are going to make sure your curtain rods and rings can balance the weight.

    Here are the images of my drapes that were too short due to my hastiness in measuring for the curtains:

    hack to lengthen drapery panel

    The goal was for my curtains to be even on the floor. We then added the Fishing Barrel Swivels with Interlock Snaps to the rings and hung the drapes back up. Here's the image of the exact product we used (found again at Walmart):

    curtains-make-longer

    Here's how they looked now perfectly even on the floor:hack to lengthen drapery panels

    Although this also does not fall into the realm of the interior design etiquette, I think that the importance of your drapery length outweighs the spacing between the rings and the curtains. Here is the after image of how it looks. It didn't stand out to you did it?

    curtains-how-to-hang-properly

    Watch the 2:00 minute marker on this video to see how I used them:

    Pin this to your home decor board on Pinterest as a reminder for this tip:

    lengthen-drapery-curtain-panels

    Want more great design hacks for your house from me? Subscribe, add me to your circles on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & pin with me on Pinterest!

    Curtain and Decor Posts

    If you loved this post about finding the best two story curtains, check out these posts below:

    • How to Hang Drapery and Curtains like a Professional
    • Two Story Living Room Curtains
    • Farmhouse Style Two Story Curtains
    « How to Choose the Right Size Area Rug for Your Living Room
    Loose Park Family Photography Session - Spring 2014 »


    Disclosure

    Many of the links on this blog are affiliate links. Sengerson.com receives a small comission when certain items are purchased, but the price is the same for you. Sengerson.com is a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


    Subscribe for Access to Resource Library

    Subscribe down below for access to the FREE resource library that provides access to affordable home decor, printables, and family vacation hacks. Once you sign up, you'll get access to tons of absolutely free content. You'll also be signed up for my monthly newsletter where I share tips and tricks along the way!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sheila

      January 14, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      Hi found your site and so happy I did!
      I am hanging sheers with a pocket top. Is it possible to use the barrel fish hooks to make them longer or is there another way?
      Only using sheers!
      Thanks in advance! ?

      Reply
    2. Leann

      November 27, 2018 at 12:10 am

      What about using them on curtains with rings on top?

      Reply
    3. Kristen Bylsma

      January 20, 2018 at 8:23 pm

      This is great! Thanks for the tip; this is exactly what I'm looking for!

      Reply
    4. Seng

      November 17, 2015 at 10:16 pm

      Hi Carelynn,

      All you need to do is take the pleat hook, and hook it into the round top part of the swivel. Then you open up the other swivel end (similar to a necklace clasp), and hook that into the curtain ring. Hope that helps!

      Reply
    5. Casey

      October 22, 2015 at 9:29 pm

      It looks like she attached the hooks to the curtain rod and clipped the curtain to them from there.

      Reply
    6. Hannah

      September 13, 2015 at 12:12 pm

      so why do you not show in this post how you used the fishing snaps?! Makes no sense without your explanation and pics of the actual fix!

      Reply
      • Seng

        November 17, 2015 at 10:15 pm

        Hi Hannah,

        All you need to do is take the pleat hook, and hook it into the round top part of the swivel. Then you open up the other swivel end (similar to a necklace clasp), and hook that into the curtain ring. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    7. Joyce

      September 07, 2015 at 1:18 pm

      please show how to attach the rings to the swivels and snaps. Not clear to me. Sorry

      Reply
      • Seng

        November 17, 2015 at 10:15 pm

        Hi Joyce,

        All you need to do is take the pleat hook, and hook it into the round top part of the swivel. Then you open up the other swivel end (similar to a necklace clasp), and hook that into the curtain ring. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    8. Melissa

      August 28, 2015 at 5:18 pm

      Do you have a picture of what it was you did exactly? For instance, what does the top portion look like where you added said fishing swivels?

      Reply
      • Seng

        November 17, 2015 at 9:33 pm

        Hi Melissa,

        We had pleated curtains that we just hooked the fishing hook on, and then put the hanger on it!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Nice to meet you!

    Seng is a life and style blogger for the modern mom. She is a mom of four that works outside of the home balancing the delicate balance of her career and being present for her family.
    Hi I'm Seng - a working mom, loving wife, lifestyle blogger, family photographer, and the ultimate purveyor of the "honey do list". More »

    Looking for Something

    Footer

    ↑ BACK TO TOP

    Meet Seng

    • About
    • Shop
    • DIY Web Stories
    • Home Tour
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    Ideas by Room

    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Living Room
    • Dining & Kitchen
    • Outdoor Living
    • Paint Colors
    • Organization
    • Shopping Guide

    Motherhood

    • Family Vacations
    • Parenting
    • Baby Registry
    • Productivity Tips
    • Easy & Fast Recipes
    • Mom Fashion
    • Kids Fashion
    • Gift Guides

    ©2021 SENGERSON LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email
    • Print
    • Save