Why Custom Drapes? The Difference an American Workroom Makes

Measured to your window, sewn in our New Jersey workroom, and priced without the middlemen: what makes custom drapery a different product.

Your windows deserve better than a stock size

Custom drapes look better and last longer. Your windows are one of the first things anyone notices in a room. Yet most drapes sold in America come in a handful of stock lengths and are sewn overseas to fit nobody's window in particular.

If you've ever hung a ready-made panel that pooled six inches too long, or stopped three inches short of the sill, you know the problem. Stock drapes are built to be shipped cheaply, not to fit your home.

This guide covers what "custom" really means and where most drapes are actually made. It also explains why drapes measured, cut and sewn in an American workroom are a different product, and why buying from the workroom itself can cost less than you'd think.

What "custom" actually means

True custom drapery is built for one window, from five decisions a stock panel makes for you in advance:

• Exact size. Width and length are cut to your measurements, down to the fraction of an inch. Ready-made panels come in a few stock lengths, so most windows end up a compromise: too short, too long or hemmed at home.
• Fullness. Fullness is how much fabric goes into each panel compared with the width it covers. A drapery that opens and closes needs about twice the width of the window to fall in deep, even folds. At Regal Drapes, operable drapes are calculated at 200% - 250% (depending on style) fullness. Many stock panels hang nearly flat once spread across a wide window.
• Fabric. You can choose from a large selection of high-quality fabrics.
• Lining. Privacy, blackout, thermal or interlined. The lining changes how a drape hangs, how much light it blocks, how well it insulates and how long the face fabric lasts in the sun.
• Style and finish. Pinch pleat, ripplefold, grommet, rod pocket and more, with the header, hems and trim finished to match.

Custom is not just "a stock drape in more sizes." It is a different way of building the product: one order, one window, one cut.

Where most drapes on the market are really made

Many curtains and drapes sold in the U.S. are made overseas. In May 2023 alone, Americans imported an estimated $888 million of curtains and linens. China supplied 52% of that value and India another 25% (Global Trade Magazine, citing IndexBox).

Those imports travel through three kinds of sellers, and none of them was set up to fit your window:

• Big-box and online ready-made. Panels are mass-produced in a few stock lengths, usually 63", 84", 96" and 108". Then they're shipped across an ocean and stored in a warehouse. Fabric, lining and stitching are chosen to hit a shelf price.
• Online "custom" order-takers. Some sites take your measurements and pass them to a contract factory they don't own, sometimes in another country. Quality depends on a sewing room the seller never sees. If the sizing is wrong, fixing it means going back and forth with a third party.
• In-home design franchises and showrooms. The consultant visits your home, but the drapes are usually sewn somewhere else. Each layer, from the showroom and the sales rep to the franchise fee and the outside workroom, adds its own markup.

The details you can see and feel: workroom vs. mass production

The quality gap shows up in details a factory line skips to save seconds per panel. Here's what to look for, whoever you buy from:

1. Deep, double-turned hems. A good bottom hem is folded twice, so the raw edge never shows and the weight keeps the drape hanging straight. Mass-produced panels often use a single narrow fold that curls and puckers.
2. Blind-stitched sides and hems. Hand-finished or blind stitching is nearly invisible from the front. Visible machine top-stitching is a quick tell of factory work.
3. Weighted corners. Small weights sewn into the bottom corners keep the leading edges from flaring or twisting.
4. Structured headers. Pleated styles need a stiff buckram header, so every pleat stands evenly spaced and holds its shape for years.
5. Matched patterns. Where fabric widths are seamed, a careful workroom lines up the pattern across the seam and from panel to panel. Mass production rarely bothers.
6. Real lining, sewn in. Lining protects the face fabric from sun, adds body and helps insulate the window. At Regal Drapes, every drapery comes with a heavyweight sateen lining as standard. Blackout, thermal and flannel-interlined upgrades are available for more privacy, insulation and fullness. Our guide to drapery linings compares every option.
7. Final inspection, hanging. At our Morristown, New Jersey workroom, every drape is hung at a quality-control station before it ships. We check for even hems, no loose threads and the exact finished length.

Every Regal drape is made to order, and we don't carry stock sizes. Design, fabrication and final inspection all happen under one roof, by our own in-house team.

Side by side: how Regal Drapes compares

Regal Drapes is the only option of the four where the company you buy from also cuts, sews and inspects your drapes.

Refund terms apply to fabrics from our collection that you've sampled; see our guarantees for details. Most Regal orders ship in about 7 business days.

Exceptional value: why owning our workroom matters

Because we own our workroom, more of what you pay goes into the drapes themselves: quality fabric, real lining and careful handwork, not someone else's margin. That's how Regal Drapes delivers custom craftsmanship at a price that's hard to match. Here's where that value comes from:

• No middlemen. Most custom drapes pass through a seller, a franchise or a showroom, then an outside workroom, and each one takes a cut. We are the workroom, so you buy straight from the people who make your drapes.
• No showrooms or outside sales reps. We sell online and support you by phone, video and email. You don't pay for retail rent or commissioned salespeople. Our designers are still here when you want help, with a free design consultation.
• No import markup on the finished drape. Your drape isn't shipped across an ocean, stored in a warehouse and charged import duties before it reaches you. It's sewn in New Jersey and shipped to your door.
• Bulk fabric buying. We buy fabric in volume from major mills and converters, and pass that pricing on to you.
• Fewer remakes. When the same team measures, cuts, sews and inspects, mistakes get caught at the workroom, not after the drapes are hanging in your home. Remakes and returns cost every company money, and someone always pays for them in the end.

The result is drapery built to last for years, priced for what goes into it, not for the layers of companies it passes through.

Frequently asked questions

Are custom drapes worth it?

Yes, if you want drapes that fit, hang well and last. A stock panel saves money on day one. But one that's the wrong length, too thin or skimpy across the window often gets replaced within a few years.

How can I tell where a "custom" drape is really made?

Ask the seller directly: who sews it, and in what country? If they can't name their own workroom, they are probably reselling someone else's work.

Is measuring difficult?

No. Our measuring guide walks you through it step by step. Our designers can double-check your numbers before anything is cut.

How long does it take?

Most orders ship in about 7 business days, because we don't wait on an overseas factory or a container ship.

What if I don't love them?

Custom drapes, Roman shades, valances and pillows can be returned within 30 days of receipt for a full refund, under the terms in our guarantees. Every drape we make is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

See the difference for yourself

The best way to see the difference is to hold it in your hands. Order free fabric samples, compare them with anything else you're considering, and book a free consultation with a Regal designer. Since 2012, every Regal drape has been measured to the inch, handcrafted in our Morristown, New Jersey workroom and inspected before it ships to you.

Sources: Global Trade Magazine (IndexBox data);