How to Plan Fabric for Lined Curtains

Lined curtains are a two-layer purchase: face fabric and lining each have their own width, repeat, and shrinkage behavior. Start with the finished track or rod width and the finished drop, then calculate the number of face widths. Do not assume the lining can use the same cut plan if its usable width differs.

Choose fullness as a target ratio, such as 2 times the finished width. Add the side return, hems, header, and any pattern-match allowance to the finished drop. Keep the face and lining worksheets separate so a change in the face fabric does not silently change the lining quantity.

Count whole widths first

Required flat face width is finished window width × fullness + returns. Divide by the usable fabric width and round up to whole widths. Each width needs a cut drop: finished drop plus top and bottom allowances. If the fabric has a vertical pattern repeat, round each cut drop upward to a whole repeat before multiplying by the number of widths.

The lining calculation repeats the process with its own usable width and cut drop. A lining may not need pattern matching, but it still needs a hem and a turn-in that keeps it inside the face fabric. If the lining is narrower, it can be cut in a different number of widths and joined only if the construction supports that seam.

Worked example

For a 90-inch finished window, 2× fullness, and 6 inches of total returns, the flat face width is 90 × 2 + 6 = 186 inches. With 54 inches of usable face fabric, ceil(186 ÷ 54) = 4 widths. A 96-inch finished drop with 12 inches of top and bottom allowance needs a 108-inch cut drop. With a 12-inch pattern repeat, round 108 up to 120 inches, or 3.333 yards per width. Four widths require 13.333 yards before shrinkage and purchase rounding.

If the lining is 54 inches wide and has no repeat, use the actual lining cut drop instead of copying 120 inches blindly. If it needs 104 inches, four widths require 416 inches, or 11.556 yards. Add the chosen shrinkage separately to each layer, then round face and lining to the selling increment.

Verification checklist

• Measure the installed width, returns, and finished drop.
• Choose fullness based on the heading and the desired stack.
• Record usable width for face fabric and lining separately.
• Add top, bottom, and side construction allowances.
• Round pattern drops to the full repeat when matching is required.
• Count whole widths before converting to yards.
• Apply shrinkage and shop rounding separately to each layer.
• Check whether the bolt can supply the continuous cut length.

Caution

Curtain headings, interlining, nap, border prints, and pattern matching can change the legal layout. This estimate does not select a heading tape or guarantee that a printed repeat will align at the hem. Use the manufacturer’s or pattern maker’s cutting plan when it conflicts with a simple width calculation.

Sources and derivation

Use the curtain fabric calculator for fullness and whole-width arithmetic, then verify width terminology in the fabric width reference. The curtain fullness guide shows why rounded whole widths can produce more fullness than the target ratio.