Do You Need 2 Pairs of Ready Made Curtains for a Bay Window?

Why one pair is usually not enough on a bay window

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when buying ready made curtains for a bay window.

They see a pair of curtains they like, choose a drop, and assume one pair will do the job.

But on most bay windows, especially wider ones, that usually leaves you short on width and short on fullness.

The result is often curtains that look flat, mean, or stretched across the window rather than soft and nicely gathered.

As a rule of thumb with pencil pleat curtains, the total curtain widths should be around double the total track width. That gives you enough fabric to gather each curtain to half the window width while still achieving a nice full look.

That is why, for most bay windows, two pairs of ready made curtains are usually needed rather than one.

Spend in the right place and save in the right place

If you are trying to keep costs sensible, it is tempting to look for savings everywhere.

But with a bay window, the part that really needs to be right is the track.

A properly made bay window curtain track is shaped to fit your window exactly. That means the curtains sit in the correct position, follow the angles of the bay properly, and open and close smoothly.

This has a much bigger impact on the final result than most people expect.

Even good quality ready made curtains can look awkward on a poor fitting or low quality track. Whereas a well-made track allows the curtains to hang neatly, stack back properly, and move easily every day.

This is why I always recommend investing in the track first.

This is the part many people only realise after trying a cheaper option first.

I’ve lost count of how many customers have told me they fitted a lower quality track, only to take it back down, fill the holes, and replace it properly a short time later.

By that point, it often has not worked out any cheaper — just more time, more effort, and more frustration.

All of our tracks are made to measure and come with a 10 year guarantee, so once it is up, it is very much a fit-and-forget solution.

You end up with a bay window that looks right, works properly, and stays that way for years.

Which ready made curtains tend to work best?

If you are using ready made curtains on a bay window, simpler is usually better.

Plain fabrics are often the safest choice. That is because patterns across separate pairs of ready made curtains do not usually match up properly.

If you are using two pairs, mismatched patterns can become quite noticeable once the curtains are hanging side by side.

That is why plain fabrics, subtle textures, or less obvious designs generally work better and give a more consistent look.

Pencil pleat curtains are often the most practical and economical option for this kind of setup. They are also more forgiving when you need to combine two pairs and gather them to the correct width.

Which ready made curtains are best avoided?

Some ready made curtains can make a bay window project harder than it needs to be.

• Bold patterned curtains, because patterns often do not line up between different pairs
• Curtains with poor quality heading tape, because they do not always gather evenly or hang as neatly as they should
• Curtains with insufficient width, because they can look flat and disappointing once gathered
• Very stiff or bulky curtains, because they can be harder to gather, hang, and stack back neatly

That does not mean they can never work, but they usually need more care and are less forgiving.

What to check before you buy ready made curtains

This is where a lot of people get caught out. The curtain drop sizes sold as ready made are often only an approximate size, not an exact finished size.

So even if two pairs are labelled the same, you may still find one pair hangs slightly differently from the other.

That means one pair may need a little alteration to get both sides sitting evenly.

Typical ready made curtain sizes and what that means in practice

Most ready made curtains tend to stop at around 228cm wide by 228cm drop.

For a typical 1930s style bay window, that often means you will need either:

• one pair at 228cm wide plus one pair at 117cm wide, or
• two pairs at 168cm wide

That usually gives enough total curtain width to dress the bay properly.

For wider or taller Victorian bay windows, you may need a pair at 228cm wide plus a pair at 168cm wide to achieve the fullness you need.

Ready made curtain drop lengths often need altering

This is another thing many people do not realise until after they have bought the curtains.

A typical 1930s bay window is often around 210cm to 220cm from ceiling to floor.

So if you want curtains that hang just short of the floor, you will usually need to alter either the top or the bottom of the curtain to get the right length.

If you want shorter curtains, perhaps just past the window sill, then a drop of 182cm is often the most suitable starting point.

If you want the curtains to finish higher, for example nearer the top of the sill, you would still usually start with a 182cm drop and then have them altered to suit.

So when budgeting for ready made curtains on a bay window, it is sensible to allow for:

• the made to measure bay track
• two pairs of ready made curtains
• the cost of curtain alterations

Even allowing for alterations, this route is still usually substantially less than having both the track and curtains fully made to measure.

Why I usually recommend altering ready made curtains from the top

If the curtains need shortening or adjusting, I usually recommend altering them from the top rather than the bottom.

The reason for this is that the heading tape on ready made curtains is not always the best quality.

By altering from the top, the person doing the work can often replace the existing tape with a better quality heading tape at the same time.

That can massively improve the way the curtains gather and hang.

It is a small detail, but it can make a surprisingly big difference to the finished result.

Who can alter ready made curtains?

Many local dry cleaners offer curtain alteration services, and there are also lots of independent clothing and curtain alteration services, often run from home.

So if the curtains need adjusting, you do not necessarily need to find a specialist curtain maker. In many cases, a good local alteration service can do exactly what you need.

A handy tip if you are using two pairs

If you are hanging two curtains together on each side of the bay, one simple trick is to use large safety pins to hold the back edges of the two curtains together.

That helps them move more like one curtain when you draw them, rather than behaving like two separate pieces.

It is only a small thing, but it can make everyday use feel much neater and easier.

Common problems people do not think about before buying

The good news is that once you know these things in advance, they are all very manageable.

This is exactly why I wanted to put this page together — so you can avoid the usual pitfalls and end up with a bay window that looks right first time.

A simple way to get this right

Need help choosing the right track first?

If you are still deciding what type of curtain track you need for your bay window, the easiest next step is to use the track finder.

It asks a few quick questions about your bay and points you towards the most suitable track for your setup.

This helps take the guesswork out of it and makes sure you choose the right track first time.

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