I've Got a Secret: Hidden Tabs, Hidden Rings

Hidden tab top curtains

Tabs pinned to the top hem of the panel.

The bottom of each tab is pinned up under the top hem and the top of the tab is pinned 1/4" from the top of the panel (which is in the bottom of the photo here).

All of the tabs pinned and ready to sew.

Floral pattern fabric

Close-up shows how they look on the rod.

The finished product!

This shows the back side, how the panel is hung on the rod. 

These hidden tab curtains have a long enough tab that you can open and close the panels without a pull rod or the type of rod that requires curtain hooks and a string to pull. I did some full-length pleated curtain panels with hidden rings.

Pleated panels with rings sewn behind the pleats

Another close-up of the top of the panels

Full-length panels in front of French doors

The full-length panels, closed

"What rings?" you ask. They were hand-sewn behind the pleats. She wanted the ease of opening and closing the panels, just sliding on a decorative wooden rod but she didn't want the rings to show. I didn't get a photo of the backside to show but, trust me, they are there. The hidden tabs give you the same basic ease of sliding the panels open but a "wave" effect at the top of the panel. The pleats in the black panels give them added fullness. The floral didn't need the pleats to add fullness. It depends on the fabric you use. The black panels are silk and the floral panels are cotton.