I did a tutorial quite a while ago on how to professionally hang drapes and I have recently had a number of people ask me to share that post again.  This is an updated version of that post, so I hope it explains  my process.  It doesn't matter if you are using Custom, Readymade or off the shelf Ikea, the process is the same.  If you follow these few steps all of your drapes will look Custom and you will have a really polished and professional looking drape.

I am showing you three different drapes that I hung so you could see the whole process.  This is how I hang them whether ready made or custom.

All of my drapes are lined which gives them some weight, and I prefer fabric with a bit of weight too.  Both of these things help the drapes hold the pleats, but the same idea works well for unlined drapes. The placement and number of rings is a major factor.  Too many or too little and they won't hang properly.  I've made all the drapes out of 54" wide fabric and using 7 rings is perfect for this width.  If I buy ready made drapes, I try to find ones that are at least 50" wide so they have some fullness.

 The two end clips are placed in from the side of the panel so the side returns back to the wall and window and there are no gaps.  The rest of the panel is divided so that you place the remaining 5 clips evenly across the panel.  Then I pull the space between the clips forwar...