I finally have curtains

[CAJUN LADY]

On the subject of curtains.

Ladies, be sure to check them out at night. Turn on the TD lights and stand outside in the dark. Can you see in? Would you be casting a silhouette? If so, line them with another layer of fabric.

And that goes for those Cabella's shower/potty houses too!

OMG thats so funny. I knew somebody who would only use those at night in the dark for that reason.

Mandy, I found out the hard way. A camping friend said I should give a "sitting ovation".

[CAJUN LADY]

I have a question for you guys. When you put up decorative curtains that look so nice on the inside, do you make the outside look good too? I bought my curtains and paid a pretty penny because I loved them. But to the rest of the campground, the lining they see isn't too cool. So, inside or out?

I put the pretty side out but I had to take them down when the sun faded them badly. I ended up putting the mirror finish film on the windows and then the mini Levelor blinds. It works great for me.

[Jazzy Lynn]

I have a question for you guys. When you put up decorative curtains that look so nice on the inside, do you make the outside look good too? I bought my curtains and paid a pretty penny because I loved them. But to the rest of the campground, the lining they see isn't too cool. So, inside or out?

Judy,
I made the outside of my curtains with a red and white check fabric so there is a pretty side both inside and out.


You could get some complimentary or contrasting fabric to line your curtains with. Then the outside would be nice and the extra layer of fabric helps with any see-through at night.
Barbara

[rebapuck]

I will have to see if I can stretch the fabric far enough.

I've come up with another use for the screw/snaps. The front of my Puck has two vents into the back of the galley cabinet. Naturally, at 60mph, they take in rain, dust and debris. I've been trying to figure out a weatherproof solution to blocking those vents while traveling. I'm going to replace the existing screws with screw/snaps at each corner and snap on a piece of leftover Sunbrella. Easy to take off on arrival.

Should I back the Sunbrella with additional plastic of some sort? Still want them washable.

[rebapuck]

Can you wash Sunbrella?

[EffieRover]

Can you wash Sunbrella?

Surface wash, yes, have done so many times. I spread it on the deck, hose it down, wipe the stubborn spots with murphy's, hose it down again. No problems. Don't think you can put it in the washer, tho.

[tearhead]

Still waiting for our maiden voyage but had wondered abou thow to cover those vents in our Silver Spirit. This idea beats duct tape! Another thought might be to stick it on with velcro dots around the vent, but I'll bet the snaps would work better. Very cool idea.

Back to curtains I had what I thought was a brilliant idea while in K-Mart and bought two placemats that look like woven wood and was hoping they'd be big enough to make roll-up shades with (I was going to back them with fabric (would have to glue, tape, or velcro) and sew on ribbons at the top, front and back, to tie the rolled up shade with. But they're too small. Considered extending themusing fabric and still might. Fortunately they only cost $3 total and I can still use them on our kitchen island as placemats.

So then I found a beach mat (one is plenty big for two teardrop shades) for $1.50 at Big Lots (you can tell I shop all the trendy places) and my latest scheme is to cut out the shades from that and bind the ends with ribbon (my comforter was a set that included a dust ruffle with a ribbon all the way around so I can cannibalize) so I might use that. Good idea about testing it with the lights on. I think before I start sewing I had better check and see if I should put fabric backing on it, too. I think it might be cuter with just the ribbon, but who knows? Good chance to use up some spare fabric that's been sitting around--not thrilling but harmonizes with the comforter--of course then I don't get new fabric!. I'm enjoying this dilemma! The planning is so much fun!

[rebapuck]

Can almost guarantee you'll need to back it.

[CAJUN LADY]

Can almost guarantee you'll need to back it.

Agree with that.

It sounds like you are a smart shopper! I find some bargains at Big Lots at times. I got my newest canopy lights from there recently. I can't wait to see your curtains when finished.

[EffieRover]

Ugh, I went shopping for fabric today and found a beautiful outdoor fabric I liked - stain resistant too. $54.99/yd. Cheapest stuff I sorta liked was $8/yd. Do you all use outdoor fabrics on your curtains & stuff near the windows or do you use home decor fabric and line or replace as it fades?

Along the actual thread lines, I also bought the woven fabric placemats when on sale (if they are about 3/8" thick, then they should be the same), but I bought them to use as trivets for my cast iron cookware. They work great!

[Laredo]

Think about this:

Make the liner separate from the shade; you can bind both with ribbon or one with ribbon and the other with twill tape.

[CAJUN LADY]

Ugh, I went shopping for fabric today and found a beautiful outdoor fabric I liked - stain resistant too. $54.99/yd. Cheapest stuff I sorta liked was $8/yd. Do you all use outdoor fabrics on your curtains & stuff near the windows or do you use home decor fabric and line or replace as it fades?

Along the actual thread lines, I also bought the woven fabric placemats when on sale (if they are about 3/8" thick, then they should be the same), but I bought them to use as trivets for my cast iron cookware. They work great!

I used fabric I found at Wal-Mart on sale for $2.00/yard. I loved the material but the sun faded it. So, I put the mirror finish film on the windows and installed Levelor mini blinds and it works. It is really great during the day and you can't see through the mini blinds holes. It seems Levelor are much better than the cheapie ones when it comes to privacy. They weren't expensive either -- I think less than $12 each.

[rebapuck]

In my trailer, I put in somewhat expensive curtains because I loved them, they were exactly the right color and came in exactly the right sizes. To protect them and the cushions while stored, I have muslin clipped between the curtain and window. Actually, it's painters drop cloth. I took out the seams and had the right lenghts.

The VW camper, I have regular pull down shades. The one on the sunny side stays down. But I am going to replace those now ratty things with curtains that match the trailer. Going to use the screw/snaps. I plan to make a different set for everyday use to block the sun. The good ones will come out when camping.

[doug hodder]

UV will tear up curtains... Any printed cotton fabric will fade and deteriorate when exposed to the UV, back them up with something like a muslin. It's neutral color to begin with so fading doesn't show on it and it protects the inner fabric. Some of the home deco stuff might be different and the sunbrella will be for sure, but they won't hang right for a downsized curtain like these windows take. Check your local independent fabric store, better quality than the big box stores, but if cheap is what you want....sorry just my soapbox since I'm an independent......anyway....lots of great patterns and themes available. Big box will probably be your only choice for any of the copyrighted fabrics however. IE, sports teams, cartoon characters, movies etc...Doug

[Miriam C.]

Might be time to go on a hunt unless Doug can tell us. I am wondering if the newer curtain liner material has special UV protectors. I know some of the sports clothes do so maybe the curtain industry is ..........