window quilts

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Under the heating frugally post one of the ladies was talking about making window quilts from quilted fabric from Walmart for $4 per window. I think that is a great idea and may attempt it if I can find out how they work. Isaw some in one of the houses at Anathoth and they look they they fold up like a shade. How do you make them that way? Or do most people just pull them to the side? Would you install them just inside of the window trim, on the window trim or outside of it? It seems to put them just inide the trim or flat against it would be most energy efficient. I'd appreciate any suggestions to help me pull this together. Thanks!

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), September 24, 2000

Answers

Denise, check the fabric store pattern books for a curtain pattern that folds up -- I think it may be called Roman shades. Cut the curtains big enough that when they are let down, they overlap the frame by the width of a piece of the magnetic strips you will use to hold them down. Attach the magnetic strips to the window frame and to the inside edge of the curtain. The magnetic strips I would think should not be continuous on the curtain -- you will need to cut them where the curtain folds. Good luck.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 24, 2000.

dENISE,The fabric was big enough so that I could double it .I put slots on the side and added cording .Then the things {don't know what to call them }that you find on hoods that side up and down .Well I put that thing on the bottom to be able to bunch the shade up .I also put a small rod found at walmart through the top to attach it to the window.Good luck .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 24, 2000.

I found the online website for Warm Window(TM:

Warm Window Insulated Shade System

They have information on their product and system. Unfortunately, they say that it can be obtained online at "G Street Fabrics", but I couldn't find it for sale at that website.

As I said on the other thread, Joann Fabrics sells it here in southern Wisconsin. This will take you to a store locater for Joann Fabrics: Locate a Joann Fabrics store near you

Another one to try is Hancock Fabrics: Locate a Hancock Fabrics store near you

Home schoolers take note: While poking around, I found this interesting site, which has class projects for investigating heat loss and air infiltration of windows, plus lots of resources for insulating window coverings under the teachers' page (linked to this page): Window Treatments for Energy Savings

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), September 24, 2000.

Lynn put my computer area in our sunroom, great for 6 months , fridgid in winter. I got a lot of quilts by bidding on default storage units at ministorage places. Cut em to fit, used magiciron hem tape and tack stitch, put some hanger loops on the quilts, screw hooks in the winow frame. Instant insulation. Kept it comfortable all winter using an electric oil radiator on low wattage. When not being used for windows they make great sleep over pallets as they are about 4 inches thick.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 24, 2000.

Denise: I was just at someone's home a couple weeks ago, a completely solar home, and they had those on all the windows on the south side. The other side is sunken into a hillside. I examined them pretty well, as the wife who made them wasn't there, and the husband was pretty proud of them, so was showing us all the details. She had made them from upholstery fabric, pretty heavy, with a thin layer of batting and he said, also a layer of space blanket type insulating material. They folded at about 6 inch intervals, and on the back in several places were sewn little rings. Through these the cords were threaded, one on each side. I know there is more to it than that, but I'm sure there is a book in the library on it, and I'm going to make some for the north windows on our house, as they are always chilly. Good luck! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), September 24, 2000.

Do you think the adhesive type of velcro would work to hold the quilts to the window frames and stop drafts (rather than magnetic stuff)? I have been toying with the idea of making a quilted Roman blind for each of our north windows but was daunted by the task. you all make it sound so easy!! I am inspired!! Alison in Nova Scotia

-- Alison Proteau (aproteau@istar.ca), September 25, 2000.

Give it a try with the velcro .It should work .I need to go get more fabric and keep sewing .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 25, 2000.

It seems to me that I remember reading way back in the '70's during the oil crisis an article in TMEN about window quilts. Best I can remember, they were quilted or insulated fabric mounted on a frame the size of the window and put on hinges so they could be opened and closed like shutters. I had thought about these recently and thought they might be a good idea. Does anyone else remember them?

-- bwilliams (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), September 25, 2000.

I think I'd call that "insulated shutters". I've heard of them made with rigid insulation, which is covered with white fabric facing out, and decorative fabric facing in. Sometimes they have wood frames too.

Oh, I just remembered. There used to be a company here that made insulated shades for windows. They rolled up and down by a hand crank (could be had with motors too), and when they were down, the sides were secured by ranch molding that snapped down over the sides. The ranch molding was attached to the side casing of the window with self-closing cabinet hinges, and it was stained to match the window trim (you could paint it instead. They really SNAPPED -- could pinch your fingers if you got them in the way. Probably because the strips weren't as heavy as cabinet doors.

The roll-up mechanism they used wasn't a D-I-Y project (don't know where they got them), but the strips on the side to secure the edges (less air infiltration) could be used with any insulated shades you devise. A lot of the insulated shades have a "weight bar" in the bottom of the shade to hold it down in place, also to prevent air flow around the shade. Warm Windows sells them, but I think you could find substitutes. 1/2-3/4 inch dowels might be one idea.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), September 26, 2000.

I am getting ready to make insulated shades for my sliding glass door so I have been doing some research on it. Hancock fabrics carries insulated window material by the yard. It would probably be a little more costly than using quilts but will probably be more effective so if you can afford it, I would recommend using it. You then can buy material by the yard to cover it to match your decor. You can get patterns for window shades in sewing stores as well. I am planning to make two foot panels across the sliding glass door that can be raised or lowered. That way we can pull up the one over the doorway and allow easy access. Since we use this door constantly letting the dogs in and out, I had to make it easy. To install a simple raising system, you just have to sew small plastic hoops from the top to the bottom about every foot or so, one column about six inches in from the left and one six inches in from the right. If your panel is somewhat wider than I plan mine to be you will need more rows of rings. Then you just thread a cord of some type through the rings and knot it at the bottom of the shade so that it will not pull back through the hoop. The other end comes out of the ring at the top of the shade. I would recommend that you run the two tops of the ropes over to the same side of the window and tie them to each other while the shade is in the down position leaving just one rope to hang down. That way you can pull on one rope and both sides will pull up at the same rate. You just let the end hang down to a point where it is easily reachable. You can put some kind of a bob on it to make it decorative and easier to grasp. You then should have some kind of hardware at the base of the window to tie the cord around when you have the shade in the up position. One of those two pronged things they use to tie a flag rope on flagpoles would work just fine. They come in different sizes at hardware stores. I hope I made this clear enough to follow. If anyone needs more explanation, I will be glad to e-mail to talk on the phone privately.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), September 29, 2000.

-- (noneofyour@biz.com), July 13, 2001