window quilts

[Dinghy]

I've been kicking around the idea of making window quilts for a few years now. I think I really need to do it this year. It's already freezing in here and I refuse to turn on the furnace yet. I went to JoAnne fabrics a few weeks ago and ran across something interesting. They have big rolls of "stuff" to make the window quilts. It's a layer of material, a layer of batting and a layer of thin foil stuff. It looks like all you have to do is either hem the edges or maybe sew a backing on, I'm not sure which. After they told me the price I quit looking at it real quick! It is $19 something a yard!! Much too expensive for me, especially when I think of how many windows I need to make them for. But I thought it was neat that they make something like that. I decided to use the flat twin sheets from WalMart and pick up old blankets or mattress pads at yard sales or thrift shops for the middle. It should be real quick to just fold a sheet in half with a piece of blanket in between and sew up the edges. It will only cost about $4 a window this way, not counting the curtain rods. Cheaper than buying material by the yard! I want to at least get them made for all the bedroom windows and probably the living room too. We'll see how many actually get made, but the intentions are there!!!

 

[ejagno]

I don't understand why people close up their windows in the winter when the sun could warm a room so much quicker by being allowed to filter in through the windows. Of course I don't live in Pennsylvania so I'm not even sure if the sun is strong enough in winter there to warm or if it is just grey overcast skies. Here in the deep south we black out and insulate the windows during the summer and open them up for sunshine in the winter. At one site I saw the window quilts but they were placed on the exterior of the homes windows so that the heat didn't have a chance to penetrate the glass. That is what disuaded me from this idea. I want to be able to see outside if I need to. Of course I mowed grass today in near 90 degree heat and the a/c is still going 24/7 so this has alot to do with my comprehension on this maybe.

 

[booger]

I hope to make window quilts for the new house this winter. We'll see whether or not it gets done this year.

$19 a yard??? Holy highway robbery, Batman! I was just going to use fabric and batting from my stash. Glad to hear you're not going to pay $19 a yard!

 

[booger]

ejagno, you would use them in the winter during the night, opening them up during the day for the sun.

 

[Deemy]

I've been thinking of doing window quilts as well but then I live in Pa too and not only Pa but high altitute as well!

 

[grommit]

I installed a second rod in the widnow frame that I have hung old comforters over. There is no vapor or draft barrier so the effect is limited.

 

[ARUBI]

I've got 3 sliding glass doors on the North side of my house. I had Windo Quilts installed when we first bought the house 14yrs. ago. Best investment I've made. The house is well insulated, but the amount saved on heating and cooling is considerable. There is 3 layers and runs by a pulley cord up and down on a track, so that it seals on all 4 sides. Keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter. Of course the operation of them is according to season, down during hot summer days during the daytime and up at night. Winter, down at night or when bitter cold. Oh, and down during thunder and lightening storms, 'cause of the Furkids.

Here's a website to what they look like;

http://www.solar-components.com/WQ.htm

http://www.1windowquilts.com/


Dinghy,

Your idea will work just fine and you will really appreciate how it will keep the cold out. If you have extra material, make draft stoppers to match to hold the quilt down on the sill.

Also, check out buying batting, quilted fabric online. JoAnn's is an expensive place to buy fabric. Check out the fabric dept. of other stores in your area. Walmart carries quilted fabric for about $5 a yd.

 

[Sarrah]

I have made window quilts for all of our windows and doors. I've also made them for our motorhome. I bought sale comforters as well as some at thrift stores. Then I put white sheets, (from the thrift store) on one side of each for the window side and have a patterned sheet sewn on for the inside. I put them up at night in the winter for the cold. In the summer I put them up in the afternoon to keep the heat out.
I put long ribbon on the tops about 2 foot long inside and out. It is thin and black strong ribbon. This I use to roll the quilts up like a sleeping bag. I paid under a dollar for it. I sewed loops for hanging and use cup hooks to mount them on. DH stained nice 2 inch boards and mounted them above the windows so they look good. The quilts overlap the windows an average of 4 inches all round when they are in place.

I also remounted the drapes. They are now hung from the ceiling and I dropped the hems to lengthen them. There is a 4 inch space between the drape and the window quilts. We're snug in the winter and cooler in the summer. When the drapes are closed you'd never know there are quilts behind them.

I did the whole house for under $50. It takes a bit of time to get it all done but they are easy to maintain and last for years. They wash in the machine easily. I bought the comforters etc in the summer when there was an overabundance of these items in the thrift store I'm not sure of the availablilty at this time of year. You never know.

The ones in the motorhome I used crib comforters. They are bright and cute.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

I was thinking about buying sheets of thick styrofoam at the hardware store and cutting them to just fit the window opening (we have really deep window openings). then covering them with muslin with tabs all around so I can pull them out when needed. Home depot has a kind that I think is supposed to be for wall insulation that is covered on both sides with some kind of blue vinyl or plastic that I think would work well-it wouldn't deteriorate as fast as the plain styrofoam. I'm in Montana so its pretty cold here in the winter. I was going to just put the panels on the north and west windows of the house since that is where the prevailing winds come from. I've tried the quilted window covers and I didn't think they worked very well, but it WAS -40 below then so maybe nothing would have helped much. Plus I was going to do all the basement windows since its so dark down there anyway It wouldn't matter much. anything to make that basement warmer would be an improvement.

 

[Gateway]

I made window quilts for all our smaller windows before Y2K. For the larger windows / sliding glass doors I bought shipping blankets from ULine U LIne . It saved a lot of sewing time. Maybe this option would help.

 

[Synap]

Wall hangings for the cold outer walls work good too. Worked for the oldtime castle dwellers.

Another material is the foil bubblewrap. It can be wound on a shade roller to make changing use easy. Being thicker you need to make the hangers extend out further but drapery hangers can be used.

The foil bubblewrap is sorta expensive but you can make your own cheaper with the regular bubblewrap (postal express), alum foil and rubber cement.

 

[Dinghy]

I made draft stoppers a couple years ago. I bought an old heavy tablecloth and cut and sewed tubes, then filled them with rice. I put them on all my windows where the two sections meet and then at the bottom too. They kept out a lot of cold air. The ones for my biggest window disappeared some how and I still haven't found them. One of my daughters probably pilfered it for their place!
I don't get much sun here even in the summer. We have a big apartment on one side and a big hill full of trees in the back, so most of the sun is blocked. I'll fix something up so I can open them if it's nice out though. Our bedrooms are better if they're dark. My husband works third shift and always complains that the room is too brite to sleep.

 

[summerthyme]

Consider lining any window quilts you make with those "space blankets" they sell. I've found them for a dollar each before, which makes them pretty economical. They reflect heat back better than almost anything. You don't have to let it show, either- they can be inside as an interlining- I'd probably make them the second layer from the inside-the-house layer, if that makes any sense. What I mean is: first layer would be decorative calico or whatever looks good in the room (if that's important to you). Next would be the space blanket. Third would be batting of some kind- purchased quilt batts, old blankets, milkweed fluff, carded wool skirtings and seconds. Last would be fabric again- old sheets, or whatever.

Make any sense?

Summerthyme

 

[ShepInTheValley]

Great idea SummerThyme!