Window Quilts / Door Quilts

[adarynefoedd]

Has anybody made a window quilt - apparently used in the US to cover cold windows in winter? Instructions appear to be to make a lined quilt using batting and even insulation foil to go in the middle and then use ties or roman blind style cords.

This seems to be a winter only window dressing.

Any experience or comments as I am thinking of making one.

thanks / diolch yn fawr

[domino]

Googled window quilt and came up with this interesting site http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art34745.asp

seems pretty straightforward to do as well!

[adarynefoedd]

Thanks next steps find a decent quilt like cover, batting for interlining and curtain lining and work out out how to hang it up, might use a roman blind type hanging rather than ties.

Lots of projects I am also going to line cheap curtains from IKEA with fleece and am on the look out for cheap fleece on line or in a shop. Will post progress and pictures as I go. Sadly many of the 'old style' drapers who sold things like pieces of wool blanket for £15 ticking for £3 a metre are no more and it is harder to source these things on line.

Curtain making - not exciting but the results are snug and really money saving.

Cofion gorau / best wishes

[paddy's mum]

There are cheaper and substantially easier ways to make window quilts if you are reasonably competent with a needle. This is what I have been doing in recent weeks.

I bought a sound and not too unpretty quilted bedspread from a charity shop. I cut it to make a pair of quilted curtains to the right size to lay against the glass. I added a Rufflette type curtain heading tape to the tops and then fixed them to a curtain track hidden behind my main curtain poles. The quilted curtains then sit behind my decorative curtains, whether closed for the night or open in the day, and adds quite a bit to the insulation at the windows. By using a traditional curtain st
yle instead of a one piece quilt, you avoid the problem of how to raise and lower it, and what to do with the bulk.

Similarly, for my glass front door, I found a large, thick curtain in an acceptable colour in a second hand emporium. I took it partially apart and inserted an old but sound blanket between the face fabric and the lining. Re-stitched the seams and hung against the glass, again from a second, inner track.

Some time ago, to show my grandchildren the value of my OS way of thinking, we measured the temperature difference between single curtains and then on the room side of heavily blanketed windows. The difference was 12 degrees with no extra heating, a few quid on second hand materials and a little time making up the window quilts.

Take them down in spring, wash, dry and store in the loft until autumn comes around again. A double curtain system works for me and I hope that my tips may help another.

[adarynefoedd]

Thanks for the advice. In the end:

1. Used Ikea fleece blanket £8.99 for one blind folded and stitched with broom handle in sleeve at bottom and attached to top of window with curtain rings, DH says house resembles an MI5 safe house but it does the job.
2. Sewed IKEA blue fleece blankets (?£1.78) into other curtains.
3. Tesco have some nice beige / brown fleece blankets (£8.99) which I have hung up as inner curtains by sewing curtain rings to the blankets, again very effective in cutting down the heat loss as it is very cold here (Wales, house cops any north wind).

Elsewhere on this site I am sure I read about making inner shutters from Kingspan (solid insulation block) in a wooden frame and covered with fabric but DH fairly derisory about this suggestion!!

[chocolatepennyfarthing]

Are there any companies that will make and fit these, have seen motorised ones which would work well on our 4 large patio windows.