Someone who can sew curtains.

L

localboy

New member
So with spring on the horizon we FINALLY intend to get curtains made for 'Au Kai. Meredith has chosen the Sunbrella fabric and I will install the tracks as soon as I go get the boat out of storage. My plan is curtains, on tracks, on both sides, the port rear window and the bulkhead door and snap on covers on the windshield. Problem is this: my upholstery guy totally flaked out on us :roll: and neither of us knows squat about sewing nor do we have access to a machine.

Does any of my NW C-Brat friends know someone that can sew (Sunbrella) them off patterns I provide? I considered King Canvas but was thinking the "marine" cost would for labor would be more expensive than say, someone who can just sew. Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated.
 
Hi Mark

I just talked to Angola canvas yesterday about this subject. They made my boat cover. Located in Indiana phone 800 970-6607. He said just send the pattern and they can make up the curtains. It is important to also use Dacron thread, which most people do not use. This will extend the life. He will also sell Sunbrella by the lenier yard on 60" wide which was $25 yd. By the way the cost of Sunbrella is going up as of April 1. Many of the fabric places sell the Sunbrella and you will see it cheaper, however one will also note those are on 46" rolls. My boat cover was made from their templates and he added a few inches on top due to high top cabin, it fit like a glove. You can sew this yourself just use a heavier needle and a good machine.
 
Give susan a call or email , she makes all sorts of stuff for the boat and use to make dresses for rein fair. She loves a sew project if your wife wants to learn how.
 
Thanks, Tom. I know Meredith's just hoping to get them done somewhere. Between her graveyard shifts @ the hospital and her recent return to school to earn her B.S.N. she has no free time for anything; heck, there are days when I don't see her at all and the only communication we have is via notes or cell. :(
 
We are looking to do window coverings in the next few weeks as well. I do have some sewing skills from making backpacking gear for years and was planning to do it myself but we have not yet decided on the final design. We don't want all snap panels and are leaning toward rollup shades made from a light colored heavy coated fabric but not necessarily Sunbrella. If you use a good coated product, it also can eliminate the need for fabric binding on the edges which is less sewing and also allows them to roll much easier. We will likely attach ours with a long horizontal strip of white velcro glued above the side windows and plan to leave the shades rolled up instead of removing them and having to store them somewhere. For the door and rear window we will still use white velcro strips but take those off and stow them most of the time. The head panels came with the boat in blue so I may keep them that way or make new ones to match. This type of flat sewing is relatively easy. Are you looking to gather and tie them like a regular set or curtains and would it all be one piece per side? I saw that in somebody's album.

Greg
 
Aurelia":3epdvatn said:
Are you looking to gather and tie them like a regular set or curtains and would it all be one piece per side? I saw that in somebody's album.
Greg
Click to expand...

Yes, Greg. We are planning to have them gather and just one piece each. Meredith wants them w/ pleats; she wants to make the interior more "homey" or is it "homie". :? :crook

Anyway, I bought snap tape for the curtain side and snaps that go in the track to match, so we will be able to remove them if need be. As far as "easy", I can barely hand-sew a button on a shirt, so that's relative. :lol:
 
I would like to volunteer to do yours but time is tight at the moment. If I get through my own relatively soon, I may be able. I do have an extra machine I could loan you if you want to take a crack at it on your own. All you need is patterns, good thread, your fabric, and (technically optional) edge binding material you can get at any fabric store.
 
I posted a couple of pics of the "curtains" so far. They are TOP GUN fabric that is heavy/woven but also coated enough that you can cut the edges and not have to sew them to keep from fraying. I am fastening it with white industrial velcro tabs on the window frames which are barely visible. Some will fasten to the frame and others like the large side windows will hang from above and roll up out of the way. I tried the center front window with tabs only but the hardware on that one is going to look/work better hung from above so I plan to re cut that one.

Greg
 
Your shots of your curtains shows the install is nice and clean. The (off)white makes them disappear to the eye. :thup

I FINALLY had our's done by a fellow C-Brat's lovely wife who lives up in Mt Vernon. She is very experienced and I am extremely happy with the outcome, quality and her attention to detail. Meredith is ecstatic too; privacy at last. We just got them finished last week and they look great! They are mounted on plastic tracks with the exception of the front windshield, which will snap. I'll post some pics when I get the chance.
 
Aurelia":1nqh6blu said:
I posted a couple of pics of the "curtains" so far. They are TOP GUN fabric that is heavy/woven but also coated enough that you can cut the edges and not have to sew them to keep from fraying....
Click to expand...

Nice window coverings Greg. I am interested in doing up a set of coverings like yours. Was the colour choice you used "indian birch"? How are the coverings holding up now that you have used them for several years?

Cheers,
Grazer
 
Those curtains are fantastic. Our boat either has snap in screens or white flimsy plastic snap on covers. Neither of them look particularly due to their age.

What was did the final cost end up being on total replacement of window covers.
This is probably toward the end of my long list of wants/needs.
 
Although "Sunbrella" is often used because it matches the color of the interior, any window covering fabric, or even plain canvas or even naugahyde type of vinyl will work. I think the snaps are a bit easier, but we have used the velcro on screens and one set of curtains.

These can be in-expensive, and a good "first" canvas project.
 
thataway":2u4q3u45 said:
Although "Sunbrella" is often used because it matches the color of the interior, any window covering fabric, or even plain canvas or even naugahyde type of vinyl will work. I think the snaps are a bit easier, but we have used the velcro on screens and one set of curtains.

These can be in-expensive, and a good "first" canvas project.
Click to expand...

I sorta like the idea of velcro attached coverings. Probably alot faster than all those snaps every time you put them on and off.
 
We currently have snap on screens for the all windows. We also have flimsy translucent white snap on covers which came with the boat when we purchased it used. They might be the ones which came with the boat originally.

Given that we already have the plastic window covers which could be used as templates, does anybody have any idea of the time and cost to have them replicated in a light cream or light grey sunbrella material (slight see through during daylight).

Figured having the templates to work from would make it faster or easier for a seamstress, but then again sometimes seemingly easy tasks are very time consuming.

Any references would be appreciated, especially of the great quality, lower cost options.

Thanks,
 
my wife is making ours from scratch and so far they look amazing. Personally I dont care if the boat next door sees me changing, thats their problem, but the curtains sure look nice :lol:

she wont let me post pics until they are completely finished though... close.
 
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