Airstream Drapes

[StingrayL82]

That is, of course, assuming you still have the original drapes...some of us weren't that lucky.

Frederic

[enduroryda]

Don't be afraid to wash the curtains.[/quote]

We get great results from a $3.00 bottle of oxyclean...mix 1/2 C. in a bucket of H20 and soak overnight...brightens everything up from curtains to antique wedding gowns. my .02

[manchester]

I was waiting and waiting for my fabric to be delivered from Joann . I finally wrote and asked 'where is it'? Then I went out to the garage and saw a pkg delivered by UPS. I hadn't been in the garage for a few days. One day the door was open and that's where he left it. Anyhow, it was delivered on the 7th and I found it on the 11th. That was crucial for me as I'm packing to go to FL and I wanted to get these drapes done while up here. I finished the front window and the roadside. I hope some one has ideas on how to make a curved rod. I haven't gone to any of the lumber stores such as Home Depot yet to investigate myself. In one of the earlier posts I was warned about asking Airstream for info about drapes for the 1970 but I don't think I have to worry about that because almost all the rails that came with the trailer were missing. Besides, I 'm on my 4th Airstream and have a general idea how big those windows are. None the less, I picked a good tip from one of the replies, a lady used litte buttons as glides for the rails. I have a tip for you sewists out there. I priced the pleater tape and wow I could easily spend more money than the actual fabric. I bought pellon and chose to make my own. I chose to make my pleats 2" deep and 3" long. It must be right as the dimensions of the finished drape is in accord with Airstreams directions they sent me.

Back to the machine.

[Swanny]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

just how much do these custom made drapes by Ambruso cost?

We had new curtains made for our '31 Excella 500 and it was around $850 including shipping. Our original curtains were still in the trailer but all of the lower tabs were torn off, all of the velco that holds the different segments was shot and there were some tears in them as well.

We also went from the 70's color theme to a more modern color scheme, so the flowery drapes have to go. Since someone who is handy with a sewing maching may be able to use these, please let me know if you're interested and we can 'chat' about it.

Mitch

[manchester]

Well the tears are most likely dry rot as the sun will do this but on the same hand if you are just replacing them now then I'd say they were made well with good fabric. FYI, snip off all thos old tabs and SAVE them for future use yourself. They are expensive and one may break in a few years. Most likely they are yellow and brittle but when in a pinch you'll be glad you have some spares.

rosie

[KerriO]

Has anyone attempted an Oxyclean soak (or any other similar wet-cleaning) of their late-model International/Safari drapes? We have an '08 International Signature Series with some water stains on the drapes, and I'd like to try to get them out with a long Oxyclean bath. I see that others in the forum have had success with this, but they were all earlier model trailers, and I assume the fabric/lining makeup as changed since then.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by KerriO

Has anyone attempted an Oxyclean soak (or any other similar wet-cleaning) of their late-model International/Safari drapes? We have an '08 International Signature Series with some water stains on the drapes, and I'd like to try to get them out with a long Oxyclean bath. I see that others in the forum have had success with this, but they were all earlier model trailers, and I assume the fabric/lining makeup as changed since then.

Try placing the spotted drapes on a table, and lightly squirt the damaged area with just water, using a small squirt bottle.

That has worked for us, in our shop.

No chemicals, no baths, just plain water, and......no risks.

Andy

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from Ga. . . I sent an e-mail to 'JPA drapes' a couple morths ago and they responded to look for a package/samples/prices/etc from them. After 2 months I sent a "Well?' e-mail last week and it came back undeliverable. I know this is an old thread, but ? ? ? wonder if they're still in bidness...regards, Craig

[KerriO]

Thanks for the feedback, Andy. So have you ever dared try washing/soaking the drapes? I should have mentioned that there is general dinginess and smell/must that I'd like to get rid of as well (already tried the Febreeze thing— it just masks it).

RamblinManGa, I had also filled out the JPA Drapes form at the end of January, didn't get the swatch set, and followed up a couple of weeks later to no response. Coincidentally, just last week I got a phone call and an email from them, saying they'd "re-send" the swatches and that they had a few more questions before they could give a quote. Well, in the month between, we'd decided that new drapes were not a priority for our budget. I've heard really great things about the job they do, but that lag in contact time (and the fact that they said they'd resend when I really don't trust anything was ever sent in the first place) definitely gave me doubts. I should just give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they've been on a really long boondocking trip and are now back to business. Maybe this is just a side business for them. Not sure.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by KerriO

Thanks for the feedback, Andy. So have you ever dared try washing/soaking the drapes? I should have mentioned that there is general dinginess and smell/must that I'd like to get rid of as well (already tried the Febreeze thing— it just masks it).

Most of the feedback that we have received, says "NO" to washing, as it will shrink the fabric.

Have you thought of "dry" cleaning, after removing the spots?

Andy

[CanoeStream]

Andy, this reminds me of Jackson Center advice posted by Gene Morris of the former AofA dealership:

Originally Posted by Airhog1

Dealer Awareness Bulletin

Cleaning fabrics

Curtains

Airstream curtains can be successfully cleaned, within reason, by following the instructions below.

Safari and International Curtains.

Curtains for the Safari and International trailers are currently manufactured by Dana Mills Inc.The fabric is comprised of 87% polyester and 13% cotton. Since the fabric is made from cotton it will shrink. Danna Mills recommends the fabric is Dry-cleaned however; it can be washed in cold water using a perfume free soap and non chorine bleach if needed. Air-dry the curtains after the washing is completed.


Classic Curtains.

Curtains for the Classic trailers are currently manufactured by Milliken Inc. and distributed by Crestmont fabrics. The fabric is comprised of 100% polyester. Crestmont recommends the fabric is washed in water no warmer than 160 degrees using a perfume free soap and non chorine bleach if needed. Do not use any fabric softener as this will damage the material. The curtains can either be Air-dried or tumbled dried on medium heat. In the event ironing is desired use the low setting.

Of course that pertains to curtains in the newer models. Any curtain is delicate at best. I've also heard that dry cleaning places have such high costs with their solvents that they end up laundering most objects with water. If you go the dry cleaning route, be sure & specify exactly how it will be handled!

TBRich in AZ does a good job making curtains. SilverThreads in TN too.

[TWaugh]

Ok, I have to admit. I did soak the curtains that came with my 71 Caravel. Of course they were supposed to have been white originally, but had been turned to dingy smoke stained yellow which is why I wanted to clean them. I soaked them in a solution of trisodium phosphate substitute (TSP) and warm water. I filled a two gallon bucket and disolved about a cup of the TSP substitute in the water and placed one of the curtains in as a test. I was amazed!. I let them soak for about an hour, occasionally moving the fabric around in the water, which became rather dingy. When I took the fabric out I rinsed it by hand, in fresh water and put it in the washer on the spin cycle, then hung it up to dry on the clothes line. ( Yeah, some of us still have one ) The fabric came out beautifully white and looked new, no shrinkage. (I guess that depends on the original material ) I don't know how it would work on a colored fabric. You would have to experiment. It's been over a year and there has been no fabric deterioration. Just be careful and don't agitate the fabric enough to break the thread or tear the lining. I'm not saying to try it on yours, but it worked on mine. It sure saved me some money.

[KerriO]

Interesting info, CanoeStream. Thanks for digging that up. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but that percentage of poly/cotton blend doesn't seem likely to shrink in a cold water hand wash/hang dry. I'm probably going to chance it. Worst case, we ruin them and have to buy new ones (which was an option originally). Best case, they're good as new and we save a bunch of money over dry cleaning or replacement. I'll post back with the results.

(they're off white by they way-- or who knows-- maybe they're actually white-white.)

[KerriO]

Reporting back on the results of my '08 International Drapes Handwashing.

First, here's how I went about it:
• Put a tiny bit of hot water in a plastic tub with a lot of OxyClean until it started dissolving. Filled the rest of the tub with COLD water, threw in drapes, agitated for a bit and let them soak overnight

• The next morning, I transferred the drapes to the bathtub and rinsed with COLD water and white vinegar until all the the OxyClean was out (and did a little extra spot rubbing).

• Ran them through a spin cycle in the washing maching

• Hung them to dry (out in the sun — well, what little sun we had)

The results:
HUGE difference in the cleanliness and looks of the drapes. I honestly had no idea they were actually white, not cream until after their bath (you should have seen the wash water).

There WAS a slight bit of shrinking to one are of the drapes: The bottom part where they are doubled over and hemmed shrunk in width a littles, so now it's a really tight stretch when you close them up. It only happened to the bottoms (not the tops)—*you can actually visually see that the width of the bottom is narrower than the top (unless that was always the case? It could have been to conform to the shape of the walls? In any case, only the bottom had the fit issue). So, yes, there was a bit of shrinking. I've been intending to spray the bottom part with a bit of water while they're stretched closed, to see if re-dampening while they're being stretched will keep them stretched out a bit more, but I keep forgetting my spray bottle every time I go over there.

So, anyway, I'm pleased with the way they held up overall, and definitely do not regret having hand-washed them— they look SO much better than when we got them, but I would warn, that even when staying away from any form of heat during the washing process, they are at risk of slight shrinkage.

[blmitch5]

Thanks for the update. I might have to try that.

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by KerriO

....<snip>.... It only happened to the bottoms (not the tops)—*you can actually visually see that the width of the bottom is narrower than the top (unless that was always the case? It could have been to conform to the shape of the walls? In any case, only the bottom had the fit issue). So, yes, there was a bit of shrinking. I've been intending to spray the bottom part with a bit of water while they're stretched closed, to see if re-dampening while they're being stretched will keep them stretched out a bit more, but I keep forgetting my spray bottle every time I go over there. ....<snip>

Kerri...

Are you sure you put the curtains right side up upon re-installation? The bottoms of the pano curtains are wider than the tops and if you put them on upside down, they do not fit well...and the bottoms will them be to tight...

[TWaugh]

KerriO,

I had the same problem with my drapes after I hand washed them. The tightness was more pronounced on the front curtains and not so much on the side curtains. I figured maybe they had shrunk until someone pointed out to me that I was dealing with the compound curvature of the inside of the trailer, and that if the curtain panels were sewn square at the top and bottom to the sides they would likely fit tight especially when moving around the front curvature of the corners. She said think of how the outside panels were cut on older airstreams, they are somewhat trapezoid in shape and that the curtains needed be slightly trapezoid in shape to move smoothly around the curve. The way around this is to slightly oversize the panels top to bottom or make four panels instead for the front or use a fabric that has a slight stretch to it. (I know there's something about the grain and bias of the fabric and whether of not it's synthetic)

So.....for mine, I don't know if it was there was shrinkage or it was simply that I was dealing with two very wide curtain panels going around that front curve but, after a couple of months they loosened up and move fine.

Anyway, I'm glad you had the same luck washing yours that I had with mine. It sure saved some money until I can get new ones and decide on the fabric.

[blmitch5]

Tbrich did my cushions but he also does drapes.

[KerriO]

Originally Posted by TBRich

Kerri...
Are you sure you put the curtains right side up upon re-installation? The bottoms of the pano curtains are wider than the tops and if you put them on upside down, they do not fit well...and the bottoms will them be to tight...

This could very well be the case! I will have to take another look.
If that is the case, then there may have been no shrinking. (I was pretty surprised that they'd shrink with such a low cotton content and an all cold-water bath).

[jal4509]

Originally Posted by RamblinManGa

Hi from Ga. . . I sent an e-mail to 'JPA drapes' a couple morths ago and they responded to look for a package/samples/prices/etc from them. After 2 months I sent a "Well?' e-mail last week and it came back undeliverable. I know this is an old thread, but ? ? ? wonder if they're still in bidness...regards, Craig

I also got a response from JPA in July 2010, but the info. never arrived. So...I made the drapes myself (and I'm not much of a seamstress). I bought lined room-darkening panels, cut them down, ordered glides/slides, bought stitch-wichery, put them together, and they look great!