New curtains

[mgriffrus]

My wife came across this idea during a camping trip Fathers Day weekend. We're rebuilding a '74 Ambassador and she's shortening house curtains to use in the camper. We were trying to figure out how to attach them to the walls without doing something to big or ugly when she pulled out a picture hanging kit, and this is what we came up with. Get coated 1/8" cable and some of those crimp down ferrules (I believe that's what they're called, kinda like fishing weights). The little screw in eyes that you screw into the back of a picture frame will fit inside the center of a 1/8" rivet. If you can happen to find a rivet or two in the wall of your camper that's where you want it run the cable through and crimp down one end, punch down grommets in the top of your curtains and thread them on. Run the cable through the eyelet on the other side, pull the tension you want and crimp it down. Simple, cheap and easy. I'll try and attach a picture, is not real good, but maybe you'll get the idea.



Good thing is, if you don't like it or change your mind, just unscrew the eyelet and it's just another rivet in the wall.

[idroba]

*sings* All in all your just another rivet in the wall....Catchy eh? Grin.

[LJ Green]

Any chance you can get a closer picture of this picture wire? Also, are you attaching the same way at the bottom or is it not necessary. I am wanting to replace our curtains very soon...

[mgriffrus]

Originally Posted by LJ Green

Any chance you can get a closer picture of this picture wire? Also, are you attaching the same way at the bottom or is it not necessary. I am wanting to replace our curtains very soon...

I've currently been banished back to work, I'll make sure to try and get you some tonight and post them. In the meantime my wife is telling me it's 50 lb coated wire from Walmart.

[LJ Green]

Thanks for the reply. I'll look forward to pictures. We're currently having new cushions made as well as a multitude of other repairs/upgrades and hope to camp in by Labor Day. I retired in January and highly recommend it...

[mgriffrus]

Okay. Here is a different view of the wire and grommets



And here is a close up of the eyelet and rivet



Nothing too fancy or too hard.

[LJ Green]

Thanks for the extra pictures. You're right it is a simple solution and I can't wait to get rid of the old pleated drapes!

[benjisgal]

Originally Posted by idroba

*sings* All in all your just another rivet in the wall....Catchy eh? Grin.

Cute......Pink Floyd....love the song....loye your song.

[2vets]

I collected a whole bunch of souvenir vintage handkerchiefs off of ebay for cheap. Evidently people collected them on their vacation travels like we would collect bumper stickers. They have a very fifties vibe to them and although my trailer is a 1960, I think it has more of a fifties feel to it with it's pink bathroom sink(and toilet which unfortunately I had to toss). The problem was how to use them in the trailer. My sister "Reinergirl" and I brainstormed and came up with a perfect solution....curtains!! I needed them anyway and I wanted something light and bright to give us privacy but not gloominess to the trailer. "Reinergirl", being a jack of all trades and master to most, whipped them up in no time. If I need more darkness, I do have leftover reflectix cut to fit the window openings. She has an idea for the bottom of the curtains to keep them in place but that is for another visit!

[chromis]

I like that idea really "low profile"...

If you live near an Ikea they have some prefab stuff.. Nice Aluminium curtain tracks, stainless curtain wires, gathering tape, clips/hooks, and some roller skate looking curtain glides that just "fit" in 1960's campers, these don't get hung like the other option out there..

I used a wire one similar to below for my shower curtain and it worked great..

[mgriffrus]

We actually bought some "Airstream T Track curtain tabs" at a camping world to redo the front curtains. They were about a dozen a package and around $5.

[PhilipKS]

I like the look of your curtains! I Just finished washing my 13 year old examples. They came out ok, and smell a lot better. None of them are falling apart yet, so I'll live with the pleats a bit longer.

On that note, does anyone have any idea how to clean the day/night shades?

Happy streaming!

[LJ Green]

This is great info and I love the retro-looking hanky curtains. I did buy some of the clips from IKEA and they work really well in the existing tabs in my trailer but securing the bottom is giving me fits! I'll look at the wire track that IKEA has but I think it might stick out too far. Let me know if there are any other ideas out there...

[chromis]

Ikea sells a sew on "gathering" strip that the clips fit in..


I made curtains with blackout fabric and a 60's looking pattern from Ikea..


Still need to figure out a good system to hold the curtains bottoms to the wall..

Guess I'm gonna rivet snaps and use vinyl straps like they did before.. Were they two peices? e.g. tie backs that snapped together ?