New Drapes finally after 15 years of debate

[SL4BLLT]

Just received my new custom made drapes this week from JPA Drapes. I wish we had done this 15 years ago, when we first thought of replacing the original curtains in our 1972 31' International Land Yacht.

But you only learn lessons in life by making mistakes, so after mini blinds, curtains made locally, shades from JC Penny, we contacted Audrey at JPA Drapes for swatches and pricing.

As many members have mentioned this part of restoration can get expensive, but we have lots of folks that like to look on the inside of the Airstream, so we felt it was time to let others enjoy our coach and hopefully plant that seed for them to dream of owning an Airstream someday. These custom made curtains had lots of time put into them and it was well worth the money as I for sure do not have this type of talent. I applaud those out there that (1) have the talent (2) have the patience to make their own.

I've attached a few before and after shots. I know lots of folks stumble on this question for investment and who would of thought 15 years ago, three tow vehicles and completely renovating the inside to include floor, bath, tambour and plumbing that the curtains would be the last piece so critical.

With JPA Drapes, Audrey and her team were wonderful. The measurement sheet she sends out is easy to read. Her expertise and being able to work with me on the placement of the right slides/tabs in the mid coach area (t-tabs/G-tab rail bottom) with an original top rail ensuring we had the correct measurements will show that it can be done and adjusted to possibly obsolete parts

I've had lots of work done at ODM who I would strongly recommend if your in the the North Carolina area. all the above mentioned work was done professionally and with no issues. They made the mid coach area work with the new bottom rail anchored in so the curtains are very taunt and move smoothly.

On to new axles that Inland RV are sending in two weeks in which we're going to hit the east coast over the next few years. We'll make it for another trip out west and this time, take our time.

We've spent lots of time in this Airstream and I'm glad that everyone within the forum keeps sharing in making sure we're doing our best in preventing mistakes from being made.

Happy Airstreaming and we'll see you down the road.

[bolerama]

Beautiful job! Very tailored.
Lisa

[Splitrock]

@SL4BLLT,

Is the sofa a hide-a-bed? Or what?

Thanks!

[SL4BLLT]

Splitrock,
that is a hide-abed by Flexsteel in ultra leather. I picked it up at Bradd & Hall out of Elkhart. They have a great website with new items and close outs that fit easily into RV's.

They also can make mattresses to size in many different arrangements if needed.

[yonallycamp]

they look great! we are in NC & trying to replace our curtains - we got a quote from this company & it was a little pricey for us - I had saved our orginal curtains with plans to remake them myself to save $ however, my husband them away during our last military move - I contacted Airstream & they have no patterns & I can't order from them - do you have any suggestions?

[SL4BLLT]

yonallycamp,

Thanks!

You can try getting them done at a local upholstery shop. They will not be as detailed, but they could work. ODM carries all the hard ware needed for the slides. You may save $300-400 dollars, as the quote that I received was still about $525 plus $200 for materials, no hardware. That is what made my decision to go with JPA drapes.

I did in the past go to like Belks, tried their cloth shower curtains (54" x 104") as they can be cut and sewn halve. It didn't look bad, but it didn't look great either.

The quality of material and craftsmanship cannot be beat from JPA. I've attempted with 10 yards of materials from close out fabric stores, with folks with the right equipment, but were not as expertly as versed as JPA. That's all they do.

Shades (33") from JC Penny's at $18 a piece on sale were the best option to dress up the coach and provide the privacy looking back, prior to the new drapes that offer it all. Buy a brass curtain rod to replace the bottom slat, turn the curtain holder upside down and the curtains will stay in place and look pretty sharp.

You can call JPA and I know they will work with you based on when you need them. The price caught our attention as well, due to me having a quote from 1998 that was half the price, but the quality has NOT changed and materials are allot more expensive today, so it is still a good deal for custom made drapes. Looking at what we've spent over the last 15 years we could of bought them twice with the effort of materials not including the time. We just budgeted for it over the winter months, when the trailer was in storage and ordered them for the summer months when we'd be using it.
Good luck with your decision.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by yonallycamp

they look great! we are in NC & trying to replace our curtains - we got a quote from this company & it was a little pricey for us - I had saved our orginal curtains with plans to remake them myself to save $ however, my husband them away during our last military move - I contacted Airstream & they have no patterns & I can't order from them - do you have any suggestions?

You can try Tammy Adams (silverthreads here on the forums). She made the curtains for our Sovereign, and they still look good after 4 years of use (18 months of that living in the trailer). Home - Silver Threads Custom RV curtains

[Success101]

Hello! I live in South Carolina & am looking for a source to give me a quote for new curtains/drapes for my '86 Sovereign.

I notice you mention JPA Drapes in North Carolina. Do you by any chance have a phone number for someone I can contact?

Thank you for any help you can give
Carole

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Success101

Hello! I live in South Carolina & am looking for a source to give me a quote for new curtains/drapes for my '86 Sovereign.

I notice you mention JPA Drapes in North Carolina. Do you by any chance have a phone number for someone I can contact?

Thank you for any help you can give
Carole

JP Ambruso is in Pennsylvania, not North Carolina.

[c_lewis77]

Success:
I had new drapes made for my 34' a few months ago by Fowler Interiors in KY. They turned out great. I called several places, fowler was priced the best.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from GA. . .We too are very satisfied customers of JPA Drapes. Ours, with black out inside look great and fit perfectly and are a serious improvement over the thin see-thru drapes that came in it., Regards,Craig

[Success101]

Thank you! I will check them out too

[Success101]

Thank you! I will definitely contact the 2 companies! You guys are GREAT!
Have an awesome weekend!

[SL4BLLT]

Success 101,
JPA number is on the WBCCI site. I left paperwork in the Airstream with the contact info. Give Audrey a call, she will return it and based on your needs, she will take care of you. For sure check with anyone else as overall you will not be let down.
What I enjoyed about working with Audrey is she helped me ensure that I had the right curtain hardware to support the 40 year old coach. she took the time to verify measurements that were different, and advised me on what would work, with some of the rails missing.
I had a six week window before they were made and she called before she made them to make sure we were straight and there were no changes.

Good luck and you will not be let down if you go with JPA.

[SL4BLLT]

Success 101,
we spent the weekend at the beach and had a chance to pull the paperwork for JPA Drapes. Tough duty, but someone has to do it.

We were next to a Beaver Coach and one of the grand kids that was staying with the grandparents in the coach walked by and asked Papa, why they didn't have a neat trailer like the Airstream. Interesting, and Papa answered, because I need more space for all of you come to visit us. Nicely done.

anyways.

the number is 800-813-7686
address:
687 Valley RD
Northampton PA 18067-7686
e-mail: info@jpadrapes.com

There are many options out there. Good luck with your decision.

SL4BLLT

[Success101]

Thank you for your reply. I will get in contact with her & see where we go
Have a wonderful evening!!!

[krd1155]

These look awesome! How are these secured at the bottom of the drape? We have a 67 Caravel and while the clips are still in the track at the top, there are only small brackets on either side at the bottom - do we run a thin cable of some kind?

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from GA. . . at the risk of repeating myself, we had a great experience with JPA Drapes for our Safari 25. They look great and ALL FIT perfectly. Nice lady too., Regards, Craig

[SL4BLLT]

Originally Posted by krd1155

These look awesome! How are these secured at the bottom of the drape? We have a 67 Caravel and while the clips are still in the track at the top, there are only small brackets on either side at the bottom - do we run a thin cable of some kind?

I'd recommend having a T-track (see pic) replaced in the bottom,(current track offered by Airstream, at a pretty decent price)measure the distance top and bottom, and Audrey can fit the rails to the required hardware (plastic tabs) you have. it is hard to find anything from over ten years ago. You can also just be a little smarter, unlike myself and replace both tracks top and bottom with the T-tabs track and make life real easy for you on installation and Audrey in matching the tabs.
Give Mark or Ben a call at Out Doors Mart (ODM) or Andy at Inland RV, and they can set you up. JPA drapes will be real snug, but move effortlessly on the new tracks. Others may be able to do the same, But Audrey will make sure before she cuts the drapes, that the hardware matches with what you have and the measurements are exact. The T-tabs are the way to go as they have an elastic band that stretches. I think the two rails in the bedroom area of the coach cost me about $200 installed to include brackets and screws. Tim at ODM used what A/S recommended and installed seven brackets per side for a total of 14 brackets and that is the trick to a set of snug functional set of drapes.

I did remove the shade by the way as it wasn't needed anymore.

Good luck.

SL4BLLT