I don't usually post about things I am working on to improve my motorhome, but I have had some friends asking about this project, so I am posting about my recent privacy curtain project.
Several years ago, I replaced the junky accordion shades that came with my motorhome with the top-of-the-line rolling blinds by MCD. The problem with the original shades was that they were very flimsy and the strings that wove through them and had to be used to pull them up or down often broke. It was possible to replace the strings, but based on feedback from others, I decided I did not have the patience for that task. So all of the windows in the main part of my motorhome had double-layer shades--black mesh screens for daytime and room darkening vinyl for nighttime. In the 10 years since I invested in these, I have had almost no problems with them, other than the little plastic ends needing to be re-glued a couple of times.
However, in a motorhome, you need something to block off the cab from the living space at night so no one can look in. It is a very large space underneath the Class C-type overhead bunk.
This is what the manufacturer provided as a solution. Basically, the platform under the bunk is semi-circular and has a row of snaps to which you are supposed to attach this junky curtain. Do you see a problem with this setup??? Yes, the snaps and the curtain do not completely cover the opening, so for the past 12 years, I have been stuffing the open spots with a couple of throw pillows. (Forgot to take a photo of this, but it is sloppy looking and sometimes the pillows fall out.)
The other problem with the manufacturer's solution is that the privacy curtain is too short to stop the cold air that gets into the cab during extremely cold weather. (I think the wind comes in around the gas and brake pedals and other areas beneath the dash.) A few years ago, I bought four yards of some thin canvas-like fabric and mader this curtain that covers the space completely--or almost completely. It covers the sides adequately, and it fits behind the seats to keep the cold air from coming in underneath them. Unfortunately, it is not quite long enough to cover the center, so I still end up putting throw pillows on the floor to block that space.
The disadvantage of using this all the time is that I cannot reach stuff in the cab easily, and it is a really junky fabric. I plan to replace this as soon as I can, but in the meantime, at least it helps. I really only need this long version that goes completely around my seats when it is windy and really cold outside, so most of the year it gets packed away.
Now, another problem is that I do not carry a sewing machine in my rig, so what I have learned to do is use iron-on tape instead of sewing.
So, my first stop was JoAnn Fabrics a couple of weeks ago to pick out some heavier and better room-darkening fabric, more iron-on tape, and a couple of snap kits. I needed two since each kit has enough pieces for seven snaps. Here is what the kit looks like. These snaps are black but they came in a brushed iron also.
The kits usually come with a round thing to put the snaps in so they don't get scratched while you are inserting them, and a rod you use to pound in the snaps. Since I already had the snaps screwed into the bunk platform, I only needed the tops and bottoms of the top part of the snaps. (It takes a little practice to figure out what goes where, but I learned this when I made the longer cold-weather curtain. Try practicing on a piece of scrap fabric.)
You need a heavy piece of metal or a rock or even a cement wall to take the next step. First, you need to poke holes in the fabric where you want to insert a snap. I used a pair of fingernail scissors. Make sure you do not make too big a hole or the snap will pull off.
Also, in my case, I start with the middle snap and then take the curtain in, snap it in place, and mark the other places from center to edges where i need snaps. (Best to do only one at a time as the snap receptacles in my rig are not even.)
Once you have a hole punched, you put the top of the snap inside the little round platform, then poke it through the hole in the fabric, and finally put the opposite part of the snap on the top. Finally, you line up the rod, pointed side down, into the hole in the snap bottom, and hit it several times with a hammer. Check to make sure the little flanges are fully flattened onto the snap so it won't come off.
This next photos shows the center snap attached, and two snaps fastened on either side of it. Notice also that this curtain fabric is quite heavy and has a black felt-like backing.
I have been attacking snaps one at a time, bringing them in to make sure they are in the right places, and measuring and poking a hole for the next snap. Then taking it outdoors where I have a rock on top of the picnic table to pound against.
Also notice that I have bought extra fabric because I was not sure how much I would need on the edges. I have two more snaps to do on each side.
Ta-Da! I have put in the last four snaps, including the ones that enable me to wrap the curtain around the sides, where I had screwed in an extra snap when I made my cold-weather version a few years ago.
After hanging it up, I decided how much I wanted it to wrap around, and then cut off the excess.
Because this fabric was so heavy, and I could tell there was no way it would come unraveled, I did not even bother to fold over and use iron-on tape on the edge and the bottom. I can also shortened it a couple of inches if I decide it is too long. I like the fabric and how it hangs neatly! 😊
I will not use such heavy fabric for my redo of the cold-weather curtain, but that will be my next project.
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