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Old 01-20-2019, 08:37 PM   #21
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If you are looking for those twist style fasteners they can be found at Seattle Fabric Works:
https://www.seattlefabrics.com/Commo...ers_p_333.html
I've purchased quite a bit of outdoor fabrics and such from them for SMB projects.

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Old 01-20-2019, 08:50 PM   #22
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Good to know on the twist fasteners! I’m going to see how these hold up on one trip before I make any changes. Should have them finished this week.

And thanks all for the compliments. Just to be clear I’m not a vendor and I’m not even doing all of this work myself, I got an upholsterer to do all the sewing for me. the thread was just to post for ideas and show the results, but won’t be making any additional sets sorry. These projects are tough enough to fit into my schedule for our own van. The design and idea is simple enough that any local upholsterer should be able to do it for you though.
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Old 01-20-2019, 08:58 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ndubes View Post
The design and idea is simple enough that any local upholsterer should be able to do it for you though.
Great idea! Thank you for posting.

Can you tell us the fabric type and filler used for the ribbing, at least?

Thanks!
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Old 01-24-2019, 10:52 AM   #24
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He used some reflective foam core insulation covered with a thin ripstop canvas then sewed in some pleats and edge trim. Should have it back this week hopefully and can take some better pictures.

Here’s what’s Inside the curtain
MWS Reflective Foam Core Insulation Kit House Wrap Roll Size 48"x25' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VG2ZXJ..._fSFsCbCZGW329
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Old 01-24-2019, 03:13 PM   #25
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Nice work on the rollup curtains and the material face. I got in a hurry and took the easy way out with my window van, buying these from High End Motorsports.

Pros - Quick setup, if fitted carefully no light leaks

Cons - Cold to look at, awkward to store

In my old VW I had made my own Reflectix curtains and had the same Pros and Cons as these current ones. I switched to actual cloth curtains on rods in the VW and loved it. Warmer visually and storage was a breeze.

Unfortunately, unless you sew your own, or enlist a seamstress, there aren't many options for our Fords. Maybe I just need to learn to sew.
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Old 01-24-2019, 03:20 PM   #26
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I told myself I was going to learn to sew with this project, but then reality got in the way and I simply don't have the time to go through that learning curve. Dealing with some thicker materials meant using more of an upholstery machine too, which I wouldn't have actually known had I not enlisted help. I'm pretty happy with the decision, but I'm adding "learn to sew upholstery" to my retirement "late life learning" list - along with welding, relaxing and a few other things. Unfortunately retirement is still a long ways away for me!
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Old 01-25-2019, 07:51 AM   #27
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I'm planning on taking on a window shade project this weekend. I'm going to try to copy these window shades for my E350 passenger van:

https://strawfoothandmade.com/produc...dium-high-roof

I think they have a blog post on that website explaining the materials they used. I found the inner layer, the binding tape (edge fabric) and magnets on amazon. I ordered the rip-stop nylon from an online fabric store.

I'm planning to use magnets which should work on all but the large, fixed windows in the rear which have plastic trim around them. For those, I'm trying to decide between suction cups, metal strips around the windows for the magnets to stick to, or possibly twist clips like someone mentioned in this thread. I'll start with the windows that have metal around them and see how far I get. I don't know much about sewing, but my wife knows a little and her mother is a very good seamstress.
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Old 01-29-2019, 03:02 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ohsix View Post
I'm planning on taking on a window shade project this weekend. I'm going to try to copy these window shades for my E350 passenger van:

https://strawfoothandmade.com/produc...dium-high-roof
That's kind of where I got my idea for the shades actually, but I wanted to have mine semi-permanently mounted so I didn't have to store them anywhere, so I came up with the idea of making them rollable. For most of my windows the magnetic idea wouldn't have worked since it's a bunch of plastic trim on the chateau versions, but those are really nice shades I've seen them in person.

Finally got the van back today, shades all look great anxious to see how they work "in the wild"!
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Old 01-29-2019, 07:06 PM   #29
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So I had an old piece of rigid, 1" xps insulation and thought I'd try to make it into a window covering.
First made a cardboard template to transfer onto the insulation, it's very easy to cut with a razor knife, I left it just a little big then shaped it with a palm sander that finished it just about perfect. A little bit of hand sanding then primer and paint (couldn't leave it pink). I wasn't sure it would work but the paint adhered really well to the insulation.
I then cut some reflectix for the outside and glued with some 3M spray adhesive.
It's very lite, about 10oz, so keeping it in place I used a suction cup that I screwed a hook into from the other side. The suction cup works great, three weeks and it hasn't moved yet. The hook/handle is not ideal but it's what I had in the garage at the time, next time I'll use a cabinet pull or paracord. I'll also probably use a fender washer on each side as the hole started to get wobbled out as I messed with it.
The insulation has an R rating of 5 and the reflectix 3 or so.
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Old 01-29-2019, 10:00 PM   #30
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That looks pretty snug, probably excellent insulation as well. Great idea if you have space to store it when not in use. Is the pull tab connected to the suction cup?
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