Sewing Boat Curtains and a Roman Shade

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, here comes Gemini again (Extreme Makeover: Boat Edition). Yes, she was done and ready to start her new career as a writer's retreat, but there was one thing that John and Wayne didn't (couldn't, wouldn't?) do and that was make curtains. If you've ever used a computer on a sunny day, you know why curtains were an important addition for Gemini.

I found heavy weave coat fabric in red and black that would do nicely on sale. I bought what remained of the bolt. I figured if I was going to make curtains, I might as well do some for the cabin at the same time. I don't have a sewing machine at the cabin, so I sewed them all by hand. It wasn't too hard and the heavy weave of the cloth hid all of my stitches.

For the side windows I made simple rectangular curtains with an open rod casing in the header. Since these curtains would be open most of the time, I chose to make them just slightly larger than the window width. That way they wouldn't be so bunchy when retracted.

For a curtain rod  purchased clothes line, crimp sleeves, eye lag bolts and small turnbuckles at the building supply store. First the eye bolts were screwed into the wall, then the clothes line was cut to fit the length with enough to turn back and crimp. I  placed the turnbuckles where they would be hidden at the end where the curtain stacked when open. Once installed, a few turns on the turnbuckle brought the clothes line up taut so the curtains wouldn't sag in the middle.


The front window was a little more complicated. I chose to make a roman shade using a shower extension rod for the top rod and a thinner extension curtain rod for the bottom as a weight and to help roll the curtain up. Above are directions in case you would like to try them. Click on it to get an enlarged version. This same pattern would work for a roman shade inside a window frame. Simple, but effective. -- Margy