Re: Protecting Screen Porch Curtains


WB wrote:
I'm making some screen porch curtains which will stay up all year, thru
a Wisconsin winter. The old ones got whipped to schreds. Short of taking
them down in the winter and accepting the bare look, would like any
suggestions on how to leave them up and protect them a little and keep
them from blowing around in a blizzard.

I'm thinking of installing a thin muslin or outdoor fabric on the
outside of the screens for winter; like my grandpa did years ago, using
tack strips. Or maybe placing some small grommets on the hems of the
curtains themselves and string them together with elastic to keep them
from billowing out and whipping. I'll put some brass chain in the hems
to weight them a little for the gentler summer breezes. I'm doing 12
windows, surrounding the entire porch.

Any ideas are appreciated. TIA JPBill
---
Short of using sunbrella-type fabrics, as 'small change' suggested, I
can't think of any other fabric which will weather as well. At the very
least, before you invest so much time, you might check out the
sun-proof fabrics, most of which, I believe, have some sort of
longevity warranty.
Maybe you need to consider more than one option to this problem,
though.
When we built the screened porch on my Dad's summer place, he
mounted wooden shutters on the outside of the screens, and, closed them
with hasp locks.Dad hinged the shutters. then mounted them above the
windows, so that they accordioned up and formed a bit of overhang which
kept rain out. It was a bit of a bother, as none of us females could
heft them up when we arrived, so there always had to be some brawn
around.
I then made long curtains from sheets which I found at an outlet
store. The lightweight curtains worked in the summer because no direct
sun hit the curtains, otherwise, they'd have been sun-rotted in a
couple of seasons.
Me, I'd rather have an easy-care option for a summer place, such as
vinyl roll-up shades or vinyl Roman shades. This summer, I bought a
couple of bamboo shades to hang outside my sewing room window, hoping
to thus reduce the solar heat gain. I could hardly stand to sit at my
machines after 2 pm, it would get so hot.
The shades have proved quiite effective, and have made the room
comfortable. Long story short, though, we've had so much rain that the
bamboo is mildewing, where they roll at the bottom, so a bleach rinse
is on order. PITA. I did like them because I could still see through
the little 'slats', and didn't feel so utterly closed-in.

Cea

.

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