Short story on unimaginative stitcher

[Garald]

I just went to a local retoucheur (stitcher), but he refused to sew a space blanket inside a lined curtain (see photo). First, his machine would tear the blanket; second, it was not a simple task, and he had tons of simple tasks to do for pay; third, he was not familiar with these strange English curtains; fourth, it wouldn't work anyhow, and the only thing that could work was a very thin cloth that he showed me.

 

I suppose he is right about 1-3 and wrong about 4. Surely the only thin thing that can work is reflective insulation?

 

At any rate, I suppose this means I'm stuck buying the grossly overpriced reflective curtain linings from Moondream (https://www.laredoute.fr/ppdp/prod-505228231.aspx?dim1=1003&dim2=1000&cod=PSN00080388FR&gad_source=1&kard=1&kClkId=240130201329484220&kVsId=240130201329482561&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2eKtBhDcARIsAEGTG42H_FFLhfDM4p1v9PmdBcPAKmlvIJ_Y05phTGyhbY8RVSmq7W7NVMcaAjvjEALw_wcB) - they come with a velcro attachment on top - and cutting them to size myself.

Edited January 30, 2024 by Garald

[Garald]

Ok, I just fixed a space blanket to the inside with tape. It's fine, except it crinkles! Will test with a thermal camera on a cold day. 

 

Not sure what else I could do easily -maybe put in a thick layer of polar tissue, also with tape, so that I can remove it when the curtain needs to be washed?

[Garald]

Would it make sense to put in a sheet of Climasheet Apex 133 (https://orri.fr/climashield-apex-133.html - provides about R=0.5 per sheet) on either side of the space blanket? Or is it better to leave one of the two sides free? (Which one?)

[Pendicle]

You could get no sew fabric Velcro if the tape fail. You could ask your local retoucheur if they would just sew one side of Velcro to the back of curtains along the top (loop side) and then use the stick on tape Velcro (hook side) to your space blanket. It would be more secure and you could still add more stick on Velcro at the sides. Regarding insulation lining, as I kid I would help my great aunt to hand sew thick blankets between curtains and lining before winter and unpick them in spring, she then discovered silver popper kits and would popper them into lining so they didn’t show on the fronts.

[Garald]

35 minutes ago, Pendicle said:

. Regarding insulation lining, as I kid I would help my great aunt to hand sew thick blankets between curtains and lining before winter and unpick them in spring, she then discovered silver popper kits and would popper them into lining so they didn’t show on the fronts.

 

Glad to hear I am normal (assuming great aunts are normal by definition). But what *is* a silver popper kit?

[Pendicle]

 ☺️https://www.selfmade.com/en-gb/p/prym-snap-button-w-cape-15mm-silver-10pc-669344/45053
like this, you can get heavy duty ones for heavy fabric and leather with pliers 

[Garald]

After a lot of scotch tape, here it is. Three layers of Climasheet Apex 133 (R = 0.5R each) sandwiching two layers of reflective I suasion (one space blanket and one overpriced lining from Moondream that essentially amounts to a space blanket.

 

Should I tape the bottom of the curtain to the bottom of the door?

 

 

[Pendicle]

Great Aunt Flo would have stuffed a stocking with the contents of an old pillow and used as a draught excluder at the bottom of the door, I would then have come along and added some eyes, nose, ears and tail and given it a name. 

[Garald]

1 hour ago, Pendicle said:

Great Aunt Flo would have stuffed a stocking with the contents of an old pillow and used as a draught excluder at the bottom of the door, I would then have come along and added some eyes, nose, ears and tail and given it a name. 

 

Oh, but there is a draught excluder!