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  • From: SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] window quilts and other movable insulation
  • Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:26:06 -0400

keith bellinger wrote:
Thank you Sue, for the great description of how much sewing is involved in making window quilts. I like Gene's idea for simplicity and for the fact I don't own a sewing machine. There are several similar shutter-like examples in my book

If that's the Shurcliff book you mentioned previously, that book is an old
book on the subject of movable insulation but I still think it is the best.
The guy was ahead of us all, and I've used many, if not most, of the ideas he
has in there. Too bad more people aren't taking advantage of it, because it
has saved me and folks I've worked with many, many cords of wood over the
years.

There are a number of mostly-rigid foams on the market now, and you don't need a fancy one, just one that will cut without crumbling, which is most of the newer ones and some of the older ones. I've done quite a few workshops on movable insulation and people have used a lot of worse things! Here we have a couple of places that specialize in used/damaged/overstock/whatever foam and it can be had pretty cheaply. If you find something that's just a bit small (I kept finding some that were a tad smaller than some of my window openings, largely a problem that resulted from making bastard size windows to fit our idea of what was 'right' rather than stock windows) you can easily wrap them in one or more layers of poly quilt batting, stapled, then apply your cover fabric so they'll fit tight into the opening. Also, if you use foam and it's of the easily smushable type, to avoid marring the edges as time goes by, and thereby ruining the tight fit, it works to use a layer of batting (or some other thick-but-smushable fabric; I used wide strips of wool from a ruined coat on one and it works very well) right from the get-go and that saves the edge good and straight so that the fit stays nice over the years.

I'm using fabric-covered foam in windows and a couple of doors where I only need to put it up and down infrequently (attic, extra room, basement door, etc), and just have the wq rigs in rooms where I want or need to have them in different positions as the day goes along. I have a couple of smaller ones that I made a fabric "hinge" on, so that when I go into that room in the daytime and need a little light I can just pull down the top half, let it dangle, and then pop it back up when I want. I use those for the room where I keep some daylight-sensitive plants and it's a good compromise between the cost of the wq and convenience of the foam.

I'm sure you'll find just the right thing for your own windows/openings in Shurcliff. Stay warm!

SusanJane, in Maine




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