How to Make Thermal Shades

Installing thermal shades on your windows can help you conserve energy and save on utility bills. While thermal shades are very effective, they are also very expensive. Save yourself some money and make your own thermal shades.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Scissors
• Quilting material with a batted backing
• Polyethylene sheet (4-mil)
• Muslin
• Polyester filling
• Measuring tape
• Yard stick
• Tailor's chalk
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Velcro
• Staple gun

1. Measure your windows. Your thermal shades will attach to the front of the window trim, so measure in about 2 or more inches from the window opening. These measurements will determine the amount of fabric you need.

2. Lay the fabric on a work table and use a measuring stick and tailor's chalk to transfer the window measurement onto the fabric. Add a generous seam allowance of up to 1 inch on all of the measurements. Cut out your fabric. You will need two layers of quilted fabric, one layer of muslin, one layer of polyester filling and one layer of polyethylene sheet for each window.

3. Lay the quilted fabric on your work table and make sure it's facing right-side up. Set the muslin on top of it, right-side down. Set another layer of quilted material on the stack with the polyethylene sheet. Pin the layers together.

4. Sew around the seam allowance, but leave either the top or the bottom open. Turn the pile right-side out so that one layer of quilted material is on the outside and the muslin is on the back. Reach inside and poke your finger into the corners to make them all square. Tuck in the raw cloth at the top of the thermal shade and sew the opening closed.

5. Separate the Velcro and stick one half all the way around the muslin backing of the thermal curtain. Staple the other half of the Velcro on the outside of the window trim.

6. Press the thermal shade to the window trim.

References

• The Homemade Thermal Shade
• Doug's Reflectix Rollup Window Shades