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Hi,
I just had to comment on making curtains (drapes) of the
pleated kind. I have done several trailer in my 26 years of A/S and the
very hardest part is drapes. They must be measured and sewn precisely to
fit snuggly when installed. I did a 31 ft 75 and it took me about two weeks of
long days to accomplish this. There were around the corner windows both in
the front and in the rear. If I remember right there were 158 pleats in
the front curtains. One needle on the machine would only last a short time
because I was using a regular machine and not a commercial variety. It seem that
the fabric pleats were so thick that when the needle started
through, the fabric was still moving forward causing the needle to break as it
hit the sole plate because it was out of time. This also damged the
sole plate which had to be replaced. NOT FUN! Personally I would not
make these for anyone but myself! I have found a few tricks to help. 1. I
used heavy duty stitchwitchry for the headings and turning the fabric down one
extra time. Much easier to stitch and fully washable, if you have used a
washable fabric and preshrunk both the fabric and the lining material. I
often used very good quality sheets for lining fabric. Also have made the drapes
in two trailers from sheets, you know they were made to take rough service and
wash well without fading.
As for the ols screws--I have found that if you spray WD40
around the old screws and let them set a few days and then spray again, the
screws quite often come out. If you always spray the screws before
installing they resist rust and corrosion quite well. It is a cheap fix
and might be worth you time. I just spray some WD40 in a small container
like a yogurt carton and put the screws in it while working.
Just speaking from experience and hop it helps
someone.
Kathy #17792
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