100% Cotton Fabrics as Curtains. Ideas for upholstery (show me your boat!)

[Spot]

I have repurposed cotton bedsheet curtains in one room of the house, large windows facing west. They are a plain tan color and were used material to start so it is hard to determine exact wear as a curtain material. 10+ years so far but they are kept dry and room temperature all year round. There are some wear marks and stains if I look closely. The curtain rod is a contraption so I do not wash them much. My RV had curtains repurposed from larger curtain panels, most likely a synthetic. Stripes of blue, maroon, forest green, and tan on a lighter background. The project was sort of a happening, I found the material and one of my kid's got the bug to sew them for me. They are doing fine too after 5+ years seeing more temperature swings and more humidity. I have cotton covers on some of the cushions in the RV that have seen the same temp swings and light use that also look OK, other than the bagginess of the fit from being some of my first few big sewing jobs.
Maybe all this only says that I am not good at buying new fabric for curtains...

[zeehag]

i removed all fabric from portlights aka windows in favor of hazed and crazed whatever plastic the formosa windows are made of.. works well easy clean and lets in light.
material is a collector of grease dust greasy dust dirt and uglies in general and hide bugs. yes insects.. .
in the event of it aint gonna happen to me, material is a great accelerant.
noncotton materials melt into whatever is close to them.
if i want curtains i put screens over the outside of my portlights aka windows.

[Ranger2727]

I would not use dark colors of drapery coverings because sailboats are caves, to begin with. Use a light color sunbrella, it will let a filtered light and a brighter interior. Furniture Sunbrella does not have the stiffness that marine sunbella has, so the folding drapes will hang better. On my present boat, I have lined the drapes with blackout material because of the large windows and I want to keep the sun out. The blackout drapery material is white, to reflect the sun and heat. If only dark material, that will radiate heat into the interior of the vessel. On my sailboat, I used sunbrella on my seats then covered them with terry cloth slipcovers that fit like a shower cap. As they got dirty or salty, off to the washer and back on in a jiffy. I used bath towels for the terry cloth. I got four or five years, but in high wear areas, you will get less time. Cotton is nicer to sit on than synthetics for the absorption of perspiration.

[OS2Dude]

I would not use traditional 'fabric' in a boat. We had a local business (Cover-Girl) redo our interior cushions from a silicone fabric called siLeather and new foam on the bottoms. I made the curtains from some Sunbrella I found. I made inserts from mirrorized bubble wrap for the windows. Helps keep the heat and light out. We can also lower the curtains.

[JonathanX]

Hi, https://www.sailrite.com/ it is the place to go and lots of video.

[somanyboats]

You didn't mention if you were planning to sew the covers yourself.
If you are then unless you are confident with your skills I would stay away from strips or defined repeating patterns. They require a lot more fabric.

Cotton is a wonderful fabric. very durable and machine washable and dryer friendly.
I have used 10oz drop cloths with great success. I sew in a welting/piping with a contrasting fabric and then add a few pillows with a pattern.
It's nice and light down below. I do not like the cave feeling.

Drop cloths at Lowes are a bit grey and the ones at Home Depot are whiter. machine wash and dry before cutting, the fabric will shrink.

Whatever you decide on check the weight. 6oz sounds too thin.
Don't get shiny fabric, you'll be sliding off and the cushions will keep moving
Short nap fabrics are more comfortable and softer to sit on than subrella
plus it is not easy to sew. Sorry I haven't taken any pictures.
Look at alot of boat interiors and when you see what you like ,copy it.

[Blaine]

My experience is that any cotton or cotton blend fabric will fade badly within a year when exposed full time to direct sun. I'm not aware of any backing that will prevent this. Your best choice is Sunbrella -- but Sunbrella makes an interior fabric for upholstery purposes that is much softer and will make better curtains, cushions, etc. than the exterior material used for bimini tops, etc. Sunbrella can also be machine washed in cold water, but it has to be air dryed, otherwise it will shrink.

For color choices, one approach is to use a fairly tame (or "boring" per the OP) choice like navy, grey, tan, etc. for the larger areas and then use throw pillows (which can be recovered when you're ready for a change) in brighter colors, patterns, etc. We also use the same material from our throw cushions for curtain tiebacks. A salty dog is optional . (Maybe a moderator could rotate this photo for me? Thanks)

[JasonS]

For curtains, we use fabric mildew resistant shower curtains. These are 7 years old and are like new. For outdoor cushions we use pfifertex over closed cell foam cushions. Sunbrella for throw cushions indoor and out.

[Oohla]

Doing it yourself or hiring out? Big differance

Sunbrella is expensive, and obviously great for exterior use. But hard texture and perhaps not best choice for saloon settees. Not for me.

If you want something that will last nearly forever get ballistic nylon. Even the studs on your neck chocker and nether parts chokers won't rip it. Maybe the hobnails on your boat shoes will be a problem.

Cotton is rotten. Sure, it's Natural, but so is cholera. Cotton is warm and that's all it is.

Upholstery fabric remnants are good and cheap but do you want the looks of a suburban sectional sofa on your boat?

I used microfiber ultra suede when I sewed up my cushions. Sews well, dries well, really easy to clean. I used royal blue for aft cabin and black (pillows) and tan (cushions) for saloon settees. Goes well with the teak in my Sabre. If you have a Hunter or a cata-moron sequins might be more appropriate. But microfiber ultra suede is great stuff. Maybe not for sails, however.

If you do it yourself you can afford to get a sail rite zig zag and then you are golden.

But a Seger machine can make quick work of it. Except the zippers.

Other ideas: stretch velvet or stretch crushed velvet. Comfy. Many solid color choices.

I tried Lycra and that didn't work out. Too stretchy. But it could be really good for stretching over an existing cushion.

Clear vinyl is good for special applications. You will need some Mazola oil.

Duponi silk would be my preferance, and though it might last no more than 4 seasons those would be good seasons. Which is to say, that fabric coverings are always more or less temporary.

[zengirl]

[QUOTE=Atcowboy;3331557]Hi All! Happy Friday.

I'm starting to look for fabrics to reupholster the interior of my Cape Dory 27. I've found some really fun nautical themed prints on amazon, but some are 100% cotton. The designs are also a little too intense to have as a whole settee but I like them enough I would like to find somewhere to put them. I'm wondering if anyone has used 100% cotton for curtains or throw pillows and what their experience was?

The boat lives in NE right now, but I want to get it to the Caribbean and rinse and repeat that cycle. So experience in nearly any climate is welcome.

My experience with cotton has just been my sheets, and that was only a season. They were beat up old sheets when I brought them on the boat, and beat up old sheets when I took them off at the end of the year. So no experiential help there.

I'm wondering if a cotton fabric (especially if backed with something UV resistant) would have a tendency to last years as curtains or if it would be more likely to rot away. I think anything less than 5 years would probably be disappointing.

I'm also having a hard time deciding on an upholstery fabric/design/color. Solid dark or navy blue is very popular in NE but just bores me. I thought of a charcoal color but when I looked at some in life it just made me think of my suit, and that's super boring too. I've got a bunch of aqua/turquoise pillows and things like that already. I'm considering this color for the settees but don't want to over-do it, either. Would be interested to see what others have done.

Thanks,
- AT[/QUOTE

[Puget Dan]

We have a 38' Trimaran and re did the interior cushions with nautical sumbrella fabric about 6 years ago. Has held up very well with a lot of grandkids and a dog. For our windows we made light nylon screens that we put up if we want privacy. (extra small Velcro dots hold them on)

Dan
Anacortes Washington

[PirateGuy]

What a great thread.
I will say thank you ladies, and thus admit my sexist upbringing so many decades ago.
Mazola, huh?
Slippin and a sliddin....

[Spot]

New side berth cushions and covers.
Foam from Bestway Foam, fabric from Walmart (Berkshire Home 100% polyester).

[wingless]

+1 on selection / usage of marine fabrics for durability.

+1 on light colors to maximize cabin brightness.

The curtain functionality will be improved by having a light blocking white liner. When the curtains are closed the liner will decrease solar heat gain, very helpful in the summer.

Features like Velcro and straps to aid w/ the curtains remaining open or closed are handy.

[Atcowboy]

Hmmm... I stopped getting notifications that people were still posting!

As a lot of posters erroneously believed, I never intended to use a natural fiber for the cushions. I guess I should have made a separate post to keep em separated. I just wanted some pictures of other's cushions for inspiration.

Regarding the curtains, the pattern I came to like the most happened to be polyester. Then I backed them with some old blackout curtains. The original curtains were over 6' long and I hated that so I made 4 curtains. Now I can put some racks on the coach top sides for a little more storage.

- AT