Is this too weird?

**Valerie in WA** · 12-07-2005, 05:46 PM

I'm thinking of making thick, quilt-like drapes to cover our two exterior doors. I would put big hook-y things in the walls above the doors and when we left (or were expecting someone) we could roll it up and rest it on the hooks. They would probably hang from the hooks somehow, too. Dh could be in charge of that area - that's his forte.

The reason is (obviously) to retain heat. Our front door is rarely used and is almost ALL glass. There is about a hand's width of wood around a HUGE pane of glass. There is a screen door in front of it, but it's wood on the bottom half and (obviously) screen on the top half. For privacy I mounted blinds on the door itself. (BTW, in case you're wondering why general-contractor-dh hasn't replaced this door in the six years we've lived here, it's because the door frame is an odd size.)

My kitchen door is our main entrance. It has a pane of glass in the upper half - about my chest level to within a hand's bredth of the the top. It also has a screen door, but it's screen from top to bottom, so no help there.

I'm thinking to make these quilt/drapes wider than the doors, so as to block the drafts that come in the sides of the door (despite weather-stripping - did I mention our house has no true right angles?). I thought of this when reading about the 'snakes' people put in front of the door, on the floor. But my doors are more leaky around the sides (and through the glass) - you can feel it with your hand.

So...too weird?

BTW, Rhonda - this your fault!

(Because of what you said about pushing boundaries.)

**Jasmine** · 12-07-2005, 05:52 PM

Um, do you live in my house? Seriously, my front door and my kitchen door (also our main entrance) sound exactly the same. I don't think the idea is too weird because I was thinking the same thing last night! Although I'm not much of a seamstress so I was thinking of just hanging fleece blankets over the doors and taking them down when company comes. Go for it!

**Valerie in WA** · 12-07-2005, 06:00 PM

Well, fleece does sound easier than what I was envisioning.

A lot of fleece throws are on sale right now, but I'll bet they're not long enough.

I do have lots of small scraps of quilting fabric that would be great to use, but it'll take me forever - one big thing would be a lot easier.

Thanks, Jasmine!

Hey, can she get a brownie point?

**canadian gardener** · 12-07-2005, 06:09 PM

That is not weird at all. I had friends 2 cities ago, who lived in the country and put up boards with styrofoam insulation on almost all their windows in the winter leaving only a few south facing windows open.

They had quilts over their doors that you slid back on tracks like drapes to keep the cold out.

**Mom23boys** · 12-07-2005, 06:26 PM

I have thought about the same thing and also hanging them over my windows. Today I felt a draft in one of them.

**mom22grls** · 12-07-2005, 06:28 PM

Not wierd at all!!
We just put plastic on all our windows & I was contemplating covering the FRONT DOOR, too!

Now, we don't have a convienent alternate entry to use....but I must say the thought crossed my mind.

Whould it be too much of a PITB to walk around to the back of the house all the time????? DH would say "yes".

**Valerie in WA** · 12-07-2005, 06:34 PM

Oh, I never thought about plasticking the windows of the doors!!! I don't want to plastic my regular windows, but the doors are always covered by the blinds, so it wouldn't be visually distracting. Oh boy, oh boy...I could do both the plastic (just the window part - so the door still functions) and the quilt and save all kinds of energy!

I just love it when we can brainstorm together! Thank you ladies!

**Early Bird** · 12-07-2005, 06:36 PM

That's funny. Just today I felt how cold air was coming in along the sides of the door.

Now, DH is an uber-perfectionist. If I hung hooks above the door, I'd never hear the end of how they were 0.00001 inch out of tolerance. (This is the man who once spent 3 HOURS vacuuming the family room. Poor guy.)

Anyway, I just stuck a polar fleece throw in the door seam & shut the door on it. It's catching a lot of the drafts.

I wonder what DH will say when he gets home. wouldn't it be funny if he suggested hanging hooks!

**many houseapes** · 12-07-2005, 06:37 PM

I think that is a great idea...and decorative as well

**Missy** · 12-07-2005, 07:37 PM

Originally posted by many houseapes
I think that is a great idea...and decorative as well

that's what i thought too!

**forestdale** · 12-07-2005, 07:49 PM

Valerie, it sounds like a great idea to me. I have no idea if it would work but I sounds feasible to me.

YAY for you thinking outside the square.

**psjkmom** · 12-07-2005, 08:44 PM

I like the idea too and think it would even look kinda cozy. Let us know how it turns out.

**jzkitten** · 12-07-2005, 08:48 PM

I think that's a great idea also. I thumbtacked a quilt over both my doors last week. My mother always did this too along with the plastic on the windows. So I say go for it!

**schellie69** · 12-07-2005, 10:58 PM

I think its great I was wondering if maybe hanging a window curtin rod above the door and them putting those round curtin hangers like for the shower so you could just push it to the side if you had to use the door. and then pull it back when you were done would help keep some of the draft out. I think I am going to work on this this weekend. I use both the front and back door so maybe I could do this I will let you know how it works.

**Renee-2kids** · 12-08-2005, 12:52 AM

We used a spare twin quilt over the door at our last house. It was way too long, but it helped tons. I had a crack in the wooden moulding around the door and I just stuck a nail in the crack and nail through the quilt.