RV DIY, Part 1

Easy No-Sew, Black-Out, Heat-Reducing Window Shades for Your RV

With temperatures soaring to the low 100's here in South Texas, we knew it was time to stop procrastinating and get to work on our do-it-yourself window shades. Our goal was to create something that not only kept the heat and the sunlight out, but also looked appealing and professional.

Using room-darkening curtains, we made our own RV-darkening, heat-suppressing curtains for our tiny home.

What You'll Need:

1. Two standard room-darkening curtains

​* If you have a larger RV with more windows, you may need an extra curtain or two.

Tip: Choose a darker color for better room-darkening.

2. Two rolls of press-on, Peel-n-Stick fabric tape

Since I don't have a sewing machine (or know how to use a sewing machine, for that matter) or even an iron,  the Peel-n-Stick Fabric Fuse is perfect for me. I've used it in the past for other projects, and it has always worked well.

3. A 15-foot roll of 3/4" Velcro

* Again, depending on the size of your RV and number of windows, you may need more.

4. Tape measure
​5. Scissors

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Step One:

Measure your windows. Take my dad's advice: "Measure twice; cut once." Make sure you know where you want to mount them, and measure just beyond where the Velcro will be, leaving yourself a tiny lip.

Step Two:

Measure your curtain, leaving an additional inch for each end that isn't already hemmed. And remember, "Measure twice; cut once."

Step Three:

Cut the curtain along your measured line. 

Step Four:

Measure and mark one inch for all edges that need to be hemmed.

Step Five:

Lay out your peel-and-stick fabric tape approximately 1/4" above your 1" line.

Step Six:

Peel back...

...and carefully fold over.

Peel off the backing on the fabric tape a few inches at a time, carefully folding your fabric over at the 1" line. Press down firmly on your fabric tape as you go, making sure it sticks completely.

Tip: There is no room for error. This fabric tape is very sticky and will be extremely difficult to redirect.

Step Seven:

3- and 4-inch Velcro strips

Measure and cut your Velcro into 3- or 4-inch pieces. We used 3-inch pieces for the smaller windows and 4-inch pieces for larger windows. We ran them along the sides - two at the top, two in the middle, and two at the bottom. Where you place yours will depend on your surfaces.

Step Eight:

This step can be done one of two ways, and it depends on your surfaces and what will be easier for you. You can:

​A. attach the Velcro first to the fabric and then line up the curtains along the window frame and attach the Velcro to the frame, or

B. attach the Velcro first along the window frame and then line up the curtains with the Velcro.

We tried it both ways and felt that it was easier to place the Velcro along the outside of the window frame where we wanted it and then line up the curtain and place the curtain onto the Velcro.

The first window shade we made was the one for the door. We had only a tint film over the window before. This is a major improvement!

So there you have it - do-it-yourself window shades that are easy to make and require zero sewing! What do you think? If you like it, share it!

*Please note that, while the products listed at the top do include affiliate links, and we will receive a small commission should you decide to purchase any of these products, these are all the exact products we used for our DIY window shade project. If you like our blog, please help support us by purchasing through the links we've provided. Thanks, all!

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