Thursday 11 October 2012

A window of opportunity

  I think a lot about keeping warm in my old house and have packed the roof space with plenty of insulation to keep all rising heat within.  Our chimneys are semi- blocked  with brick lids, so no escape there, but there are still the many windows, large and single-glazed.  We cannot triple glaze them and they let in a lot of cold air through the joints when the wind blows.   I have good blinds that I pull down every night, shutters that I close after tea, but there is still a notable chill round them.  My best solution is to re-line all the curtains with good interlining from top to toe and this makes a big difference. 
Just some of the bump cloth available
  When I bought huge old chateau curtains in France they were always beautifully hand sewn and interlining was de rigeur.   The curtains were often far too big for their next homes and I saved all the surplus linings if they were clean and tidy.   I have finished doing all my own windows and have now a tidy pile of pre-war bump cloth, as it is known in the trade, and offer it at give-away prices to anyone who can use it in any way - or could it be used for quilting?  Some of it is really heavy and thick,  and in panels over 10ft long,and I just hate the thought of dumping it all while I clear the decks (for my extreme old age) and I hope someone will be glad to recycle it all and keep warm. I live near Bath, Email  www.dbaer@onetel.com.  to view.

5 comments:

  1. Very Generous offer. Sadly I live a little too far away in France. You have given me an idea though. I need to make curtains and I was wondering what to do. My local charity shop saves me old sheets and I will at least have some great linings. The sheets are 30s. They aren't really in great condition but as a layer for a curtain Great!!I might try and quilt them in some way.

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  2. Greetings Elizabeth! I love your blog. I always check in each week. Sometimes every few days or every day. You have so much knowledge. Have you ever thought of writing a book and including your own photos? Thank you for your interesting posts. I'm from Michigan, USA. Enjoy your day, Mary

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  3. Gosh, I'd be over in a shot if only I could...never dump it! Jules in Massachusetts

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  4. Lovely to get instant response to my dump the bump Blog and two from the States - are you more thrifty over there or do you suffer from extreme cold? Over here we need to take action as the price for all utilities, gas, coal and electrics shoots up all the time and we all get older and heat deprivation sets in! Please apply soon - I am truly offering them at pocket money prices - I am having a Rag Market here next May but these would take up two or three stalls to display. Not on!EB

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  5. Hullo Mary, Not sure if I'm really supposed to answer comments this way - people often ask me if I will make a book out of my bits and pieces about things from Old France - I think it all is a bit more suitable for a sort of diary column in a magazine with an editor choosing what might be suitable and me trimming it down to something a bit more 'educated' most is written late at night and is pretty rough and I suppose I am too lazy to knock it into any sort of shape - I just feel it is a way of telling people a bit about the old France that so many loved and the stories and lore which will never be in any scholarly work or history book and for me it keeps some good memories alive! Thank you for the compliment and for reading me. Elizabeth

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