This week I finally got out my sewing machine and got to work on a couple of jobs that have been queued up: re-sizing a magnetic fly screen that I bought from Catch of the Day (it came in a kit to fit a normal house doorway) and making bags to stow our hoses.
Magnetic Fly Screen
I’ve wanted one of these on the door of the caravan ever since I saw one at Mildura. There, Jan had fitted one to her A-van, and the moment I saw her walk out of her van, and the fly curtain snap closed behind her, it was on my list! (You all know what it’s like in places where the flies take over – you try to slam the screen door shut behind you as fast as possible so they can’t get in, but they usually beat you. And if you’ve got a plate in one hand and a teapot in the other, you really appreciate it if the door does all the work on its own.)
Jan told us that she ordered her magnetic screen online, where it was cheap, and cut it to size. So when I saw them advertised cheaply on Catch of the Day, I pounced. Admittedly it was a bit fiddly cutting it to size, sewing it, etc… but the results are worth it. C’mon, flies, I’m ready to take you on!
Here are photos showing the process:
1. Apply stick-on Velcro in strips around door frame.
2. Estimate where to cut screen.
3. Cut and sew, and attach Velcro strips on fly curtain; press into place. Voila!
And Here it is in Action….
Hose Bags
These were simpler. Rob just estimated the desired width and depth, and I went from there. I used the highly scientific method of finding a large enough platter in my kitchen cupboards to draw around for a perfect circle, and found a calculator online to work out the length of the side strip from the diameter of the circle. (I remember learning about using ∏r² at school, but who needs to work it out the hard way when you have online calculators?)
I made one for the water hose and one for the sullage hose. (Much quicker than the magnetic fly curtain!)
Gosh, Marg, you have been busy! I love the magnetic fly screen. No more balancing precariously on the step with both arms full of goodness knows what and pulling the screen door shut before the mozzies get in.
As for the hose bags, the chap in the site next door to us in an Adelaide caravan park this morning was winding his hose into one exactly like it and I thought what a neat idea it was.
Thank you, thank you! Glad you like it/them. Nothing like doing a few home improvements for our little castle on wheels…
I have seen other vanners using those magnetic fly screens and, like you, thought ‘have to have one’. It is still on our to do list though!
I bought the flyscreen well over a year ago… it’s taken me this long to get the sewing machine out to put it up! Why did I wait? (Every time I walked out of the van with an armload of stuff and rushed to put it down so I could slam the fly door shut, I’d think: “Gotta get that magnetic flyscreen up!” Then when Rob started dropping not-so-gentle hints about the hose bags, I thought: well, while I’ve got the machine out… 🙂
Great to see what you have done, as I have just bought one of these at Spotlight, so will get fitting it. Love reading about your tips. Thank
Hope the sewing machine performs well… I haven’t actually got it out on this trip, but I like knowing it’s tucked away at the back of the cupboard if I need it. 🙂
I would like to fit fly screens to the front car windows for more air when it is very hot. Maybe I could use the same method to attach them.