Insulated Microsuede Grommet-Top Drapery Panel

Comments about Plowhearth Insulated Microsuede Grommet-Top Drapery Panel:

I purchased these curtains to use as a heat block for the hot air from my wood buring stove. I have open doorways from my living room into my kitchen and dining room and so was losing a lot of heat into areas I don't use all that much. When they arrived I was disappointed with the very thin weight of the fabric and while they would likely help slow down drafts from windows were clearly too lightweight for my needs. Instead of returning them I ended up finding inexpensive fleece blankets (on sale for back to school), cut/sewed them to fit and used them as lining fabric--cheaper than buying fabric by the yard. NOW I have curtains which should work well to keep the heat where I want it.

Comments about Plowhearth Insulated Microsuede Grommet-Top Drapery Panel:

I'm a very deliberate and careful shopper. I not only look for the best price, but I also expect quality for the price I pay. We live in the mountains where the winters can be very cold. I wanted to purchase insulated curtains for two back bedrooms that are drafty and don't get as much heat from our wood stove as the front rooms. I love the look and feel of microsuede because it's usually durable, weighty, and very easy to clean and iron. But finding insulated curtains in microsuede material wasn't as easy as I hoped until I saw these at Plow and Hearth. The fact that there were no reviews written for these curtains made me a little hesitant, but at least there were no bad reviews, right? Well, let me be the first and let me tell you why. I ordered two panels in the 84 inch length. Although the item description doesn't tell you, these panels are 50 inches in width each. The material is so thin that I can see the outline of my windows on a sunny day even though there is no direct sunlight at these windows. This material is not microsuede as I've ever seen or felt it before. To me, the material is just a soft, thin cotton with a herringbone texture. There is no appreciable type of backing or insulation whatsoever. I have a floor vent directly below where these curtains are hanging. When the heat is blowing, the curtains just billow due to the lightweight material. While I expected packaged curtains to be wrinkled, I did not expect to have to both iron AND steam in an effort to remove all the wrinkles. Because the material is so thin, I was hesitant to set my iron higher than a medium setting which did a less-then-average job at getting the wrinkles out. I then used a steamer while the curains were hanging. Only after numerous applications was I able to remove most of the wrinkles but still not all of them. One of the panels I received has a fabric defect that I originally thought was just another crease. It is a vertical, 28 inch line that is approximately 20 inches from the bottom and clearly lighter in shade than the rest of the material. In other words, it just looks like a long, vertical crease that I can't get out. I'm so disappointed in these curtains and would definitely not recommend them to anyone who is looking for insulation or microsuede.