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Anyone remember fibre glass curtains?

(33 Posts)
polomint Sun 21-Jul-24 17:23:33

I put on a new pair of gardening gloves today and when I took them off my hands were tingling. It put me in mind of how my hands felt when I touched my fibre glass curtains many years ago. They were in fashion in the 1970s I think. I had a pair in my bedroom and also my living room

Diggingdoris Wed 07-Aug-24 18:07:13

I remember in 1969 my Mum had a shopping trip to London and came home with fibre glass curtains for the lounge. She was so thrilled as they were the latest 'must have' and she was the first of her group of friends to have them. They had an almost plastic feel.

flappergirl Tue 23-Jul-24 10:19:44

Yes! I had fibre glass curtains in my first rented flat around 1975. They came with the flat. They had green and purple psychedelic swirls on a white background. They were stiff and, not surprisingly, fibrous. To this day I've no idea what the virtue of using fibre glass was. I was sharing with another girl and we spent our time studying and partying, so needless to say we never discovered whether you could wash the curtains or not. It never occurred to us to be so domesticated.

Tiley Tue 23-Jul-24 09:26:58

I remember my Nan having some in her lounge. They were horrid, never looked or hung right and most peculiar touch to them.

Grannynannywanny Tue 23-Jul-24 08:52:13

After a couple of years my Mum took hers to my maternal grandparents farmhouse in Ireland in the early 70s. That house has been unoccupied since my elderly uncle died 20 years ago.

When I’m in Ireland I always let myself in to the now derelict house for a trip down memory lane. I was there a few weeks ago and the ceilings had collapsed. Birds were flying in and out through large holes in the roof and had built a nest on the kitchen dresser.

However, the psychedelic orange/brown fibre glass curtains were still hanging proudly on the broken bedroom window. The colours were as bold as when they were hung on the window 50 years ago. They seem to be indestructible 😀

Drina01 Tue 23-Jul-24 08:42:06

… I remember them only because my future mother in law washed the curtains together with my then boyfriend’s shirts. He had to leave work by lunchtime to go home to change. !!! The itching was off the scale apparently !!!

maddyone Tue 23-Jul-24 08:38:09

It sounds awful. I have a vague memory of it.
I also remember the awful nylon sheets, they were horrible. I also remember the introduction of nylon shirts, needed no ironing. They must have been very uncomfortable to wear.

jusnoneed Tue 23-Jul-24 08:25:30

We have a fibreglass factory down the road from us, been there many years. When my parents had the local pub one of the factory workers gave my mum a roll of green fibreglass curtain material. She made curtains from it and then I had the left overs and made them for my place too. Terrible stuff really, it was slippery. But at the time lot's of it about.

Whiff Tue 23-Jul-24 01:17:06

That's a blast from the past those curtains and bri nylon sheets both vile things now . But the height of fashion then.

midgey Mon 22-Jul-24 15:25:13

My old neighbour still has his mother’s fibre glass curtains in place!

NotSpaghetti Mon 22-Jul-24 12:47:30

I helped build a friend's canoe out of fibreglass but we had to wear gloves, do it outside and wear a mask for sanding.

NfkDumpling Mon 22-Jul-24 10:16:52

We had some awful ones in orange, brown and creamy yellow. geometric design and the latest fashion. Horrible they were. But they didn't fade in the sun!

MissInterpreted Mon 22-Jul-24 09:51:35

I'm sure my mum had some, a horrible flowery design, I think - but I can't remember what they felt like to touch.

vintage1950 Mon 22-Jul-24 09:36:24

Yes, I do remember. They were heavy and stiff. Perhaps that was the selling point.

keepingquiet Mon 22-Jul-24 09:32:21

Oh yes! They had a unique look and feel- quite horrible really, and cheap. Maybe this explains my fixation with having good quality curtains now!

mae13 Mon 22-Jul-24 09:27:30

Fibre glass fabric - very efficient at causing all manner of skin problems. Nasty stuff. Back at school our class built a fibre glass dinghy from a kit. We all came out in a painful yellow rash - bloody awful memories!

Grannynannywanny Mon 22-Jul-24 09:15:30

Just recently I was browsing on Debenham’s website at girls dresses. The appearance of this dress fabric reminded me of my Mum’s fibre glass curtains in the early 70s. We had them on all 3 bedroom windows . They had a peculiar puffy appearance and hung rather like this dress. I remember I disliked the feel of them.

NotSpaghetti Mon 22-Jul-24 07:34:58

Yes. They were shiny rafichagran like a shiny sateen or satin. Not soft but not "crunchy". Some of the modern polyester curtains look just like them now I think of it.

lemsip Mon 22-Jul-24 07:20:56

I wouldn't have bought 'dreary' ones . why would you?

DanniRae Mon 22-Jul-24 06:58:15

I thought they were ok at the time. Not sure what the benefits were except I don't think they needed ironing. Thinking about it I remember they always seemed to be a sort of a dreary floral design or mine were hmm

Visgir1 Sun 21-Jul-24 19:43:42

I didn't but I do now.
Shiny things if I remember correctly? I can't remember if my Mum had them or other family members?
I agree what was the point of them being made in fiber glass?

lemsip Sun 21-Jul-24 19:24:21

just like any curtains,

lemsip Sun 21-Jul-24 19:18:33

yes I had fibre glass curtains in my new house back in 1970. They were beautiful, off white with occasional roses on them.
back in the day they were fashionable.

JamesandJon33 Sun 21-Jul-24 19:14:33

I seem to remember them Didn’t they fray if cut . Though I am sure I never had them. I would have disliked the feel

Granmarderby10 Sun 21-Jul-24 18:51:13

Seem to recall some horrid orange ones in somebody’s house, just why!🤮 what we’re their virtues?

rafichagran Sun 21-Jul-24 18:49:18

Urmstongran

Google them?

Yeah could do, just wanted to see some 70's one's in situ.