Summer time is one of the best seasons to live in a van. There’s endless trails for hiking, ocean for swimming, and the temperature makes it easier to spend more time outside.
But when the temperature is up and it’s hard to sleep, opening a window overnight might be the only solution to falling asleep. That’s why I’m sharing how to sew a front window mosquito net. This way you can leave that window open and sleep tight, without mosquitos and bugs coming in.
There’s so many different options for a front window mosquito net. I find it difficult to rely on the quality of purchasing online. And, sewing two front window mosquito nets cost me less than A$25.
This front window mosquito net was made for my Ford Econovan, 1999. It can be customized for any van’s front window door.
Sewing a front window mosquito net is also sustainable and lasts longer than a purchased net. I wanted to create something that is durable and easy to clean, set-up and make.
The end result is light, durable and works exactly how it’s supposed to, by keeping mosquitos and other bugs out.
I used a non-stretch durable (and affordable) tulle. The fabric store did have a ‘mosquito net’ material but it wasn’t the right width that I wanted. And, looking at both materials, the build and material weave was almost identical.
This material for the mosquito net folds over the top and it sewn around the sides. I added a thin 2.5 cm cotton band at the bottom so it would sit uniformly around the bottom of the net.
Out of this entire tutorial, acquiring a sewing machine while living in a van might seem like the hardest task to conquer. It’s really not though, many people I have met along my travels have allowed me to borrow or use their sewing machine. A sewing machine is one of those things you either use all of the time or hardly ever. I believe this is why many people are keen to let others use it.
How to Sew a Front Window Mosquito Net
Materials
- 2.5 m Non-stretch mosquito net or durable black tulle (2.3 m width)*
- 5 m Black cotton band 2.5 cm width* (Check your local fabric store, mine was purchased from Spotlight)
- Sewing machine
- Black thread (cotton or polyester is fine—any that’s durable)
- Fabric pins or safety pins
- Regular scissors (Not fabric scissors)
- White fabric pen or pastel crayon (optional)
*Calculate how much mosquito net material you need by doubling the size of your window and top of door, plus 20 cm on the bottom. The amount of black cotton band depends on the entire width of the where the mosquito net will hang, below the window.
Method
Time needed: 1 hour
- Pin together the mosquito net material over top of the van’s door window
My material was wide enough so I folded over the top of the door. Either way it’s done, begin to pin the material together close to the van’s door. I allowed about 3 cm all-around for pinning, and later stitching. With fabric pins I used at least two for each spot to pin—going against each other. This is because the mosquito net material’s holes are quite large and the pins can slip out easily. Safety pins are a bit easier to use for this.
Pin at the corners, or any point where the direction of the stitch will change. If it’s a long section, in-between corners, add another pin. Try to have a pin about every 20 cm. - Cut off excess material
Once the pinning is done, take your material off the window. Cut off any excess material around the edges so there’s just a few centimetres after the pins.
- Stitch the mosquito net at the point of the pins
Right where you put the pins into the mosquito net, make a few small stitches. If you’re worried of losing the point of the pins before taking them out, use a white fabric pen, or as I like to use, a pastel crayon to mark the area.
- Re-measure the mosquito net on the van’s door
With the guide stitches in, place your mosquito net overtop the van’s door again. If the stitches line up to about 2.5 cm around the edge of the door, then you’re good to go. If they don’t, either the stitches are too close or too far away, then add more pins and repeat steps 1-3. The mosquito net should fit loosely around the door. If it’s too snug it could wear out easily.
- Straight stitch the mosquito net, following the guide stitches
With the right guide stitches marked in, straight stitch the entire outside edge of the mosquito net. I used a small stitch, close together so it would be extra durable. And so that if the tread ever did come undone, the entire mosquito net wouldn’t fall apart at once.
- Zig-zag stitch the edges of the netting
Mosquito netting is different from other fabrics. It won’t come undone or have tiny bits that come out with use. That doesn’t mean it’s not important to do a zig-zag stitch though. This stitch will help to back up the mosquito net for extra durability.
- Pin the band along the bottom of the mosquito net
For adding the cotton band to the bottom of the mosquito net, pin it to the bottom, make sure it’s straight to the fabric. Still working with the mosquito net inside out, I pinned the band on the inside, or rather the right side outwards of the mosquito net.
- Sew the band to the mosquito net
For my material, the end of the mosquito net is also the edge width of the actual fabric roll. This means it’s thicker and mostly straight. For stitching the band to the fabric, I only did two lines of small stitches (about 0.2 mm) on each end of the band.
- Repeat for another front door mosquito net
I made two mosquito nets, one for each door so my van could have more circulation during the night. To make another mosquito net for your front door, skip steps 1-4 and use the inside-out mosquito net as a guide for cutting and stitching a new net. Then follow steps 5-8 for the new mosquito net.
This is the last step in sewing the front window mosquito net. Flip it to the right side outwards and it should fit loosely around the door. Now you can sleep with the window slightly open letting fresh air inside while keeping bugs outside.
This mosquito net is the perfect addition to any vehicle you’re sleeping and travelling in. For more information on a van build check out my complete guide.
