Make a Sustainable and Healthy Sunshade for Your Van Camper or Car

Before buying fabric, measure the windshield carefully and use brown construction paper to create a template. In some vehicles top and bottom of the window may not be the same width. Tip: cut it slightly larger in case you made a mistake with measurements. You also might want to cut around the mirror.

Calculate how much fabric you will need and add 5-10% just in case. 

Use the paper template to cut the Reflectix.

Use the paper template or your already-cut piece of Reflectix to cut fabric. Pay attention to:

1. how stretchy your fabric is and try not to move it around too much, 

2. where your face side is and how it will align in the final project (basically, you will want two pieces cut that are mirror images of each other).

Create a sandwich of pieces of fabric with Reflectix in the middle. Use pins or clips to hold it together.

Divide the width of your sunshade by 4 and measure for crease lines. I used pins to mark the crease lines instead of using a fabric pen. Sew the lines. Be careful to not move your fabric around too much.

Stitch everything together around the perimeter. 

Use clips to attach bias tape all the way around and then stitch it all together.

I your sunshade is a bit heavy or doesn’t fit snuggly into the windshield, you might want to sew on 2 or 4 suction cups to the corners to help keep it attached to the window.