How to Sew a Door Draft Stopper

With rising utility costs and shrinking budgets, everyone is looking for ways to save money and cut expenses. Leaks under doors and windows undermine your heating and air conditioning efforts and waste money. Making and using a door draft stopper will keep warm air inside in the winter and cool air inside in the summer, allowing your heating or air conditioning to be more efficient and cost effective.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1/4yard (8 inches) of tightly woven pre-shrunk cotton blend material or canvas, 42 inches or wider.
• Sewing machine
• Yard stick
• Filler of choice (rice, beans, kitty liter or clean sand)
• Funnel or several sheets of newspaper
• Needle and thread
• Dried fragrance like lavender blossoms, crushed cinnamon sticks (optional)

1. Measure the width of the door or window you plan to use the draft stopper on. You will want the door draft stopper to be 1 to 2 inches longer than the door on both ends. Example: The door is 36 inches wide + 2 inches + 2 inches = 40 inches. Now add another 1 inch for the seam. You'll need the fabric to measure 8 by 41 inches. Cut the fabric to the calculated measurements.

2. Fold the fabric so that the reverse side of the fabric is out. It should now be 4-by-41 inches (or whatever your length is). With the sewing machine set on a small, close stitching length, sew 1 end and the long edge of the draft stopper closed, creating a 1/2-inch stitched seam for the bottom and side.

3. Turn the door draft stopper tube right side out. You may need to use a yard stick or dowel to push the corners square.

4. Insert into the open end of the fabric tube a funnel or several sheets of newspaper rolled to form a cone. While holding the cloth tube and funnel securely, slowly pour and fill the door draft stopper with your selected filler until it is 1 or 2 inches from the top of the open end. Remove the funnel.

5. Turn 1/2 inch of fabric on the open end of the tube inside. With the folded edge pressed together, hand stitch the end closed with short, tight stitches. The door draft stopper is now ready to be placed tightly at the bottom of the door.

Tips & Warnings

• Before filling the cloth tube, try mixing your choice of dry fragrant material with the filler in a bowl to add a pleasant smell to your door draft stopper. Use a cup to scoop the filler and pour into the funnel to fill the door draft stopper tube.

[apalmer]

on 6/19/2009 This is a great artsie craft that is a multitasker for those drafts. :)