How to Make a Door Draft Blocker

Keep the cold air out during the winter season and the cool air conditioning in all summer long by sewing a door draft blocker to seal cracks at the bottom of your door. This is a simple project that can easily be made into a fun family activity. Make your door draft blocker into a caterpillar, and let the kids help choose its characteristics. This craft is a great way to recycle old clothes or fabric and a cute way to use up all those odds-and-ends buttons that you have saved.

Things You'll Need

• Recycled clothing or 1/3 yard fabric, 45 inches wide
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Tapestry needle and crochet thread
• 3-inch Styrofoam ball
• Stuffing
• 1/4-inch-wide ribbon
• Chenille stem
• Two pompoms, 1 inch
• Assorted buttons
• Hot glue gun

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of fabric or sew recycled clothing pieces together to measure 12 inches wide by 36 inches long. Fold the piece of fabric in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together and pin the long raw edges. Sew a 1/2-inch seam allowance along the pinned edge creating a tube. Sew a running stitch along one short end of the tube. Gather the stitches to close the end of the tube, knot and cut the thread.

2. Turn the tube right side out. Place a 3-inch Styrofoam ball into the tube and push it all the way to the closed end. Cut a 15-inch piece of 1/4-inch-wide ribbon. Tie the ribbon into a bow around the tube below the Styrofoam ball. This will create the head and neck of your caterpillar door draft blocker. Continue to fill the rest of the tube with stuffing. Sew a running stitch along the opening of the tube. Gather the stitches closed, knot and cut the thread.

3. Cut six more pieces of the 1/4-inch-wide ribbon, 15 inches long. Tie the ribbon into bows around the door draft blocker every three to four inches. Tie the ribbon tight enough to indent the caterpillar body slightly.

4. Cut the chenille stem in half. Apply hot glue to one end of each chenille stem and attach the pompoms. Poke two small holes in the top of the caterpillar Styrofoam head using the scissors. Apply hot glue to the ends of each chenille stem and insert the chenille stems into the holes for antennas.

5. Choose two matching buttons for the caterpillar eyes and hot glue them to the Styrofoam head. Choose a large button and hot glue it over the gathered end of the caterpillar tail. Hot glue buttons all over the body to give the caterpillar spots.

Tips & Warnings

• If you would like a heavier door draft blocker, fill Ziploc bags with kitty litter and insert them into the caterpillar body for stuffing.

References

• Cyndee Kromminga, Craft and Interior Designer; Kro Crafts; Winfield, Kansas