How to Make a Draft Blocker
Details
Details
It can get pretty cold in the winter here in Northern Indiana, so we’re always looking for ways to keep our homes just a little bit warmer in the winter. Draft blockers, which are like small pillows that you put along the bottom of doors or windows, are a great, easy way to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. We’re going to share a quick tutorial for how you can make your own draft blocker.
We wanted to make our draft blocker functional (of course) but we also wanted it to look nice, so we chose a heavier weight fabric that would hold up when placed on the floor with a bright and fun small-scale pattern. As a filler for our draft blocker, we used rice, but you can fill it with just about anything that will keep the cold out like batting, rolled-up plastic grocery bags, flaxseed or even kitty litter.
This project is simple to sew and great for beginners or anyone looking for a quick sewing project. Let’s take a look at how to make a draft blocker.
1. Measure the width of your door or window frame. You want the draft blocker to be a little bit wider than your doorframe. We decided to make ours 38 inches long.
2. Pattern your fabric to a width equal to the width of the doorframe plus 1/2” for seam allowance and a height of 9 inches. This height accommodates seam allowance and creates a finished product that’s a little over 4 inches tall.
3. Cut out your fabric panel. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise so the right sides of the fabric are facing.
4. Using a straight stitch, sew up one short side and the open long side of the fabric. Sew about 1/4” away from the raw edges of the fabric.
5. Cut away the bulk fabric at the sewn corner, if desired. This just makes the inner corner a little smoother.
6. Now carefully turn your assembly right side out. Use a ruler or other long object to poke out the corners of the assembly.
7. Fill your fabric tube with your stuffing. We used rice, so we chose to use a funnel to help with the process. Tip: We actually found our funnel end to be too small, so halfway through we switched to a funnel made from rolling a piece of paper, since it had a bigger opening.
8. Once the tub has been filled to your desired fullness, turn under the raw edges of the open end and sew the opening closed.
9. Now your draft blocker is all ready to keep you warmer!
Just one yard of fabric could make four draft blockers of this size so you could make them for all your doors and windows or share them as gifts!
Have you ever made a draft blocker before? Where would you use yours? Share your tips and ideas in the comments!