Draft Blocker

For years, I have been thinking I should try making a draft catcher for our front door.

I love our house, but there is quite a draft that blows beneath this door every winter.  Our solution has been the use of an old towel, but it is so unsightly that we hide it when guests are over. Hmm...

Today, I used a snowy window pane fabric and this tutorial that Laura Bray shared at katydiddys.blogspot.com. (I found the tutorial on Pinterest.)

The tutorial was very easy to follow; however, it does assume you know how to make a fabric loop if you choose that optional feature. I used the method I have liked the most while making purses in the past.

I wanted a half-inch wide loop that was roughly 3-inches long and I used a half-inch seam allowance.
To determine the width of fabric you need, multiply the width you want by 4.
To determine the length, add the length you want the loop to be to the seam allowance and multiply that by 2.
So, for my width I multiplied 0.5 x 4 = 2 inches wide.
For the length I added 3 + 0.5 = 3.5 and doubled that number. 3.5 x 2 = 7.
I cut a 2 x 7-inch strip of fabric.

I folded the rectangle in half lengthwise (right-sides-out) and ironed a crease along the fold.

Next, I folded one side of the fabric in to meet the center crease (wrong sides together) and ironed a crease along this new fold.

I did the same with the second side.

Then, the fabric was ironed again, with the raw edges of the folds inside along the center crease.

Next, I stitched roughly one-eighth of an inch away from both edges.

I folded the length of the strip in half and stitched the loop together (using about a quarter-inch seam.)

This loop was stitched into the open (stuffing) end of the draft blocker as instructed in the tutorial. (I placed the loop so that half an inch of the bottom edge slipped into the tube. This hid the stitches seen along the raw edge on the right in the photo above and gave me a 3-inch long loop.)  The loop will allow me to hang the draft blocker in our hall closet during the months it is not in use.

I chose the snowflake pattern because it is wonderfully wintery. It does not exactly go with the carpet in our entryway, but I love it anyway! The only problem is that it does not sit flush against the edge of the door, so some air is still able to travel up the door and into the house, but I am exploring a few ways to prop it up a bit more to solve that issue.

This was an incredibly quick and easy project and it certainly does block most of the draft, so I am quite happy. No more old towels in the entryway! Hurray! :)

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee