Remember a time before when everyone knew what a draft stopper was and actually used them? Well maybe it’s because houses are just built better insulated these days and windows and doors are more efficient at keeping the dreaded chilly draft out that many are forgetting about them.
I suppose draft stoppers were born out of the simplistic yet ingenious design of combining the concept of rolled up towels to block out drafts concept with fabric scraps.
Now whether or not they actually worked for you, you must admit they certainly did add some colour to your house (assuming your windows and doors were all white like mine). Conventional draft stoppers were simply long pieces of stuffed tubular shaped fabrics. But as the world got familiar with making those, along came the variations.
These days you can find all sorts of designs. And by designs I don’t just mean patterned fabric…I mean characters. You can easily find snowmen, reindeers, teddy bears, kittens, puppies, dolphins, moose and so forth ready to stand guard against the winter winds at your doors and windows.
So why use draft stoppers? Well simply because they can help you save electricity/heating cost and they encourage you to recycle and reuse old stuff you have lying around.
Now if you’re thinking of a quick, simple yet practical homemade gift, a draft stopper might be a pretty good idea. You hardly need anything out of the ordinary to whip one up – well maybe some basic sewing skills – you know to make strong stitches.
To make a simple draft stopper, you all you will need are the following:
- Fabric
- Needle
- Thread
- Scissors
- Rice – You can use kitty litter or sand but I have a sensitive nose so rice works best for me.
After that it’s just all about measuring the length of your window or door, cutting the fabric with allowance for the seams, sewing it up into a tubular form, filling it with the rice and then finally sealing it up with a few strong stitches. You can even use the sewing machine if you have one.
However if you want to make one with as little sewing as possible, then replace the fabric with leggings/tights. After that you can fill it with rice and simply either sew it or knot it closed.
If you are creative, then take out your little box of googly eyes, ribbons, buttons and felt and see what fancy draft dodger you can come up with.
Everything is only limited by your imagination!
Happy crafting!
