Draft Dodger

Categories: Utility, Winter

Love keeps a home warm, but this will help too! Door draft stoppers are a dime a dozen, but this one is unique. It is lined with Solarize Liner Fabric, which is an insulating thermal barrier fabric. It is perfect to keep the draft out and the warmth in. It is filled with Poly-Fil® Poly Pellets® to keep it in place and snug to the floor. The design is a 90-degree triangle with a strip of Stiffen so it fits well against the door and the floor, not allowing for a draft to seep through. It has a removable core so the cover can easily be washed. It is very versatile, in the summer, use it as a door stopper or to keep the picnic tablecloth from blowing away.

What you need to make this project

Materials
/3 yard Solarize Liner Fabric
2/3 yard Stiffen
2 bags - Poly-Fil® Poly Pellets® Weighted Stuffing Beads 2 Pound Bag
¼ yard linen or fabric of your choice
1/3 yard of muslin or leftover fabric
2 pieces of self adhesive hook and loop Velcro 2” by ¾”
Coordinating Good Quality Polyester Thread
Supplies
Sewing machine and related supplies
Small sharp sewing machine needle (I used 75/11)
Rotary cutter, ruler, and self-healing mat, are preferred, but not necessary
Wonder Clips
Point Turner
Scissors
Pins
OPTIONAL: PVC pipe, funnel & locking clips
FOR MACHINE EMBROIDERY: Embroidery Machine and related supplies
Sharp 75/11 embroidery needle
Embroidery design of choice (I used the flower design is “Delft Blue Flower and Filigree Border” by Embroidery Library www.emblibrary.com with built-in fonts)
Floriani Embroidery Threads
Prewound bobbin in white
riani Medium Cutaway Stabilizer

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Solarize Liner Fabric Craft Pack

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Stiffen One Sided Fusible Interfacing 20″ Wide X 10 Yard Roll

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Price: $85.99

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Poly-Fil® Poly Pellets® Weighted Stuffing Beads 2 pound Bag

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Instructions

Step One

NOTES:

  1. This project uses 1/2” seam allowances, except where noted.
  2. Finger press the seams.
  3. The muslin is needed to support the Solarize Liner Fabric with the weight of the Poly Pellets® in the core piece. Do not omit this.
  4. The core is awesome looking all by itself with the Solarize Liner Fabric and can be used as a Draft Dodger all by itself.

Step Two

PREPARATION:

Please read the instructions below before beginning. Gather the materials and supplies.

Step Three

Cut the supplies as follows –

From the linen:

  • 1 piece measuring 43” by 5”
  • 2 pieces measuring 43” by 3.5”
  • 2 pieces measuring 1.5” by 2.25”
  • Cut 2 squares measuring 5” by 5” then cut them into triangles by cutting diagonally across from corner to corner – this will make 4 triangles – you only need 3 of the 4

From the muslin:

  • 1 piece measuring 42.5” by 10”

From the Solarize Liner Fabric:

  • 1 piece measuring 42.5” by 10” (or sew two pieces together measuring 10” by 22” to measure a total length of 42.5”)

From the Stiffen One sided Fusible Interfacing:

  • 2 piece measuring 20” by 10”

Step Four

MACHINE EMBROIDERY: Download the machine embroidery design and load it into the embroidery machine. Add wording if desired.

Step Five

Open the hoop and place the cutaway stabilizer on the bottom. Place the piece of linen right side up into the hoop and center it – verifying the correct orientation of the design.

Step Six

Machine embroider the design.

Step Seven

Take the fabric out of the hoop. Trim the threads and stabilizer to about ¼” from the design.

Step Eight

Follow step 4 again, if more than one hooping is desired (my design was 3 hoopings).

Step Nine

CONSTRUCTION of the Core:

Lay the muslin piece on a table. Place the Solarize Liner Fabric on top of the muslin. Fold it in half lengthwise. Pin one end and the long side.

Sew with a straight stitch, but leave one end open.

Trim the corner.

Turn right side out and temporarily clip the end closed while you prepare to fill the core.

Step Ten

FILLING the Core:

Fill the core with 2 bags of Poly Pellets®. One method is to secure the core lining to a PVC pipe with a locking clip to help stand it up while pouring the Poly Pellets®.

Step Eleven

CLOSING the Core

Turn the open ends under ½”. Sew close to the edge, making sure the ends are completely stitched.

Step Twelve

CONSTRUCTING the Cover:

With right sides together, sew the front of the triangle to one of the sides.

For all the seams start and stop ½” from the end.

With right sides together, sew the front of the triangle to the other side, but start and stop ½” from the end.

With right sides together, sew the two sides together, but start and stop ½” from the end.

Step Thirteen

CONSTRUCTING the One Cover End:

Match the 5” front of the triangle to the front of the cover that is 5”. With right sides together, sew this line, but start and stop ½” from the end.

Match the 3.5” side of the triangle to the side of the cover that is 3.5”. With right sides together, sew this line, but start and stop ½” from the end.

Do this again for the other side.

Step Fourteen

CONSTRUCTING the Cover Flap:

On the cover with the open end, turn down the two sides that are 3.5” to a ¼” and then another ¼”. Topstitch this.

Put one piece of loop Velcro on the inside just below this topstitching. Do this for both sides.

With the two small pieces of line that are left, place these right side up and secure the Velcro hooks to the edge of each piece. The adhesive will prevent any fraying so no further stitching is necessary.

Place one of the Velcro strips right side down onto one of the two remaining triangles. Place the other strip on the other side. Stitch in place.

With right sides together, stitch the two triangles together on the two Velcro sides, leaving the 5” side open.

 

Trim corner and turn right side out.

Trim the end pieces.

 

With right sides together, sew the flap to the 5 “ side of the open triangle cover. Zig zag the edge.

As an alternative, stitch only one part of the flap and fold the other in and topstitch.

Turn right side out.

Step Fifteen

ASSEMBLY:

Put the core inside the cove and close the flap by securing the two pieces of Velcro.

Remember the core can be removed so you can wash the outer cover.

Keep warm!