It's NOT wool! It's washable 100% cotton Woolies Flannel, and it's just as cozy as it looks. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafty doors and windows account for 11 percent of the heat loss in an average home. Wow. This door draft buster is so easy to make, why not make one as a gift and another to help cut down your own utility bill.

While you can make a door draft buster from one piece of extra-wide fabric, this is a better project for scraps. You can piece together scraps however you choose, or follow what we did. Stitch together as many pieces as you like, but don't forget to add in the ½" seam allowance if you use more than our five pieces.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Jem Gold 3)

Fabric and Other Supplies

The size of your door will determine the amount of fabric you need. We used a standard 36" door to size ours. If your door is larger or smaller, add or subtract the difference from one or more of the patchwork pieces shown.

• We used 100% cotton flannel from Maywood Studio. While we bought a half yard each of three flannels, you could use scraps of any woven fabric you have on hand.
• Tape measure
• All-purpose thread
• See-through ruler
• Approximately 14-16 cups of filler material. You can use dried navy beans as I did, or other weighty fillers such as dried peas or rice. I've also read of people using kitty litter, and I considered aquarium gravel, but both are a bit dusty to work with.
• Plastic bags to hold the filler. We used four of the narrow plastic bags used on home-delivered newspapers. You could also use the legs from an old pair of pantyhose or tights.
• 1 yard of ribbon (we used 3/8" wide grosgrain)
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. Measure the bottom of your door. Our instructions are based on a standard 36" wide door.
2. Preshrink and press your fabric prior to cutting, especially if you use flannel.
3. Cut fabric pieces:
   Fabric A: Shadow Play Flannel G27: Cut TWO pieces 13" wide x 12" long.
   Fabric B: Woolies Flannel Tweed in G2: cut TWO pieces 13" wide x 10" long.
   Fabric C: Woolies Flannel Double Windowpane in G2: cut ONE piece 13" wide x 15" long.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Pin and stitch your five pieces of fabric together as shown in the diagram below. Remember to stitch with right sides together and to use a ½" seam allowance. 
   
   
2. Press seams inward toward Fabric B and topstitch as shown.
   
3. Fold your finished patchworked panel lengthwise, right sides together.
4. Stitch the long side together, using a ½" seam allowance, to form a tube.
5. Press seam open.
6. Press a double-fold hem along both raw edges of the tube. To do this, turn up the raw edge ½" and press.
   
7. Then turn up another 4" and press again.
   
8. Pin and hem by hand to form a 4" wide hem on both ends of the tube.
   
9. Turn your tube right side out. Press as needed.

Filling the Tube

1. Fill 3 or 4 plastic bags with about 4 cups of beans each. Squeeze most of the air out leaving a couple inches at the top of the bag empty. Tie a knot in all but one bag. Close this last bag with a twist tie instead so you can add or subtract beans as necessary. When you lay the bags flat, they should fill the empty space and allow some give and take in the bag.
   
2. Slide one or two of the bags into the tube. Tie an 18" piece of ribbon into a neat, tight bow four inches from the end of the tube.
3. From the other end of the tube, insert the remaining bags. If you need to adjust the amount of beans in the last bag, you can easily do so by removing the twist tie. Once you have the fill at the correct level, tie a knot in the last bag as you did with the other bags.
   
4. Tie another ribbon at the opposite end of the tube to close it.
   

Other machines suitable for this project include the Bernina activa 210 and the Elna 2300.

Comments (4)

anne.adams said:

... jenandmags, I bought the navy beans in the bulk foods section of the grocery store. Most of the bulk food areas have an assortment of dried beans -- just pick the most inexpensive option. I have actually used this draft buster year around for two years now, and it still looks brand new. Everything has held up perfectly.

September 24, 2011

jenandmags said:

... I was wondering where to get bulk beans for filler? I want to make quite a few for xmas gifts and have no clue where to get large bags of these.

September 23, 2011

Liz Johnson, Editor, Sew4Home said:

... Hi tashell, this project would be awesome in Amy Butler fabrics. Send us a picture through the contact form when you get it done. Thanks!

May 31, 2010

tashell said:

... i am going to try making this in amy butler materials. i think its great to have something so functional yet decorative too!!

May 30, 2010

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