It’s cold outside. It snowed again this weekend so we are covered in a blanket of white and the cold is deep enough to keep the snow around. The sun shone today and everything is so bright when the sun shines on newly fallen snow.
The past couple of winters we’ve finally had a warm house due to finally having a furnace installed and most of the house insulated well. But for the first 15 years of our life here it wasn’t always so warm in here. I used blankets at doorways to keep the cold out, ran the dryer a lot, baked cookies to keep the oven going, and called my husband at work a lot complaining that it was COLD in here and he really should do something about it. It’s a wonder the man still loves me 😀
I never did buy or make myself any draft dodgers but my Mom has one that I did a makeover on for her.
I originally shared this 2 years ago, but thought these cold winter days this would be a good one to share again.
This is a quick and easy makeover of a draft dodger, or draft stopper. The purpose of a draft dodger is to keep cold air from coming in under doors that are not as tight against the weather as we might like them to be. Like I said, I used blankets. Blankets tend to get bunched up and kicked around or picked up and used as a blanket so a draft dodger that has only one purpose – to keep the cold from coming under the door – is a good idea if you have doorways that are less than airtight.
This particular draft dodger has lived a long life as a faithful servant – keeping the cold air out. And while the fabric is a little vintagey and the cat head rather cute in a folksy, country sort of way, it was time for an update.
Drop cloth fabric. Cut the width twice the diameter of the draft dodger plus seam allowances and a little more for ease. And of course the length as long as your finished draft dodger plus enough for seam allowances. No rocket science or grand design here – I just guessed and went with it. I basically just wrapped my fabric around the draft dodger and added a healthy amount to account for seam allowances and ease. Fold in half lengthwise and stitch across one short end and the long side. Leave opposite short end open. Turn inside out so the raw edges are on the inside.
Insert old draft dodger into the new cover. If you have added enough ease it will slide right in with no problem.
When you get to the cat head you have a couple of options. You can use some brain cells and create a cover that is cat-head shaped and cover it – if you like the cat-head shape. I wasn’t particularly fond of the cat-head shape and didn’t rally want to go to the work of figuring out a cover for it anyway.
So I ruthlessly cut the cat-head off. (I dumped all the filler into the long round part of the draft dodger first)
Making the least mess possible I serged across the end of the cut end of the draft dodger. If you don’t have a serger this could be whipped closed by hand with a needle and thread.
Finished pulling the cover over the draft dodger, turned the raw edges in and stitched across the end with my machine. Done. Probably took 15 minutes at the most. Simplest project ever.
And just to show you how it looks at a door, here it is against my laundry room door.
You could totally make one from scratch by making the casing and filling it with rice or beans. This works better than a blanket – trust me!
Do you have any spots in your house that need a draft dodger? On really cold nights we sometimes still put a blanket at the front door cause sometimes cold gets too deep for even the best insulated doors. I guess I really should go ahead and make a draft dodger to have on hand!
Jill
Much better! 🙂 I chuckled about the poor cat head…may it rest in peace(es).
I bet your mom enjoys having a seamstress/craftist in the family.
🙂 heehee! The cat head had done a fine job and done it proudly – I think it is enjoying its ‘rest’!
Nice use of an old functioning piece!
Liz
Thanks Liz! It was a rather fun, easy, quick project. One of the best kind – very satisfying!
Colista, you are so right! I love having a seamstress/craftist for a daughter!! Jill, come over and see the new look at the bottom of my door. I like it. It is doing its job very well. And I do not miss the old look or the cat head!
🙂 I’m sure you would like for your seamstress daughter to put your stuff a little farther up the list in priority though Mom! Sigh. Winter is getting to me and I’m starting to stress about getting everything done that I need to.
Haha! I remember Mr. Cathead draft dodger. Somehow a cat head DOES NOT seem like you, ever, Mother! I much prefer the head gone! It looks great. But my seamstress sister has the knack of always making it turn out. 🙂 A blessed talent from God!
🙂 It’s probably the only thing that was available way back when she got it – LOL!
Poor little kitty cat :). I love the updated look, even if it meant you had to behead a cat.
LOL! I could never have done it to a REAL cat!
I need a few of these! Poor little cat head! Have a great week.
Leslie
🙂 I know, I felt rather bad – for about 2 seconds and then I just chopped it off!
I haven’t had a sewing project for awhile, I’m itching for one! 🙂
Well you have certainly been doing a wonderful makeover job on that buffet! I have quite a few sewing projects laying around – wish you could come over and help me out !
If you don’t have an old draft dodger to cover — with or without beheading a cat — you can make the tube and fill with kitty litter and ten stitch closed. Ta da! That’s it.
Great idea Sue! I will have to remember that if anyone ever wants me to make a draft dodger from scratch. Thanks!
I had some curtains made from that fabric, very vintage but cute. I used beans in the draftdodger I made for my daughter, found some fleece on sale. I think the fleece absorbs the cold better. We live in Montana, we get lots of snow also and it usually hangs around until June 🙁 Keep Warm!
Vicki, fleece is a great idea for making draft dodgers – it does absorb the cold better – the blanket we toss at the front door on cold nights is fleece.
Jill, We haven’t had any snow yet here in central Va but it’s been cold and I recently purchased a ready-made draft dodger for the kitchen door to the basement. I almost made one but with so much else to do in the house, painting, etc. I chose the easy way out. One of these days I’ll make one when I get the paint off my hands & out of my hair.:) I remember those cold winter nights in Ohio. The wind blew so hard that the doors & windows hummed. It almost sounded like a horn being blown.
I’d probably buy one too if I found one I liked 😀 It’s cold here now – I keep upping the temp inside the house to keep warm. So ready for Spring!