Draft Dodger

Guys, I sewed something! I am happy to contribute my first project post in many months. I'm also happy to be settling in here in San Francisco and to have my sewing machine not in a box.

This project was born of necessity - my new room's windows are drafty and it gets pretty chilly here in SF. As soon as I could, I made two of these. This is a simple project; if you've got a drafty door or window there's no excuse not to whip one up yourself. The part that takes the most time is picking up the rice from the store. Instructions after the jump.

Also, New Years is upon us! Don't forget your lucky greens and black-eyed peas.



Supplies you'll need:

• Fabric of your choice, at least 36" x 6.5"
• 2.5 - 3 lbs of rice (I used about a 5 lb bag for two dodgers)
• needle, thread, sewing machine, scissors...

CUT, PREP AND SEW

Cut your fabric to 36" x 6.5" (first illustration). A note: I lined mine with muslin. You don't have to, but my other dodger was linen and I felt better with the extra layer. If you do this, cut a piece of muslim to the same dimension, stack on the wrong side of your exterior fabric and follow the instructions the same.

Fold the fabric in half, right sides (of exterior fabric) together, lengthwise and press. Pin the fabric in place and stitch, with a 1/4" seam allowance, along the open long side and one short side. On the remaining short side, sew the corners, leaving a 2" or so gap in the middle for filling the tube with rice (second illustration).

FILL

Using a funnel, fill your tube with rice until just nearly the open end. You want it to have some wiggle room and not spill out when you close the end.

Using a needle and thread, slip stitch the opening closed.

You're done; seal up those window/door gaps! Get cozy!