How to Make a Double-Sided Door Draft Stopper

The last week has been chilly. I’m sorry. It’s been COLD! The snow came in and so did the wind.  I’ve been working on winterizing my home for the last couple of weeks.  To really know if you’re doing things right, the cold comes and lets you know that there is still air sneaking in the house.  So, as my last step for keeping the house warm, I made these Double-Sided Door Draft Stoppers.  Love them!  They really keep the cold air out and your warm air inside.  Plus, you can use it during the summer to keep the cool air inside of your home.  It’s not that difficult to make.  The instructions, along with pics, are below.  If you’re looking for other tips that I use for keeping the house warm, check out my post How We Stay Warm and Lower Our Electric Bill.

Materials Needed:

  • fabric
  • thread
  • pipe covers

Instructions:

Measure the length of the door at the bottom.  Open door and measure the width of the inside.  My door measures 32 inches and the inside measures 2 inches.  I am going to cut the fabric 36 inches long, allowing for 4 extra inches of fabric for seams.  Try to select fabric that is more resistant to outside weather when using on doors that face the outside.

Cut the fabric the required length. (36 inches for my door)

Cut pipe cover a little shorter (about an inch shorter) than door so that it will fit snugly when opening and closing.  You can buy the pipe covers from Walmart.  They were priced $2.97 for 3 in a bag.  They are 3/4 inches wide.   An easy way to find out exactly how much material you will need is to insert the pipe cover in the material.  I’m using the fold of the material.  That’s one less side to sew.

Pin the area of the enclosed pipe cover.  Then, measure off for the amount of the inside door measurements, which was 2 inches for my door.

Pin the 2 inch width from the pipe cover all the way down. Measure the width of the space where you removed the pipe cover.  It measured 3 inches.  I know that I will need an additional 3 inches on the opposite side to fit the other pipe cover.  A little bit of adding; 3 in + 3in + 2 in = 8in.  I am going to allow for an additional 1 inch for seam.  So, the entire width of the fabric will be 9 inches.  Ta-Da!  My fabric is 36in x 9in.

Sew around the bottom and side (or sides if you do not have a fold).  Leave one of the 9in lengths open for inserting pipe covers.

I pressed down the seam on the side so it could lay flat. The second pic may seem like a repeat.  I inserted the pipe cover again and pinned down.  You can measure off the 3in from before and just sew it.  I wanted to make sure of the fit, so I pinned again.

I removed pipe cover and sewed down.  Notice, how I left about an inch of material where I did not sew completely all the way down.  I did this so that the material will fit nicely in the side of the door.  Then, I measured the other 3in width on the opposite side from the end and sewed down.  That left 2 inches in the middle for sliding under the door.

At the opening (notice the distance where I stopped the seam), I pressed down the edge.

I sewed a double seam to lock the pipe covers in the fabric.  The other picture shows the amount of spacing at the bottom.  If you don’t want to sew the edges of the open part together, you could use a zipper or Velcro to be able to remove and wash material when needed.  There you have it….a nice stopper to stop the wind from invading your home.

Double-Sided Door Draft Stopper

Have you made one of these for the winter?

 

Comments

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  2. Hi Sharon, I am Jo-Ann from South Africa, and our winters are not half as cold as your winters, but just to know, I just made one of these double-sided wind stopper and I used leatherette a type of vinyl/leather and it works for the outside brilliantly, so maybe you can try it too.

  3. Hi, thanks for the tutorial! I have been looking to make one of these for my front door. I went and bought an inexpensive flannel backed table cloth and plan on using it. Since one side is flannel and the other ‘plastic’ I figured this would work the best for an inside/outside door.

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  6. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on double-sided. Regards

  7. Fantastic pattern and instructions! I have been looking for a simple pattern that didn’t involve fussy sewing or sewing of circles at the ends of the tubes. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!

  8. Hey, its time to make an XMAS draft stopper.

  9. Nice draft stopper! I used to live in an old farm house it was so cold in the winter. Now I don’t have the drafts as much as we have moved and this house is newer. Stay warm!! Happy holidays! Thanks for sharing at the party. Theresa

    • Thanks Theresa! We live in a newer model home and the draft was really bad near the french doors that lead to the deck, so these really come in handy for that area.

  10. This is great! I’ve seen these on TV before but always wondered how they would fit your door. Making one would be so much better!

    Thanks for linking up to the Spread the Love Linky Party! I’ve pinned and will be tweeting the link! 😀

  11. Friday Favorites Feature at I’m Not a Trophy Wife! Thank you Sharon! Please link up something this Friday, grab a button and would love any help growing this party! laura

  12. This is such a great idea! Our doors are not too drafty but I’m sure this could still help. You could make a more weather durable draft stopper out of oil cloth; I’ve seen some pretty cute patterns too.

  13. Stopping by from the thrusday blog hop. So glad to be introduced to your blog! xoxo

  14. What a great tutorial. I purchased one of these about 5 years ago and it makes such a difference in the winter. I can see making one that matches our decor better now. Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday on Organized 31.

    • Thanks Susan! I can see the difference already and this is my first time using them. They really help to keep out that windy and cold air. Can’t wait to see the difference it makes in our electric bill.

  15. What a totally cool concept! I love the color of your fabric too as traditional door-stoppers are usually invisible, no color hinges. Anyhow, I stopped by from the SITSGirls Sharefest Saturday to say hello.
    Happy weekend!
    Elizabeth

    • Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping in. When I decided to make this, I looked for a fabric that would give a cheerful look to the doors. I also tried to select fabric that would hold better in colder/rainy/snowy weather.

  16. Great idea!

  17. Genius! I love that you use fancy material, too! I was okay with the how-to until you showed a sewing machine. I suppose good ole Stitch Witchery could work.

    • So funny, Bonnie! Don’t let the sewing machine scare you. It is so great to have on hand. Of course, you can pull out the needle and thread, too.

  18. Really stupid question…are you using these on doors to the outside? Doesn’t the side facing the outdoors get dirty?

    • Hi Carla! I have a couple of these. One to my door that leads to the deck, the front door, and the garage door. I’m sure that when the weather gets really bad (rain/snow/sleet), it will get dirty. I tried to select material that was somewhat a little more resistant to that kind of weather. For instance, I didn’t go with any kind of cotton, etc. Of course, you can use a zipper, or velcro to close end of stopper. That way, you can remove pipe covers and wash covering whenever needed. For this tutorial, I went with sewing up opening since this would probably be easier for most people than putting in a zipper or sewing in velcro. They definitely keep the cold out….

  19. Thanks for posting this great tutorial. I can’t wait to whip out my sewing machine! I love things I can make myself. Stopping by from SITS Sharefest. 🙂

  20. What a nifty idea!

  21. I need to learn how to sew, there are so many projects that I could tackle if I only knew how to sew. My first would be making new curtains.

    • Hi Sonya! Sewing definitely comes in handy, especially, when I’m tailoring clothes. You’ve got to pick up this skill….so, you can make those curtains.

  22. This is brilliant! I don’t have a problem with a draft but I would love to make one to use when I’m doing a steam shower with my little guy when he’s sick to keep the steam in the bathroom. Thanks for the tutorial and thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat link party!

  23. This is what I need! Would you please link this up to my Friday Favorites at http://imnotatrophywife.com

    This is a great tutorial !

  24. What a great idea and it looks so good. You did a great tutorial, even someone who doesn’t sew like me can follow it. Thank you for sharing it on our Four Seasons Blog Hop. Pinning it now.

  25. You wouldn’t think something so simple could make such a difference but it DOES! You can find these things if you look for them, but why not make one to match your decor, or use up some extra fabric? Nice tutorial, Sharon!

    • Thanks Lydia! I can certainly tell the difference now that I’ve put these under the doors. The rooms are so much warmer! These are a keeper for sure….

Trackbacks

  1. […] – especially when the wind gets howling! For added protection from drafts, we like to make double-sided door draft stoppers. They slide under the door and provide draft protection on both sides. Genious!  We suggest these […]

  2. […] stoppers cost around $10 each, but they are easy to make with only fabric, thread, and pipe covers. Click here for a guide on how to make your own draft […]

  3. […] How to Make a Double-Sided Door Draft Stopper […]

  4. […] most popular project from last week’s party was How to Make a Double-Sided Door Draft Stopper shared on Make It Or Fix It Yourself. I seriously love this idea for the cold winter […]

  5. […] Make it or Fix it shows us how to make this double-sided door draft stopper! […]

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