DIY: Draft-stopper snake

Credit: Gabrielle Diehl

Save money, save energy and keep your home draft-free with this easy-to-make draft-stopper snake

Stop drafts from entering your home through the bottoms of doors or windows with this easy-to-make, attractive yet functional draft-stopper snake. It’s also good for keeping out smells, for insulating sounds or for blocking out light. Also, since the snake is so heavy it can double as a doorstop.

Follow the first steps (1–7) to make the body of the snake (see: Basic draft stopper snake). The last optional steps (8–12) are to make a removable and washable cover.

Materials

• 28 x 84 cm strip of thick, tightly woven fabric (I recycled an old cotton rice bag, but an pair of old blue jeans would also work fabulously)

• Sand (or small pebbles or dried beans)

• Coordinating thread

• Straight pins

• Ruler

• Fabric chalk or pencil crayon

• Sewing machine

• Scissors

• Iron

Optional cover

• 36 x 88 cm strip of any pretty fabric (I used extra fabric from my curtains)

• 36 x 20 cm of accent fabric (I got mine from an old plaid skirt)

• Rope, chord or ribbon

• Safety pin

Basic draft-stopper snake

The draft-stopper snake is basically a long, thin pillow with some weight to it. Before you start sewing, be sure to pre-wash all your fabric.

Step 1: Prepare your fabric. Pre-wash and iron, then fold lengthwise down the middle, inside out (with the right sides together).

Step 2: Pin the two layers together about 5 cm from the edge (opposite side of the fold). Iron flat.

Step 3: With your sewing machine, sew along the long edge and one of the ends with a 2 cm seam allowance. Reinforce your corners and ends by going back and forth a few stitches.

Step 4: Turn the fabric right side out. A chopstick or the end of a pen can be a great aid to push the corners completely out.

Step 5: Fill almost all the way with sand, pebbles or beans, leaving about 12 cm from the top.

Step 6: Fold the top edge down on the inside to hide the fabric’s raw edge.

Step 7: Pin edges together.

Step 8: With your sewing machine, sew your snake shut over the fold.

Optional washable cover

The washable cover is basically a fitted sack for the draft-stopper snake. It has three components: The main coloured fabric for the cover, the accent band that goes around it and a ribbon for closure.

Step 8: To make the accent band for the cover, first fold the raw edges 2 cm back and iron flat. This only needs to be done to the two long edges.

Step 9: Pin the accent fabric down along the centre of the fabric that will be used for the cover. With your sewing machine, sew down onto the fabric (right sides up).

Step 10: Fold down one of the short edges of the cover fabric. Sew 1.5 cm down from the fold to make the channel for the ribbon.

Step 11: Repeat steps 1–4 of the basic draft-stopper snake instructions. Make sure that the channel for the ribbon stays open when the long edge is sewn together.

Step 12: Use a safety pin to thread the ribbon through the channel.