Homemade Door Draft Stopper Recycled Craft

Making homemade door draft stoppers is a great eco-friendly craft for the winter. Homemade door draft stoppers block the cold air and save on the winter heating bills, while providing a craft that recycles useless cloth scraps and old clothes. Here is how to assemble a door draft stopper.

For the door draft stopper craft, you will need:

Old socks

Scrap cloth of any type

Scissors

Sewing kit
Leftover sleeves cut from homemade short sleeved sweatshirts, sweatshirt vests, recycled hooded sweatshirt PJ's, sweatshirt grocery bags, or long-sleeved T-shirts made into pillowcases or sleeveless shirts can be used in place of socks.

Craft Preparations: Gather up any old socks, stained socks, and socks with holes in them. Gather any leftover cut-off sleeves or pant legs. This craft provides a good use for sleeves that are too small for making Santa/Elf or winter hats and sleeves and pant legs that are too tight for making into leg warmers. Another source for the frame is the sleeves of the clothes that will be used to stuff the door draft stoppers. Old sheets, pillowcases, towels, socks, cotton gloves, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, clothes and cloth scraps all make great stuffing for the door draft stopper.

Craft step #1, cutting out the materials: Cut off the old socks at the ankles and save the necks for the outside of the door draft stoppers. A sock with no holes in it can be kept intact for the end of the door draft stopper. Cut up the cloth to be used as stuffing so it is not too bulky to fill the door draft stopper. Cut off any sleeves and pant legs and save them for the frame. It may be desirable to cut off the cuffs if they are too narrow in proportion to the rest of the door draft stopper.

Craft Step #2, sewing and stuffing the door draft stopper: Take the end piece of the door draft stopper and stuff it with the cloth scraps. Turn the second piece of the door draft stopper inside out and pull it over the first so the ends are even. Sew around the end to join the two pieces, then pull the second piece back out. The desired effect is an extended tube with no sewing showing. Stuff the second section and repeat as desired until the door draft stopper reaches its desired length. To close off the door draft stopper, fold all the raw edges inside and then sew across the entire opening.

You now have an eco-friendly door draft stopper that will save on heating costs in the winter. It may be a good idea to remove the door draft stopper from the area during the daytime on snowy or muddy days due to tracking in moisture. The door draft stopper can be machine or hand-washed if it gets really soiled, but I would recommend washing it in the summertime in order for the door draft stopper to have a reasonable chance of drying thoroughly. Store your recycled door draft stopper in a dry place for the summer, such as a closet, wardrobe floor, or attic. Storing the door draft stopper in the basement or in a moist area will allow it to mold and such areas should be avoided.