Stop Drafts: Sealing, Insulation, and Homemade Draft Stoppers

How many people felt cold this past weekend?  Temperatures definitely dropped in Michigan, and there are few things worse than coming in from cold temperatures outside to find that your home is filled with chilly drafts.  Sealing the attic and around doors and windows, as well as adding insulation are two great ways to decrease drafts and increase your home’s efficiency.  These projects can be DIY, but if you are unsure, call a professional like those at FLAME!

Another way to work on decreasing drafts is by making a draft stopper for doorways and window ledges.  These might not be quite as effective as sealing and insulation, but they are fun to make, and they can be a great craft with kids.  Instructions and ideas for draft stoppers, also sometimes known as draft snakes, can be found all over the internet.  Here are some directions for one from Kids Activities Woo!

Project Materials:

A long piece of fabric, or some shorter ones are sewn together
A piece of red felt with a triangle cut out of the end for a nice snakey tongue
Six buttons
Scissors
Sewing machine
Rice
Hot glue
Most people use draft blockers at the bottom edge of their doors, so start by measuring the width of the door. Add a half inch to that amount (for your 1/4″ seam allowances), and cut your fabric to that length. I found a width of about five inches worked great, but you can adjust it if you have a larger gap at the bottom of the door. If you don’t have one fabric that is long enough, stitch a few complementary fabrics together to get it to the right length.

Sew the long edge and one short edge, right sides together.

You’ve just created a tube. Turn it right-side-in, and fill it with rice….

Turn the unfinished edges under with the red felt tongue sandwiched between and sticking out.

Finally, glue your buttons together to make eyes, and hot glue them in place. We made ours by stacking a small black button on a medium blue button (the iris and pupil), and placing those both on top of a large white button. If you have really little ones, you might prefer to sew the buttons on before filling and sewing up the end.

– See more at: http://www.woojr.com/door-draft-blocker-snake-craft-that-kids-can-make/#sthash.AsYrBso8.dpuf

For more information about sealing, insulation, and other ways to keep your home warm this fall, contact FLAME!