Keep your heating and cooling costs down while blocking out unwanted noise and light with a do-it-yourself door draft stopper. Get step by step instructions on how to make a simple draft blocker using just 3 materials. Great project for seamstresses or crafters of all levels.

homemade door stopper sitting on the floor in front of an old wooden porch door to prevent the draft from coming inside the house

How to Make a Draft Blocker

Drafty. Chilly. Dry. The three least favorite words in the winter time.

Every year I forget that our house can get quite cold during the winter months but every December, the drafts, chills and lack of moisture set into our home. We live in a 1930s 2-story home with a beautiful four season porch located at the front of our home. The front porch walls are covered in deep, dark wood paneling and the room still has the original hardwood floor in it. Not one board has been painted over (hallelujah!) and they are still in wonderful shape with little to no marking, scuffs or warping. The left side wall along with the front wall is covered in long narrow windows, allowing plenty of light to shine onto our charming porch.

As much as I love our front porch, it can get quite warm in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. I’m sure the massive amount of windows and lack of good insulation are factors that cause these conditions.

To help prevent the cold drafts from spreading to the rest of the home, we set up several preventative measures including placing a DIY door draft stopper at the foot of the pocket door that leads from our porch into our dining room. You wouldn’t think a simple sewing project, filled with bird seed would make much of an impact in the temperature of the room but boy does it! I can step from our kitchen onto our porch and feel a world of difference.

floral patterned door stopper sits in front of a wooden door

Easy Sewing Project

A door draft blocker is a fantastic sewing project for beginners as well as advanced seamstresses. The task can be accomplished within 20-30 minutes and is an excellent way to use up scrap fabric from previous sewing projects. To create a homemade draft stopper, all you will need is some fabric, thread and lots stuffing. I prefer to use bird seed to fill my draft blocker because it is cheap and helps to weigh the tube down so it won’t move easily away from the door. Continue reading below to discover more filling options for your DIY drafter blocker.

What Kind of Material Should You Use to Make a Door Draft Stopper?

Any fabric can be used to make a simple door draft blocker. I prefer to use a heavy weight material such as canvas, duck cloth or drop cloth to help ensure the DIY door draft stopper can stand up to the wear and tear of being on the floor. Other fabrics you can use include cotton, linen, old sweaters and tee shirts or upholstery material.

What is the Best Filling for Door Draft Stoppers?

Bird seed
Dried beans
Dried corn
Uncooked rice
Polyfill stuffing
Popcorn kernels
Buckwheat hulls

Why You’ll Love This Simple Sewing Tutorial

Easy to create
Great way to use up scrap fabric
Helps to save money on your heating and cooling bill
Can be used to block drafts coming from a doorway or window
Step by step instructions on how to make a door draft stopper
Visual tutorials to go along with each step

How to Make a Door Draft Stopper

Stop the cold or extreme heat from entering your door with a homemade door draft stopper. Learn how to sew a simple draft blocker to match the aesthetics of your home in this easy sewing tutorial.

Materials

1/2 yard 44-inch wide fabric (such as canvas, duck cloth or drop cloth)
Two 32-by-6 inch pieces of fabric*
Coordinating thread
Bird seed, dried corn or rice

Directions

woman's hands are using scissors to cut material

Cut two pieces of 30-by-6 inch fabric. With right sides together, lay the pieces on top of each other, lining up the edges all the way around. Pin in place. Sew around the entire door draft blocker with a 1/2-inch seam, leaving one 2-inch area open at the top.

hands are pouring bird seed into door draft stopper to fill it up

Turn the door drafter stopper right side out, through the 2-inch hole. Place a funnel inside the opening and fill the door draft stopper with bird seed or your desired filling. It took about 14 cups of seed to fill mine.

Close up the opening by folding the fabric under and adding a topstitch. Set the draft stopper at the base of a door to block out cold drafts, odors, light or noise.

Notes: *Every door is a different size. Some doorways in our home measure 32 inches while my pocket door to the four season porch is only 30 inches wide. Before you start crafting your DIY door draft stopper, be sure to measure the width of your doorway.

More Homemaking Projects You May Enjoy

Crockpot Potpourri – great way to add moisture to the air during the winter months

How to Sew a Tote Bag – excellent beginner sewing tutorial

Dried Flower Wreath – simple home decor craft

Farmhouse Kitchen Towel – fun craft to create

Yield: 1 door draft stopper

DIY Door Draft Stopper

Materials

1/2 yard 44-inch wide fabric (such as canvas, duck cloth or drop cloth)
Two 32-by-6 inch pieces of fabric*
Coordinating thread
Bird seed, dried corn or rice

Instructions

Cut two pieces of 30-by-6 inch fabric. With right sides together, lay the pieces on top of each other, lining up the edges all the way around. Pin in place. Sew around the entire door draft blocker with a 1/2-inch seam, leaving one 2-inch area open at the top.
Turn the door drafter stopper right side out, through the 2-inch hole. Place a funnel inside the opening and fill the door draft stopper with bird seed or your desired filling. It took about 14 cups of seed to fill mine.
Close up the opening by folding the fabric under and adding a topstitch. Set the draft stopper at the base of a door to block out cold drafts, odors, light or noise.

Notes

*Every door is a different size. Some doorways in our home measure 32 inches while my pocket door to the four season porch is only 30 inches wide. Before you start crafting your DIY door draft stopper, be sure to measure the width of your doorway.