DIY: Draft snake

Living in a 100+ year old house has its advantages. Drafts are not one of those advantages. Case in point: my studio door. Look at that gap...Look. At. That. Gap...did I mention it's an outside door and that's sunlight you're seeing?! I'm pretty sure a small child could shimmy their way under that door.

Well, maybe it's not that wide, but look, I can almost completely fit my hand underneath. Running the heater is pretty much futile if you have a gap this size under the door. Mostly I huddle by the warmth of my iron in a vain attempt to keep warm while I'm out there. Today, I could see my breath!

Making up a few draft snakes has been on the to-sew list since the day we moved into this house. It wasn't until the past week that I finally got the job done. Just in the nick of time - we've already had one snow day.

Already, we can feel the difference though, so it's totally worth it. You can heat your house all you want but if there's a draft, you're just wasting your time and money.

The fabric I went with is an organic cotton that's a bit heavier than standard quilting cotton. I've used rice to fill the draft snakes and was shocked at how much each one holds - 13 cups for the one in the studio! I've nearly gone through a 10kg bag of rice just making three snakes!

With this design, one end closes with Velcro so the snake can be emptied and washed if needed. The Dear Sweet Husband had the pleasure of accidentally stepping on one in the house and the Velcro busted open spilling rice EVERYWHERE. Might want to keep that in mind if you make your own. Here are the instructions if you want to take a stab at it:

Materials:

• Fabric cut to 11" by the width of your door plus 3"
• 5-1/2" strip of Velcro (at least 1/2" wide)
• Rice...oh, so much rice! You'll probably need 13-15 cups or so.

Steps:

1. Fold one of the short ends of your fabric over twice making a 3/4" hem. Press. Stitch the folded edge in place.
2. Find the centre point of the hemmed short edge by folding your fabric in half length-wise. Mark the centre point on what will be the inside of the snake.
3. Separate your Velcro strip and pin each half just to either side of your mark. Stitch in place.
4. With right sides together, align and pin the edges of your fabric. Stitch along the short and long edge (obviously, not the hemmed short edge).
5. Turn the snake right side out and fill with rice.