Our front door seems to have developed this weird gap at the bottom. We have a flappy thing (technical term) on it, but the gap remains.
Gaps on doors = drafts. Drafts = money you're spending on heat going right out the damn door.
Troy came up with a brilliant temporary fix.
Emphasis on temporary.
When my mother-in-law and I went to IKEA to pick out Jack's big boy bed, we spent a few minutes in the "As Is" section. For those of you not familiar with IKEA, the "As Is" section contains returns, slightly dinged items, floor models, and other miscellaneous slightly damaged items.
During our perusal of the As Is section, I found a gorgeous orange curtain panel that had been ripped on one side. It was a 84 inch panel, which meant a ton of fabric. For $3. Booyah! It was like an orange beacon of light, saving me from the rolled up beach towel.
Just a head's up, the photos in this post are TERRIBLE. I've decided that bright orange is an impossible photo to photograph. If anyone knows anything about cameras, please tell me in moron language, how to take a photo of orange that isn't blown out.
To make the door stop:
1) I cut a 60 inch strip from the panel.
2) Then folded in half long ways (or if you had my mother in second grade, I folded it "hot dog style"), and pinned it together, leaving a 5 inch gap at one end.
3) Sew the two sides together along the edges. Back stitch multiple times when you come to the end, while still leaving the 5 inch gap.
4) Turn the whole thing inside out. It's going to be a bit of a hassle to get it all turned inside out. It felt like what I assume putting a condom on a boa constrictor would be like.
5) Put about 2 cups of popcorn kernels in the tube. I used my canning funnel to make it a little easier. You could also use dried beans, rocks, marbles, etc. I just wanted a little weight in there.
6) Then, I took all the little scrap pieces of fabric that I've been collecting in a big basket for the last year or so. I'd put a few in, and then jammed a yard stick down there (that's what she said) until they were packed pretty solidly. Continue this until you have the thing almost full. You want a bit of space at the top.
7) Pinch the ragged edge of the hole together. Sew closed using a simple stitch.
There you have it! For just a small piece of a $3 fabric panel, fabric scraps, and 2 cups of popcorn, I have an attractive door stop that keeps the heat in my house.
Labels: Sew cool
