With the weather definitely getting a lot cooler now I've been thinking of ways to cut down the chilly winds which blow in under the badly fitting and rather ancient french windows. Last year I tried this method of cutting down on the draughts. It wasn't a great success as the pipe wrap stuff kept coming away from where I'd stuck it down to the floor and doors and by mid-winter it looked dreadful.
This year I thought I'd try a more elegant solution and make a custom-made draught excluder. I'd been chewing this particular idea over for ages and had been keeping my eye open for cheap polyester pillows that I could scavenge the stuffing out of. I had no success whatsoever, either second-hand or new, and kept thinking what have I got or what could I get hold of that would work as stuffing on such a large draught-excluder. As if by magic, when I looked in the cupboard under the stairs I came across a large carrier bag full of huge black hanks of thick coarse wool. I'd paid £1.00 for the lot a couple of years back in the charity shop and they had labelled it as craft wool. I had tried knitting a few experimental squares with it but the stuff was so hard and coarse and the black dye got all over my hands that I soon bunged it in the cupboard. Well, long story short, it turned out to be just the ticket for stuffing a draught excluder. I tied two skeins together with cord to make it nice and thick and then cut out some fairly cheerful fabric from an old tablecloth.
I'm pretty pleased with the result and it sure looks a lot better than last years effort. P was very impressed with the fact that it fitted the french windows exactly, I think he thought that had happened by pure chance until I pointed out that I had, in fact, measured the windows before I started making it and had then cut the fabric to size! Simples, as the meerkat would say.
That's really nice, I like the fabric, and perfect find with the forgotten wool. Draught pillows are on my list to do this week as well.
Posted by: Jennifer | 10/08/2009 at 02:11 PM
That is brilliant! I need to do something like that for our doors, and windows LOL!
Posted by: Lorraine | 10/09/2009 at 07:38 PM
Great idea!
I'm starting to think of ideas to keep warm this winter. I just hate putting the c/h on.
BTW congrats with your ebay sales. Oh and I always get the postage wrong too :-(
Posted by: sharie | 10/09/2009 at 11:06 PM
Great photos and I just love that draught excluder! Probably the most glam one I've ever seen :)
Posted by: Shoestring | 10/10/2009 at 05:23 PM
Ooh that's lovely! Gorgeous fabric. Nice bit of re-use, that.
x x x
Catherine
Posted by: Catherine | 10/10/2009 at 05:37 PM
Definately better - that looks great!
Posted by: apieceofwood | 10/11/2009 at 06:53 AM
Brilliant i love the fabric, i definitely need to make one of these our front door is tres drafty when the winds start, i love your idea for the stuffing, going to keep my eyes peeled for more inventive materials for stuffing my crafts with now seeing as i can't find batting anywhere these days!
Posted by: Ms B. Thrift | 10/12/2009 at 11:26 AM