Draught Excluder - Free sewing patterns

Keep your home cosy with a Draught Excluder. If you are a fan of patchwork, but you are looking to take a break from the traditional quilt, this practical make from Amanda Walker is the perfect project for you. A home accessory that can be made using all kinds of assorted prints, you have the freedom to create a unique excluder that has been stitched to suit your personal taste. What’s more, this project can be completed in just four simple steps, making it a great choice for beginners and beyond!

Essentials

Fabric, matching fat quarters, eight
Faux leather strap
Polyester filling
Quilt wadding or curtain interlining

1 Download and print the templates from sewmag. co.uk. Cut out eight or nine rectangular strips from each of the eight fat quarters, 5cm x 15cm. You should have approximately 80 in total, but you may need more or less depending on how the strips are stitched together. Snip a rectangle from the quilt wading or curtain interlining, 40cm x the width of your door. Stitch the rectangular strips together, matching the short ends of two different strips and leaving a 7mm seam allowance. Continue until eight different rectangles are connected in one long strip. Press the seam allowances open.

Lay the strip along one of the long edges of the wadding, pin in place, then edgestitch in place. The strip will be longer than the wadding. Trim the excess away. Put together another eight rectangles in the same order, pressing the seam allowances open. Turn the piece around so that no two rectangles are sitting next to each other. Leave the excess hanging from the starting point, staggering the strips. There is no set measurement, as the appearance is meant to be random.
Lay the piece face down on top of the first attached strip, matching the raw edges together. Pin and stitch along the length of the strip, through all the layers, leaving a 7mm seam allowance. Open the strip to the right side and press along the length of the seam. Carry on making and attaching strips in the same way until ten rows have been attached. Edgestitch the last raw edge of the last strip, then trim away the excess wadding and any excess from the strips.
Match and stitch the two long sides together, leaving a 7mm seam allowance. Position the seam in the centre of the tube, then flatten and pin the ends. Cut a 20cm length of faux leather strap, position it inside the tube at one of the flattened ends. Re-pin and stitch across, sandwiching the handle inside the seam. At the remaining end, sew in approximately 2cm from each corner. Turn the tube to the right side through the gap between the stitching. Tease out the corners and stuff. Hand-stitch the open edges of the tube can be closed.