Hey everyone. Today you will learn to seal the drafty gap around a pet door panel with batting.
You know that gap. The panel sits in the window or the sliding door track. The pet flap works just fine. But air sneaks in around the edges.
Hot air in summer. Cold air in winter. And bugs find it, too.
Here is the fix. You pack soft batting into a simple fabric tube. Then you press that tube into the gap. It fills the odd shape. It stays put. And your pet can still use the flap.
That last part matters. We are sealing around the panel. We are not blocking the door your dog or cat walks through.
For this job I reach for 80/20 cotton-poly batting. Here we go.
Materials
- 80/20 cotton-poly batting, scraps or pieces cut from a package — enough to fill your gap snugly
- 1/2 yard sturdy quilting cotton, canvas, or outdoor fabric for the tube
- 50-weight cotton thread to match
- Size 90/14 universal needle
- Tape measure and a piece of paper for notes
- Rotary cutter or scissors, ruler, and clips
- Chopstick or turning tool for pushing batting into corners
- Optional: hook-and-loop dots or ties to hold the tube in place
A quick word on that 80/20 blend. It is 80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester. The cotton gives it body. The poly gives it a little spring.
That spring is why it works here. It compresses to go in. Then it puffs back and fills the space. Low loft suits narrow gaps. Medium loft suits wider gaps. Completely up to you.
How to Make It
- Measure the gap, all the way around. Measure the top, both sides, and the bottom where the panel meets the frame. Write each length down. Gaps are rarely even, folks. One side may be 1/4 inch. The other may be 3/4 inch.
- Check the flap swing first. Push the pet flap open with your hand. Mark where it swings. Your blocker goes outside that swing zone, along the fixed frame edges only. Test this before you sew anything.
- Cut your fabric tubes. For each side, cut a strip 4 inches wide and 2 inches longer than that side. That folds into a tube about 1 1/2 inches wide, which suits most gaps. Go 5 inches wide for a really wide gap.
- Sew the tubes. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, right sides together. Stitch the long edge with a 1/4-inch seam. Use a 2.5 mm stitch length, about 10 to 11 stitches per inch. Leave both short ends open. Turn right side out and press flat.
- Cut and roll the batting. Cut batting into strips about 2 inches wide. Roll each strip into a tight little log. Tear, do not cut, the ends you join. Torn edges blend with no hard lump.
- Pack the tubes. Push the batting logs in one at a time. Use the chopstick to work them into the ends. Pack firm, but not rock hard. You want it to squish about a third when you squeeze it. That squish is what seals.
- Close the ends. Tuck the raw edges in about 1/2 inch. Topstitch them closed, or slip-stitch by hand. Backstitch well if you machine it. These ends take a lot of handling.
- Fit and test. Press each tube into its gap, working from one corner to the next. Then test the pet flap again. Full swing, no rubbing. If a tube pops out, pack a little more batting into that section and try again.
Tips and Variations
For a window air conditioner. Same idea, same tubes. Run them along the side panels and across the top where the unit meets the frame. That is where the bugs sneak in at our house. Super duper simple fix.
Make it removable. Sew a small loop on one end. Then you can pull it out for cleaning. Add hook-and-loop dots if the tube wants to travel.
Wash with care. Wash gentle and cold. Lay flat to dry. If it packs down, open one end and add a fresh batting log. No need to start over.
Mind the weather side. If the gap faces rain, keep the batting dry and inside. Wet batting does not insulate well, y'all.
And here is your permission beat. Your tubes do not have to be perfect. One side will be fatter than the other. Mine was. The gap does not care, and the draft is gone anyway.
Take your time. It's not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Thanks for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Batting Package at Linda's Electric Quilters.
