Okay maybe my longest title yet- but a girl's gotta be descriptive!
Anyone else spring cleaning? I get sick of using disposable paper towels and Swiffer cloths, it actually makes me clean less often! Seriously, who knew reusables would have me WANTING to clean more?!?
For this project I'm using some undershirts my partner retired, they're just plain cotton tees! You can use any color tshirt for this project, but I really like the white because you can SEE how much crud you cleaned off! Not to mention the 2-ply feel makes for a much nicer experience than just using a tshirt as a rag. I made these so they are usable with a Swiffer, but they also work great for dusting surfaces or cleaning anything really, it's basically a reusable paper towel!
Supplies:
A plain, mostly cotton tshirt (no plastic-y images)
Sewing machine with overlock or zigzag stitch
Ballpoint needle
When picking a shirt for this project, try to avoid plastic-y lettering or images as they won't be very good for cleaning!
I cut my shirt into a giant rectangular tube from underarm to underarm. My shirt doesn't have side seams, so I only need to cut off the bottom hem. If your shirt has side seams, you might want to remove them.
To minimize fabric waste, you'll want to divide your fabric evenly! To do this take your large piece of fabric (mine is still a tube, but yours might be 1 long rectangle or 2 squares) and fold it in quarters to determine the best way to cut.
Make sure your rectangle is big enough to fit your Swiffer, if that's how you plan to use yours! My Swiffer is 7.5" x 10" and I accidentally cut this demo batch a little short and they ended up extra long- oops! If that happens to you too, you might still be able to use them by attaching them a little differently!
Grabbed my scissors and start cutting along the folds. Now I have 4 rectangles, for 2 clothes.
To make it easier to sew together, I cut my corners so they were rounded by folding 2 layers into quarters (together) and cutting 1 curve, so everything is symmetrical. Pin or clip the edges of these 2 curved rectangles so things don't shift around too much while sewing.
Grab a ballpoint needle, change your stitch to overlock or zig zag and sew all around the edges of your rectangle. If you're zigzagging, you want to make sure the needle goes all the way off the edge while sewing (meaning it's not touching the fabric at all on one side) so that it catches the raw edges. This just adds a nice finished feel to your reusables!
And that's really all there is to it!
*extra credit* if you want to maximize your whole shirt, make smaller dusting cloths from the shoulders and sleeves. They're perfect as hankies or any small cleaning needs! Using 1 men's medium shirt, I was able to make 2 large and 2 small dusting cloths. You can apply this tutorial to any size shirt, you might get more or less though!
I can't stress enough- make sure to measure your Swiffer and fabric to make sure you get a great fit! You can actually use these clothes on a Swiffer by attaching it the regular (store bought way) or by wrapping it along the short ends!
If you try this project, I'd love to see! Tag @Sunny_Salvage on Instagram or Facebook and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas! Hope you're able to use this tutorial to get your unloved bras back into rotation!
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