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Start your Spring Cleaning with Easy Sewing Projects!

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Ah, spring cleaning. Every year it is a giant production that uses up weekends of healthy energy. You spend so much time organizing your life during these spring months just to end up right back where you started one year later. Don’t be discouraged! Instead, craft one of these easy sewing projects to keep your home organized! Say hello to warm weather with these spring cleaning ideas.

Get started by sewing a protective Adjustable Apron or one of these other 27 Free Patterns for Aprons. Follow this checklist for successful Spring Cleaning 2014.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

 

1. Take Out the Trash

20 Minute Clothespin Bag Let’s be real: the majority of spring cleaning involves throwing out all of that stuff you really don’t need. Say goodbye to those hoarder-like tendencies with the freeing action of throwing things away. While you’re at it, sew up an excellent new trash bag for disposing your junk in style. Try out the Hanging Trash Bag for a convenient solution. This trash bag is waiting at your side, ready for you to toss stuff into it. Another great option is the 20 Minute Clothespin Bag. Transform a plain old clothespin bag into a simple trash receptacle that’s surprisingly cute and practical.

 

 

 

 

2. Get Organized

Life Saving Collapsible Bin With the remaining items you keep, be sure to organize your home so the clutter doesn’t build like last year! Since we at AllFreeSewing have about a million sewing patterns for organization, I’ll go ahead an list just a few of our best:

1. Make a Bedside Organizer
2. Life Saving Collapsible Bin
3. Door Organizer
4. 8 Awesome DIY Organizers: Sewing Organizer Tutorials eBook

 

 

3. Dust Shelves

DIY Washable DusterNo house is truly clean if there is any lingering dust! Send those dust bunnies on their way with your very own DIY Washable Duster. This project is easy to make and perfect for spring. Don’t throw away this duster when you’ve finished using it! Wash it and reuse it for a green solution to your spring cleaning.

For another great duster that can be used over and over, check out the tutorial for these Reusable Swiffer Duster Cloths. This is the perfect way to use up your scrap flannel. Clean out your fabric scraps from your stash and create a new cleaning supply in the process.

 

 

4. Clean Floors

Washable Flip Mop Pads There’s no use in tidying up your space if your floors remain grimy. Make your own Washable Flip Mop Pads for your favorite floor duster. Instead of purchasing disposable pads for your flip mop, make your own for a fraction of the price. You’ll save money by washing these flip pads rather than throwing them out and buying new ones.

You can also upcycle some old socks to make another variation! The Reusable Swiffer Sweeper is a marvelous way to repurpose a pair of socks that you won’t wear again.

 

 

5. Don’t Forget the Car!

Cool Car Caddy Straps On To HeadrestLet’s not forget the space that serves as your second home! Spring cleaning doesn’t just involved cleaning out your house. Be sure to tidy up the family car, too! Organize your car with a few of these easy sewing projects. Make the Car Caddy for all of your on-the-go crafting supplies. Crafting a is a great way to stay occupied on long road trips, and this is a way to keep those crafting supplies organized! Be sure to keep those road trip snacks organized as well with the Cool Car Caddy Straps On To Headrest.

 

 

 

 

What is the messiest room in your house?

 

Sewing Spring Cleaning and Organization Tools

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For some of you, spring cleaning may be the most exciting time of the year. For others, myself included, it’s a terrifying confrontation with a year’s worth of junk. For the benefit of crafters and cleaners alike, here are some projects from AllFreeSewing that should serve as home cleaning remedies. Whether you need to organize your house or evict pounds of dust from it, these craft organization ideas should make your journey to spring cleanliness easier. Look around you and admit that some extra ideas for home organization couldn’t hurt. You know that once you effectively master the mess in your home, you can enjoy a guilt-free spring. Ready for some ideas? Here they are:

Do-it-Yourself-CleaningDIY Microfiber Cleaning Slippers

Try out homemade cleaning remedies from AllFreeSewing like this these Washable Flip Mop Pads. There are tons of ways to make your own cleaning supplies. If you’re wondering how to remove dust from your home, these DIY Microfiber Cleaning Slippers from Housing a Forest are also a creative way to do it.

I also love this DIY Washable Duster. DIY Washable DusterOne: because it looks cool. Two: because you can actually reuse this DIY duster instead of throwing it away after every use. It lets you spring clean and be green!

 

Crafting Organization Systems

Closet cleaning is one of the worst kinds. It’s common knowledge that the closet is the real trash can of a room. Like a black hole it swallows an enormous amount stuff, unbeknownst to you. The problem is you can live without most of the items in your closet, but you choose to keep them. This spring is a time to enforce some organization systems into your closet. This Hanging Jewelry Organizer, for example, will keep your jewelry neatly in one place. Learn how to sew pockets to fit every kind of accessory you have. This Mail Organizer is also a clever closet cleaning DIY organizer. Mail Organizer Tutorial

Pretty Painted PegboardI found this awesome Pretty Painted Pegboard from Sew Fearless. If you’re an avid crafter, this project may be worth the work. The weather is heating up so you can make this in your garage and really enjoy spring cleaning!

 

 

Organizational Tips for the Neglected Car

Unfortunately, you may have noticed that your accumulated junk doesn’t only stay in your house. If you’re ever embarrassed to have someone in your car, you know what I mean. A friend slides into the front seat to meet a pile of papers, an ice scraper (even though the snow melted a month ago), a pair of shoes, a sandwich, a roll of toilet paper- these items might be different in your car.

Try enforcing similar organization systems in your car that you use in your home. For example, this Car Caddy is a sewing project for intermediate-level seamstresses who need a place to put the items in their car. Making car caddies like this one will also teach you how to sew pockets. It’s learning a sewing technique and getting organized at the same time. Cool Car Caddy

In my search for cleaning solutions to the car I also came across this excellent DIY sewing project. The Hanging Trash Bag will serve its purpose dutifully in your vehicle. You always need a place to put greasy take-out containers, napkins or baby diapers on the road. What’s great about this trash bag is it doesn’t even look like a garbage can; it’s actually pretty.

Do you have any spring cleaning tips?

Hot Glue Gun Tips

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Here we are with some great new tips from bloggers! This week’s topic: Glue! Everything you could possibly want to know about how to make your hot glue gun strings go away or how to clean up those sticky messes!

I know that when I make crafts with my little sister, she somehow manages to get glue all over the table. It doesn’t seem to matter if we put newspaper down, the table just gets messy. I used to try just soapy water and a wash rag, and when that didn’t work, I’d resort to harsher chemical cleaning projects. It became a huge problem and when my sister would come up with some crazy craft idea, I would groan a little inside because I knew the clean-up would be treacherous. But with these awesome clean-up ideas, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

When I start a new craft project, I’m not always thinking about safety right away, especially when it comes to hot glue. It’s like my fingers are magnetically attracted to the tip of a glue gun. I know it’s hot, but I just don’t think straight when my creative juices are flowing! Anyway, just follow these smart tips on being safe with hot glue, and avoid any future burns. I know my fingers will thank me for this.

So don’t fear the glue! Glue can be your friend and you don’t have to worry about getting burned by your hot glue gun anymore. Now you can dive into some great projects.

5 Projects to Make with Hot Glue

3-Sassy Feather Hair Accessories

Altered Art Mason Jars

Braided T-Shirt Bangles

Cute Bug Painted Pumpkin

Candy Corn Friends

Altered Art Mason Jar

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more great tips, you can check out our Adhesive Glue and Bonding Tips.

Have a tip that you didn’t see here? Please share!

FaveCrafts 365 Glitter B-Gone!

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Everyone seems to love glitter and I know glitter loves me! When I craft with glitter I think I get more on me than the project at hand! Sparkling like a diamond has it’s time and place, but sometimes you just want that excess glitter to be gone.

This video gives you some easy tips on glitter clean-up!

Some shimmering and glittery projects on FaveCrafts.com:

15 Cool Projects that Shimmer and Shine! Click HERE.

Check out Art Glitter for some fabulous glitter. Click HERE.

Need glitter? You have to visit CutRateCraft.com for the best prices and selection. Click HERE.

Glitter Flowers bloom! Click HERE.

Glitter Overload will keep you smiling! Click HERE.

FaveCrafts 365 No More Dirty Tips!

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Bet you’re wondering what kind of dirty tips I’ve been promoting, but this dirty tip belongs to our much loved and much used glue guns. This video shows you a way to clean that tip like new! Just remember the tip of a hot glue gun can burn so always be careful to avoid direct contact.

You might want to check out our top 12 tips about using your glue gun here.

Do you have a tip to share? I’d love to hear the ways you keep your crafting tools clean, just leave your comment.

FaveCrafts 365 Cleaning Sea Shells

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As a Floridian and nature lover I enjoy shelling (collecting sea shells along the shore). The first rule of shelling is that you can’t take any live shells. You should always check the shell you pick up because even if the original animal isn’t in the shell those silly, sassy little hermit crabs may have moved in and they can’t live without the using a sea shell as their home.

Watch this video to learn the best way to clean sea shells and also a tip on how to add a little shine to your shells. Do you enjoy collecting sea shells? Do you craft with sea shells? We’d love to know!

Fun Family Spring Cleaning Tip

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It’s about that time of year again, I feel just about ready to crawl out from beneath a pile of snow and exorcise all the dust and clutter that’s been building up for the past few months of hibernation. I came across this cute idea to get the kids involved in the process in a way that won’t have the little ones TOTALLY unwilling to help out — instead they might just have a little fun. Take a pair of white cotton ankle socks in your child’s size. Draw a bunny face on them and use fabric glue or a hot glue gun to attach a pink pom pom “tail” at the back of the sock and two wiggle eyes to the bunny face.  Have your child put the socks on and spray the bottom with a little bit of water – not too much though, you want to avoid slip and falls! Now put your little dust bunny to work, sliding their feet along tile, wood and stone floors to pick up excess dust! Throw away when finished.

What are your best, crafty cleaning tips?

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