Altering fitted sheets

I had this problem for sheets that I bought and the problem was solved by the great posters here. I've found the solution in Google Groups archive from 2004 and have posted it here.

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I have sheets that are too large, too, and just sewed up two corners. It doesn't matter that the corners are "even" all around, since no one will ever see that one end has a seam larger than the other end. You will even forget about it eventually.

The way I did it was to turn the sheet inside out, and fold along the seam. I just stitched a deeper seam. It worked great, and no more swearing when I should be calm and ready for a restful night's sleep. ;->

Karen Maslowski in Ohio

Awkward thing is most new mattresses are deeper and so the newer sheets are cut to accomodate this thickness.

I have a lovely older bed but my new sheets also fit too loosely.

LM

Thanks for the post, Karen. Now for the hard part: How to fold a fitted sheet into a neat bundle like a top sheet so it sits nicely on a shelf. I saw Martha Stewart do it once, but I couldn't keep up with her.

Our solution is plan B: Take it directly from the dryer and install it on the bed. JPBill

It takes a bit of fiddling but fitted sheets can be folded neatly. About the best way I can describe it is all the corners fit into one corner and then the sheet is smoothed as much as possible; then begin to neatly fold the sheet. I can get my fitted sheet to be almost the same size as the flat sheet once it's folded. I wish I had a video to show you how easily it is done.

Here's a video for you!

Good job! And here's another one. Several on the internet and some are better than others. The one Alice posted is a good clear one.

windwatcher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@l33g2000pri.googlegr oups.com:

being basicly lazy, i buy sheet suspenders for my bed with the thinner mattress. you could easily make some, as well. they're a piece of 1" elastic with clips on either end, like the old- fashioned mitten clips. you clip them across the corners of the sheets under the matress. they also work for making a flat sheet stay put as a bottom sheet. for my son's bed, which has a 2" memory foam mattress topper instead of a mattress, i have 2 long adjustable elastic straps with clips on both ends that run lengthwise under the mattress. the sheets wrinkle a bit from the side edges, but not too badly. if i was going to use that style on a double or larger mattress, i'd run 2 top to bottom & 2 side to side... in fact, since most of the sheets i've bought in the past 2 years have dead elastic on the bottom sheets after 2 washes, i may do this anyway... i also use the long elastic ones to keep the tablecloth on my dining room table, despite a very wiggly child :)

lee

Sometimes, if I am rushed and don't have the time to shop for just the clips, I pick up a set of fasteners for the ironing board and just add the extra elastic in the middle. They work wonderful for crib sheets, as well as bed sheets. Emily

One of the posts I read hear said something about taking a tuck - it wasn't really clear, but I decided to do that because if it didn't work, I could rip it out (used a long stitch to make that easier). I turned up the elastic about 4", right sides together and then stitched about 1 1/2" from the fold to make a 3" tuck all around, matching the corner seams. And it works perfectly--the sheet fits much better now. The seam line barely shows at the side because it's covered by the edge of the base (no box spring).