Comfort is an essential condition of everyday life. It also concerns bed linen, the task of which is to ensure a good night's sleep and use.
Being in the whirlwind of everyday affairs, there is less time left for everyday life. Simple and unexpected solutions are found, which, for some reason, are only now coming to life.
The topic under consideration is how to choose a fitted sheet.
Content
Advantages
The sheet has its own peculiarities. It is a kind of cover without a bottom side. It fits tightly around the mattress and is fixed to it from below thanks to an elastic band, which is sewn in several ways.
This type is suitable for children's beds, people who sleep restlessly, and is widely used in the hotel business due to the quick change of bed linen. The main advantages are clear fixation and quick dressing. They do not need to be adjusted every morning, once the mattress is tucked in. For convenient dressing, the sheet is fixed diagonally, then pulled over the remaining corners. The emergence of a new type of bed linen is due to the significant height of modern sleeping places, which causes inconvenience when making up.
There is an important point. Such products can have a terry cloth front side and a rubberized back side. They are used as waterproof covers when caring for bedridden patients or newborn babies.
The design is a rectangle with four cut-out corners that are sewn together. Then an elastic band is sewn on:
- around the perimeter;
A blue fitted sheet with elastic all around is the most comfortable option - in the corners;
Orange fitted sheet with elastic at the corners - along the short ones with an extension to the long sides.
Linen fitted sheet with elastic on the shorter side
We determine the dimensions
When buying, the question arises of how to choose a fitted sheet according to the size of the mattress. You need to know the parameters of the sleeping place: width, length, height.
The first two values are the distance between the tops of the sewn corners. Now we determine their height. The sheet should completely wrap around the mattress from the side and a little from the bottom. Therefore, with a sleeping area height of 17 cm, the length of the corner should be approximately 20-25 cm. After all, the assembly will be hidden from below, thereby creating a cover effect, which is what the extra centimeters are for. The height is not always indicated on the label. Measure it. Often, the absence of this indicator in stores is explained by the fact that the product is universal. And yet, such a sheet will “sit” differently at a height of 15 and 22 cm. It is worth remembering this when choosing.
Selecting the material
Natural materials are preferable. Traditionally, these are calico and satin. They can withstand repeated washings, absorb moisture well, and are easy to care for. Satin has a richer and brighter color palette, and calico retains heat. There are models made of cotton jersey or soft terry cloth. With a variety of materials, it is worth choosing those that contain 100% cotton or have a small content of synthetic fibers up to 3%.
For special purpose rubberized products, the percentage of natural fibers will be significantly lower.
A small drawback
The assembly does not allow for high-quality ironing of the product, so sheets with elastic around the perimeter are often sewn from wrinkle-resistant terry cloth or jersey. But you can iron them. With your left hand, pull the sheet under the ironing table, straighten the assembly, and iron. It is not so fast, but it is doable. Therefore, do not be afraid of cotton products with elastic around the perimeter.
Such products cannot be boiled, as the thin rubber veins will become unusable. There is another drawback - it is difficult to fold.
We'll sew it ourselves
It happens that you have not found a suitable product. Then it can be sewn. We take into account that the fabrics in the store are 150 cm wide. This means that it will not be possible to sew a sheet from one whole piece for a 160x200 mattress. In this case, you need to buy two lengths.
Values for calculation:
- length 200 cm;
- height, for example 20 cm;
- the required allowance for the bottom bend is 4 cm;
- Seam allowance – 1 cm.
200+20+4+1=225 cm. 225x2=4.5 m.
Now we sew these parts along the edge with a regular seam. Linen and lapped seams are stronger, but also thicker, and can cause discomfort during sleep. We got a large rectangle with a seam in the middle of the required length, including all the necessary allowances. Its dimensions are: 225x300.
We determine the width in the same way as the length: 160+20+4+1=185 cm.
Place the seam in the middle. From the seam in both directions, put aside half of the calculated value. In the resulting piece 225x185 cm, cut off the corners and excess. Calculate: 20 cm is the height of the mattress, 4 and 1 cm are allowances. 20 + 4 + 1 = 25 cm. But we need to leave 1 cm for stitching, so we cut out squares with a side of 24 cm. Done.
Fold the cuts inside out. Sew a seam 7 mm wide. Now turn the corners to the front side, straighten them with your hands.
We sew a line already 1 cm wide. We get a traditional linen seam. Along the perimeter of the sheet we sew an elastic band 1-2 cm wide, placing it on the front side of the material and pulling it slightly.
Turn the elastic band inside out and make another line. Done. You can pre-ironed the cuts to the inside twice by 1 cm. Then insert the elastic band, sewn into a ring, into the resulting allowance, stitch along the fold of the fabric by 1-2 mm, leaving a small hole unstitched.
This treatment is good when using a narrow elastic band, as it is more prone to stretching during use. Through the free section it can be loosened or tightened.
Elastic band only at the corners. You will need four pieces of elastic band 30 cm long. On the sewn part from each seam in both directions we put marks at a distance of 20 cm, between them we sew elastic band. We process the cuts along the perimeter, bending the fabric twice by 1 cm, we lay a line.
The elastic band on the short sides is made similarly to the described variant, but the size of the elastic band pieces is larger. The assembly is located along the width of the mattress.
The larger the sections that are gathered, the better the fixation of the sheet on the mattress.
The choice of finished products is great, the fabrics are varied. With a competent approach to the choice or manufacture of the product, you can get the expected effect - sleep on a smooth surface, a neat look of the bed. Having proven its advantages, the elasticated sheet will take its rightful place in the bedroom.
