It is no secret that we spend a third of our lives sleeping. At the same time, we want convenience and comfort. But ordinary sheets constantly bunch up and slide onto the floor. How to deal with this? Use a fitted option. They securely grip the mattress and remain smooth throughout the night.
It is not always possible to choose the right sheet according to the size of the bed from the required material. In this article, we will teach you how to sew sheets with elastic for a regular, round and oval mattress. You will see that it is simple, you will be able to do it yourself.
Content
Selection of materials
Linen, cotton, calico, silk and jersey are suitable for work. Choose any material for your bed sheet, to your taste. We advise you to choose a fabric that you know how to work with.
How much fabric do you need? It depends on the size of the mattress.
Let's calculate for the size 160x200 cm. The usual height of the side is 15 cm. We add it in double size to the width - 160 + 15x2 = 190 cm, and the length - 200 + 15x2 = 230 cm. In addition, we add 20 cm for the wrong side and hem. It turned out 210x250 cm. In the store, you need to look for fabric 250 cm wide and buy 210 cm. Using this formula, you can calculate the material consumption for your sizes yourself! If the fabric is wider, you will have to cut off the excess.
You will also need a regular elastic band, threads to match the chosen fabric, scissors and a pin. Everything is ready for cutting.
Cutting the material
Attention! Before cutting out fabric prone to shrinkage, it should be soaked in hot water, dried and ironed. Or simply steamed well with an iron.
On the prepared fabric, we measure the required dimensions - we get a rectangle with sides of 210x250 cm. We fold it in four, aligning the ends. Now we take the corner where the 4 free ends of the fabric have gathered, measure from the corner to the right and left 15 cm along the height of the side + 10 cm for the hem. In our case, this is 25 cm. Feel free to cut out a square measuring 25x25 cm. The pattern is ready. It is a rectangle with cut off corners.
Sewing a bed sheet
First of all, we fold our cut squares diagonally with the front side inward. We sew on the machine, then we process on the overlock or "zigzag". We also process all the edges of the fabric, except for the selvedge ones.
The next step: make a drawstring for the elastic. Fold the edge along the perimeter to the width of the selected elastic + 2 cm allowance, stitch. We advise inexperienced dressmakers to first iron the hem, or even better, baste it.
There are two options for hemming:
- single,
- double.
In the first case, we fold it once and stitch it, in the second case, we fold it twice. But we make the first layer of material smaller.
It is important not to forget to leave a hole for threading the elastic. How much will you need? Twice as much as the perimeter of our canvas.
Having completed the seam, we boldly insert the elastic band using an ordinary pin. Sew the edges of the elastic band.
You have a beautiful, exclusive sheet made with your own hands.
Sheet Options
We looked at sewing a regular fitted sheet.
What if you want to sew an oval-shaped fitted sheet? In this case, you need to cut out two pieces: an oval to fit the mattress and a side facing. It is important to take this into account when buying fabric. How to calculate the required amount - we will discuss below.
If you need to sew a sheet for a crib measuring 120x60 cm, then the fabric for the oval will be this size plus a 5 cm seam allowance. It turns out to be 125x65 cm. Fold the material in four. Now take the edge with 4 corners and make a rounding. Mark from the corner in both directions approximately 20-25 cm and draw an arc with a radius of approximately 20 cm. Cut off the excess fabric.
Now we cut out the facing. It will be 20 cm wide (this is double the height of the side) and the length equal to the perimeter of the initial piece - 380 cm. (125 + 125 + 65 + 65) We cut the fabric into strips 20 cm wide. A child's mattress is narrow, and the fabric for sheets is usually at least 150 cm wide. By placing the oval pattern along the fabric, we will leave material for the facing strips. Therefore, it is necessary to buy fabric 125 cm long.
So, we have cut strips for the facing. Now we sew them together with a linen stitch. We put the oval and the facing together with the right sides facing each other, baste and stitch. Don't forget to finish the seam with a zigzag stitch. All that's left is to make a drawstring for the elastic. We've already told you how to do this. We insert the elastic, and the baby sheet is ready.
What if your mattress is round?
You can sew a round sheet in the same way as an oval one. The difference is in cutting out the circle.
For example, the mattress diameter is 150 cm, the side height is 15 cm.
- We put the mattress on the material and trace it with tailor's chalk. We got a circle with a diameter of 150 cm.
Cut a circle out of the fabric with an allowance for seams - Add 2 cm for the seam and cut out.
- Also makes a facing for the side with a length equal to the perimeter of the circle and a height of 25 cm. (15 cm - side height + 15 cm for hemming and fitting the bottom of the mattress).
We cut out the border from the fabric, if the fabric is not wide enough, we make 2 parts We connect 2 parts of the side on the machine - We stitch the facing strips into a single piece and sew them to the circle.
Sew the side to the round main part - We process the seam along the entire edge on the overlock. We make a hem to the width of the elastic, as in the first case, choosing from two options.
We overlock the parts in a circle, make a 1-1.2 cm hem for the elastic, stitch - We sweep and stitch.
- We insert the elastic band, sewing its ends.
Cut the elastic to the required size and insert it into the remaining hole. Sew the ends of the elastic band together, stitch the hole left for the elastic band
The round sheet is ready.
Additional fasteners
The fitted sheet holds well on the mattress. For a guarantee and greater durability, you can use fasteners if you wish. These are wide elastic bands like the old children's "pages". You can buy them ready-made, or you can sew them to the corners from the inside crosswise. This fastening will definitely prevent the sheet from getting knocked down.
You were able to see that making a fitted sheet for your favorite bed is not at all difficult, but an interesting and creative activity. You can easily apply the knowledge you have gained and make the sheet of your dreams, which will not bunch up, slide down, and will bring a lot of pleasure to you and your loved ones. And compliments to you, as a caring housewife, will be a worthy reward for your work. Now you can safely go to the store and choose the material to create your masterpiece!
