Sew Your Own Fitted Sheets - About.com

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Sew Your Own Fitted Sheets - About.com
By Debbie Colgrove, About.com

Transform flat sheets or resize sheets to make fitted sheets. These step by step directions will show you how.

In my house, I always have more flat top sheets than fitted bottom sheets. Using a print and a solid, I can utilize the flat sheets to make a set of sheets. Converting a flat sheet to a fitted sheet is an easy project.

Note: Not all sheets are created equally! Read more about bed sheets at Before You Buy Bed Sheets. Mattress sizes also vary! Always check the mattress measurements before cutting your sheet.Measure the sides and width of the mattress.

Measure the ends and length of the bed.

ADD 4" - 6" inches to each measurement to allow for sheet to tuck under the mattress. (I like a lot to tuck under but if your fabric isn't wide enough, go with a scant amount to tuck under but keep it even on all edges.)

If you are using 45" wide fabric, you will need to join lengths of fabric to have the fabric wide enough. Add the fabric to each side to avoid having seams on the area some one will be sleeping.

Fit the Corners

Remove hems from an existing flat sheet if necessary.

Lay the sheet evenly on the mattress, right side of the fabric down. (If the bed is not available start at the center of each side and mark the ends of each side, bring the marks together at each corner and pin a dart in place, that is the depth of the mattress and the amount you allowed for tucking under the mattress.)

Pin a dart in place at each corner to bring the sheet in to fit.

Sew the Corners

Sew the dart in place.

Trim the dart to 1/2" and zig zag the raw edge.

Hem the edges of the sheet by turning under 1/4" and 1/4" again. Stitch in place.

Attach Elastic

Cut 4 pieces of 1/4" or wider elastic 10 inches long.

Center each piece of elastic at the bottom of each dart on the wrong side of the sheet. Stretch each end of the elastic as far as it will go along the edge of the sheet. Use a zig zag stitch to attach the elastic to the corners of the sheet, keeping the elastic stretched so that it will pull in the sides. Repeat on all four corners.

About Debbie Colgrove:

Debbie Colgrove started sewing when she was eight years old and took her first tailoring class at the age of thirteen. Sewing is Debbie's life! She knows what it's like not to be able to afford the designer clothes that your children want, but also knows there are a million ways around the high price tags at the store. She firmly believes that everyone can sew in one form or another.

Debbie's personal goal is to make sure that anyone who wants to sew will be able to learn how from the information on About Sewing.

Experience:

Debbie got involved with 4H early on, excelling in competitions and winning awards for her sewing. She has been sewing now for more than 30 years. Debbie was previously employed as an assistant manager for a major fabric store chain, and has done piece work as an independent contractor for local manufacturers.

Today, Debbie teaches sewing by offering instructions for projects, economical sewing solutions, free patterns, and more. She teaches local 4H sewing groups, and received the Partner in 4H Award in 2004 and 2006. Debbie is also a member of the Home Economics Advisory Board for Columbia County, New York.

Debbie is the author of Teach Yourself Visually Sewing (Visual, April 2006). This book is a guide to learning to sew using visual cues and instructions. It offers tips for sharpening sewing skills and contains 16 projects.

Her second book, Sewing VISUAL Quick Tips (Wiley, May 2008) provides solutions to common sewing quandaries are at your fingertips, anywhere you go.
From Debbie Colgrove:

Sewing is a life skill. Just look around you; unless you're sitting in a solid wood chair, there is sewing somewhere in the chair, sewing covers your body and your windows. The seats in your car are sewn. Everywhere you look there is something with sewing in it.

Learning to sew and mastering the basics are the first steps to creating anything that you have in mind. Save a small fortune by making your home décor. Don't be stuck with clothing that you find on the racks, make your own clothing – the way you want it to be.

Sewing has been modernized. Today's sewing machines offer options that past generations never dreamed of. Learn the basics and then move on to inventive patterns and projects. With the help of About Sewing, you can create anything!

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