Stretch sheet: how to make elastic underwear?

A stretch sheet that wraps around the mattress like a cover has become a part of the everyday life of the modern family. Such bedding is a real find for those who actively move in their sleep and do not want to wake up on a crumpled bed huddled under the lower back.

The many positive reviews on various forums and sites signal a large number of advantages of such bedding over ordinary ones. Of the advantages of buying or sewing a sheet of this design, the following can be distinguished.

1. The stretched sheet does not move out, does not crumple or clog under the body of a person, even if he is actively moving in a dream. This is especially true for children and adolescents, as well as adults with restless sleep. At the same time, the material of the linen does not matter: even a silk sheet will not move out and will not gather in folds.
2. It is much easier to fill the mattress with a sheet like this, as it will always fit and do not need to be pressed down on the sides to secure it. During operation, you do not have to change the bed daily and you need to change such linen less often, since it does not wrinkle and gets dirty less.
3. It can act not only in the form of an ordinary bed, but also as a cover for a mattress, protecting it from contamination. Cleaning a mattress is not an easy task, and such a cover will allow you to do it much less often.
4. The mattress, closed on the sides with an even stretched canvas, looks much neater and more comfortable than usual. You can choose bed linen in the color of the bed itself or, conversely, in a contrasting shade. Various patterns and ornaments look beautiful along the edge of such a made bed.

Unfortunately, with all its advantages, such an unusual idea is not without certain disadvantages. One of the main concerns of buyers about such a sheet is the difficulty of caring for it.

1. Washing by hand is very laborious and time-consuming, and a washing machine makes a tight rubber band unusable too quickly. This problem can be solved by using various water softeners. These can be special tablets for a washing machine or fabric softeners. In addition, small items tend to clog inside the sheet during washing. In order not to lose a pair of socks or a small scarf, it is enough just to turn the cloth out after washing. Or simply do not put such small things in the machine when washing bed linen.
2. The second problem is ironing the sheet, as the elastic pulls it together and prevents the sheet from being ironed thoroughly. The solution is simple enough. Pull the sheet over the ironing board with one hand so that the corner is extended. In this case, the iron is located in the second hand and easily passes through all the folds, straightening them. In addition, such a sheet can be ironed by pulling it over the mattress itself. After such ironing, you do not even need to re-iron it, it will fit correctly in the right place.

Both of these shortcomings can be considered conditional, since after two or three washings of the sheet, any person will get the hang of both washing and ironing such bedding. At the same time, all the advantages of using it will not disappear anywhere.

In stores, you can find stretch sheets and even whole sets of bedding in a variety of shades and patterns. It can be either plain pastel-colored canvases or real works of art. Children's kits with various cartoon and fairy-tale characters stand out especially brightly against this background.

But it is possible to classify sheets with an elastic band not only by the pattern, but also by other parameters. By the composition of the fabric, you can find the following product:

• coarse calico sets;
• percale sheets;
• poplin bedding;
• knitwear;
• silk or satin sets;
• warm terry options.

Almost all versions, except for silk and satin sheets, use cotton thread. The only difference is in its thickness and weaving method. You should not take synthetic kits for people whose skin is especially sensitive and prone to irritation.

Depending on the size, the linen is divided into the following types:

• 120x60 - this size is considered children's;
• 200x90 or 200x80 are single bed sets;
• 200x110 and 200x120 - one and a half bed linen;
• 200x140, 200x160 and 200x180 - for a double bed;
• 200x200 is a standard size called "Euro".

In addition, stretch sheets may vary in design.

1. The elastic can be sewn around the entire perimeter of the sheet, making a kind of bag out of it.
2. The elastic can only be sewn into the corners of a rectangular cloth.
3. The elastic can be in the form of a tape, sewn on both sides of the corner of the sheet and put on the mattress, like a strap.

If you already have an ordinary sheet in stock, then it is easy to turn it into a stretch sheet. This requires only three tools:

• wide elastic band or elastic band;
• sewing machine;
• tape measure.

The whole process of work is quite simple and can be performed even by a beginner. First of all, measurements are taken from the mattress. You need to find out its length, width and height. After that, you need to cut the finished sheet in such a way that 4 squares of the same width as the height of the mattress plus a few centimeters of fabric for allowances are cut in its corners. After that, the sides of the square cutouts are sewn together from the seamy side. You should get a kind of soft "box" without a lid.

Stretch the elastic tape and pin it with pins along the perimeter of the sewn "box", then sew it on a typewriter. It is best to do this with zigzag stitches. If, instead of an elastic tape, a dense elastic was purchased, then you can first make a small curtain around the perimeter, and then insert the elastic into it and sew its ends together. On the finished sheet, you need to well process all the edges with an overlock or an ordinary machine, after which you can pull it over the mattress. An ordinary sheet turned into a comfortable stretch sheet in two hours.

How to make a sheet with an elastic band with your own hands, you can see in the next video.