Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sheet Mending Day

I know I have posted before about spending a little more money on "investment purchases". The theory being that certain items will last longer, and you will get more bang for your buck if you buy a better quality product. Sheets are one thing I will spend a little more money on. Usually, I can get four or five years worth of wear out of a set of 400 thread count sheets. I have had great luck buying my sheets at Ross Dress For Less (it is comparable to T.J. Maxx). I bought my last set of sheets for my King size bed about a year ago at Ross ( I think I spent $40.00 for a 400 thread count king sheet set and two extra sets of pillowcases).

Well, it appears there may be a hole in my theory! Two medium size holes to be exact! When I hung my sheet up on the clothes line, last week, to take advantage to the hot summer day I discovered this lovely hole in the fitted sheet!


Upon further inspection I discovered the second worn spot directly across from the first hole. Boo Hiss!
I wish I could blame the holes on Dear Hubby toenails, but it appears (due to placement of the holes) my toenails may also be to blame!


A new fitted sheet is not in the budget right now, so I had to figure out a way to mend the holes and prolong the life of the sheet until I can find an appropriate replacement (either at the thrift store or on a super fabulous clearance sale). Luckily, I had saved the pillow case for the last set of king size sheets. I cut  the end off the pillowcase (don't worry I hemmed the pillowcase, and it is now on Child #3's standard size pillow) to use for my patches.


I measured the areas to be patched. Then I cut two patches two inches wider and two inches longer than the worn areas.

I pinned the patches on the wrong side of the sheet (the side that will touch the mattress) over the worn areas.


Next, I sewed a zig zag stitch around the edges of the patches to hold them in place. I also did this so that the patches will lay flat (we do have to sleep on them).


I cut the patches with pinking shears, so that the patches won't fray.


After the patches were securely in place, flip the sheet over so that the right side is facing up (the side of the sheet that you lay on). I zig zag stitched back and forth over the worn spots (I zig zagged over a spot and then used the reverse button on my machine to go backwards. Make sure to turn the fabric slightly after each row of stitching, so you sew over all the worn area.).


This reminds me of darning a sock. Essentially, when you darn a sock you are filling in a hole or worn spot by weaving the darning thread around and over the worn out area. That is what I was doing, filling in the worn area (and hole) in the sheet with thread.
 

It may not be pretty to look at, but the mended area lays flat and it was quite comfortable to sleep on. 


I am also happy to report that my mending job held up well in the washing machine this week.  Hopefully, I will able to get a lot more wear out of the sheet before it's time to retire it (or recycle it).

30 comments:

  1. I also mend sheets, just differently. I turn the edges under on a patch, iron them and then place the patch on top of the hole. I do a simple patch stitch to affix the patch onto the sheet. I sew a zigzag over the area, from the underside, so as to reinforce it. Either way, it extends the life of my sheets before they end up in the rag bag.
    Carol

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  2. How funny I just did this same thing a few weeks ago. Only I was stupid and did it by hand. Then my mom came to visit and saw my sheets and bought me some new ones. Thanks for the great tips for my next go around!! You are amazing!!

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  3. That was so smart to cut off the king pillowcase for the patch! Good job!

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  4. very nicely done!! sure don't seem to make 'em like they used to!

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  5. Great job. You are so creative and resourceful. Yesterday, I purchased the first 400 count set of queen sheets we have ever had. They are so soft and satiny. I had a thought. I am wondering if the sheets you bought were seconds and had a flaw in the fabric which weakened over time. I bought my new set of sheets at Costco yesterday for $44.99, not too much more than what you paid for yours. It will be interesting to see how well they hold up. Thanks for all your tips. I enjoy checking your website each day and am so happy when you have posted.

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    Replies
    1. I buy mine at Sam's and still get tears. I think the higher thread count, which is so soft, is also a much finer, more delicate thread which is more easily torn. I also think modern foam mattresses cause more stretching to the sheet than old fashioned hard mattresses.

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  6. You did a great repair job there. My mum used to rip old sheets up into squares and use them for household rags and dusters.

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  7. Wow! You know, I never would have thought to repair a sheet. What a great idea to save money...because decent sheets are crazy expensive.

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  8. thank you - i have just discovered my pillowcases are wearing out now too!! also percale and both sets of linen less than 5 years old - makes me wonder, however these were bought in egypt and perhaps, as suggested in a previous post, flawed fabric - i have another set that is almost 30 years old and in good condition - keep up the great work and thank you again

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  9. I'm looking at your post to mend sheets and your sheets look exactly like mine. Mine are Valerie Parr Hill TSV sheets from QVC, but in green.

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  10. Wish me luck! I'm going to patch my very expensive linen fitted sheet with a piece of the pillow case. We spend many hours in bed reading and wTching TV so I can't blame the maker -- a US company that makes 100 percent linen sheets in NYC. We love them, but as new retirees can't afford to replace them. Thanks for the advice!

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  11. Thank you. I just made a cut in a sheet I was resizing that wasn't supposed to happen. A quick search for something that didn't need a patch brought me here. This was an extremely well laid out tutorial that was easy for a novice like myself to accomplish. Again, thank you!

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  12. When I was little and money was tight and the centre of our bedsheets wore thin, mum would cut lengthways down the middle, hem each side and then hem tigeter the two former out sides. May not have been pretty but gave us sever more years'use.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly what my grandmother, the home economics teacher, did! Raising a family through the Great Depression gave her a different perspective on waste!

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  13. Thank you for the tip. I found a worn spot with hole in my nice, soft cotton sheet. Hated to send it to the rag bin, but quick work with the sewing machine and your instructions extended it's life.

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  15. Great job and easy-to-follow instructions! After viewing several other posts on the subject, I edited my search to include "L-shaped tear" and found your wonderful post (and relief from the stress of "what am I gonna do?" running through my head).
    THANK YOU for a bright spot in my overwhelmed, underfunded life. I'll be back to check out the rest of your posts, Clever Lady! :)

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  25. I looked up best ways to mend sheets and was horrified by the amount of really bad advice out there! I have sewn since my grandmother taught me as a young child. I'm so glad to have encountered your article, because you've clearly done it right! You've used self fabric from the pillow cases, which is always the best choice and you've created flat, smooth mending, which makes the most comfortable surface to sleep on. Thank you for sharing your frugal ways with us!

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