How to Sew a Fitted Sheet with Elastic Corners

Like pillowcases, fitted sheets with elastic are so easy to make. With a little help from pins, putting the elastic becomes less scary. Also, this tutorial has illustrations to make every step simple and easy to follow. 

Learn this tutorial and I am sure that you will not buy your next fitted sheet again.

What you will need:

Fabric

10 inches elastic

Measuring tape (It helps if you use a steel tape)

Scissors

Fabric marker

Sewing machine, matching thread and needle

Instructions:

1. Measure your mattress

• Measure the length , depth (x2),  3 inches to go under the mattress (x2 sides). Add up. This is the length of fabric to cut.

• Measure the width, depth (x2) + 3  inches to go under the mattress (x2 sides). Add up. This is the width of fabric to cut.

Example: I am sewing for a single size mattress with the following dimensions:

Mattress length: 75inches, depth: 4 inches (x2), 3inches to go under the mattress (x2 sides) = 89 inches

Mattress width: 36 inches, depth: 4 inches (x2), plus 6 that will go under the mattress= 50 inches

Actual measurement of fabric to cut: length 89 inches x width 50 inches

2. Remove the corners

Lay your fabric. Does not matter which side. Fold it into a quarter as shown.

To your fabric, which is now folded twice (quarter), cut a square from the corners. The dimension of your square is the value of your depth and the 3.

Example: Mine is 4 inches deep + 3 =7 inches. I measure 7 inches from the corner to the left and 7inches from the corner down. Mark a square and cut all four layers of fabric.

HERE’S A TIP: If you know that you are going to make another bedsheet of the same size in the future, cut a cardboard the same size as the square that you removed. The next time around, you do not need to make the measurements. You just put the cardboard in the corner, mark and cut. So easy!

Here is mine.

 

You have guessed it right. I have a tiny human for an assistant. By the way, that cardboard is already 2 years old and I am still using it.

When spread, the fabric will look like this:

3. Make boxed corners

Next, make the corners meet (wrong sides together). Sew the edge at an angle and trim. This will make your bedsheet tight. Not scary at all.

 

Turn the fabric wrong-side out hem the edge at about 1/4 inch trapping the raw edge under the fold. This is called a French hem.

 

Do the same for the 3 other corners.

4. Hem the sheet

Now, fold the edges 1/4 inch towards the wrong side of the fabric. Hem all around the sheet.

5. Attach the elastic

Lay the elastic from the boxed corner going to the left. Fold the hemmed edge towards the wrong side of the fabric, tuck the elastic under it, and pin. Do the same to the rest of the corners– always pin to the left.

With the needle up, set the dial of your sewing machine to zigzag. Start sewing where there is a pin. Backstitch at the beginning of each elastic.

With the needle down, pull the elastic with your left hand and stretch it as far as it will go. With your right hand, grab the hemmed edge and keep the stretched elastic under. Do a zigzag stitch to hold the elastic in place. While doing the zigzag, very slightly tug the other end of your fabric (behind the needle) with your left hand to help it move. You will have to repeat this step about 4 times until you reach the end of the elastic.

 

At the end of an elastic, switch to a straight stitch and keep on sewing until you reach the next elastic. Make sure the needle is up whenever you switch from zigzag to straight stitch and vice versa.

Congratulations! You have made it!

When the kids would want to get messy during play, I use our single size bedsheet to protect the sofa bed, too!

Make a matching pillowcase to complete this sewing project. SEW-PER EASY!