How to Make Twin Fitted Bed Sheets

You can turn a few yards of fabric into a fitted twin bed sheet. Because the width of a twin bed is 39 inches, slightly narrower than most fabrics available to consumers, the sheet will not have to be pieced together with a seam in the middle of the bed. Depending on the width of fabric you buy, the sheet may have a seam along each side. Woven fabrics, such as cotton, flannel and satin, usually are sold in 45-inch widths. A fitted sheet from this width will have side seams. T-shirt knits, a popular choice for kids' and teens' sheets, often is sold in 60-inch widths and will not require any seams.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric
• Tape measure
• Thread
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Elastic
• Straight pins

Instructions

1. Cut one piece of fabric 57 inches wide by 93 inches long. If using 45-inch fabric, cut three 93-inch pieces, one at 40 inches wide and two at 9 1/2 inches wide. This allows for a top mattress size of 39-by-75 inches, with an 8-inch all-around depth and a narrow hem. If you have an extra-deep mattress, increase width of the 9 1/2-inch strips accordingly.

2. Piece together the strips to create one large rectangle if necessary. Do this by laying one narrow strip on each side of the wider, main sheet piece (with right sides together) and sewing the seams. Zigzag each edge individually to finish raw edges. Press open the seams and top stitch through both thicknesses on either side of the seams so that they lie flat.

3. Round off each corner of the rectangle to create a gentle curve.

4. Create a narrow hem by turning under 1/2 inch twice on all sides of the sheet and stitching down.

5. Cut a 6-inch length of 1/4-inch elastic. Stretch as far as possible and pin to each corner. While keeping the elastic stretched, zig-zag through the elastic and the sheet. When released, the corners will bunch up to hold the sheet in place when it is on the mattress.