Turning the sheets inside out (sides to middle)

Caterina

Hi all

Today I have made myself proud as an OSer and really wanted to pass this on!

The bottom sheet of our double bed tore right in the middle because it is very old, but it is a good quality very large 100% cotton sheet (we have a very large bed as we both like loads of space). To buy another one new would have cost us at least £20.

So I cut the broken sheet in half, patched the tear with a piece of spare cloth, repaired the cut edges with a hem and then sewn the original edges together, so that the threadbare centre parts are now the edges and the original edges, which are in very good condition, are now in the centre of the bed.

I reckon this sheet will serve us for another good 5 years hopefully!

I am feeling very proud of myself!!!

Off to bake some bread now, the little homemaker, me :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Caterina

whatatwit

Well done, also remember if you get a small hole on one the new sides, you can use a corner of the sheet to do a repair.

You'll be turning shirt collars next

carbonel

Good for you!:T
This is called 'sides to middle - ing' and used to be done by all thrifty housewives.
It's a bit more complicated with fitted sheets though! :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

yes I have done it many times years ago with my late Mum .We would pin everything in place and she would start at one end and I would start at the other and meet in the middle.
All of my brothers jumpers, that she had knitted for school were unravelled and rewashed the wool and wound it around an old tray to get the wool straight, they it was reknitted into sock or gloves, or with some pink or lemon wool striped with the grey for me as I was the youngest by four years from my next brother up. Recycling was done on a daily basis in the 1940s-50s as there were few textiles around, so a lot of 'swopsies' went on between housewives. Nothing was ever thrown out that couldn't be used again. Even my Mum's old stockings were used to make filled draught excluders or ended up as ties in the garden on fruit bushes. Mums coats were always cut down and remade into coats for me. Everyone did it so no one felt any different It was considered quite the thing to re-invent something rather than buy 'new'.
Socks were darned and the Boys shoes were re-soled and heeled by either my eldest brother or my Dad on his cobblers last. The boys had Blakeys studs hammered into their heels and toes to make them last longer.

Skintmama

Well done Caterina, I used to do this and it does give them a new lease of life. For some reason now though my problem is DH's scratchy bristles seem to wear away at the top of the duvet cover.......the only thing I can think of is to make a new band of cloth over the top.

Turning shirt collars is another thing I remember doing (but didn't like!).....will have to have a look at hubby's shirts and see if any can be rescued. Doing these things was how we afforded our first home, along with home haircuts DIY and cooking from scratch, all things not seen by anyone else.......hidden economies!

soupdragon10

Was thinking about some of the things my gran used to do to economise and this was one that I remember well. When sheets were getting worn /thinner in the middle they would be cut in half and seamed so that the outside was now the middle (using an old treadle sewing machine).

Can't see that this would be particularly comfortable to sleep on, but it's an example of the measures that people of her generation went to to save money and use things until they fell apart.

She would also turn the collars of shirts around when they started to become worn at the neck, as the body of the shirt was still in good shape.

Dippypud

soupdragon10 wrote: »

Was thinking about some of the things my gran used to do to economise and this was one that I remember well. When sheets were getting worn /thinner in the middle they would be cut in half and seamed so that the outside was now the middle (using an old treadle sewing machine).

Can't see that this would be particularly comfortable to sleep on, but it's an example of the measures that people of her generation went to to save money and use things until they fell apart.

She would also turn the collars of shirts around when they started to become worn at the neck, as the body of the shirt was still in good shape.

Yes, my Nan used to do that, I have made cot sheets with worn bed sheets, and pillow cases can make moses basket sheets.

When my boys were smaller at school, I've turned their collars.

Regards, Pud

Fruball

The turned in sheets could be used as a top sheet (under the duvet) so won't be uncomfy and will save washing the duvet covers

I used to just have bottom fitted sheet and duvet in a cover and wash them all at the same time....

Now I have a fitted bottom sheet, and a sheet under the duvet so just wash the sheets and don't wash the duvet cover so often

No idea how to turn collars.... how does that work?

Fruball

Mens shirts become painting aprons in this house!!!

Dippypud

Hi Frugal,

Unstich the collar from the body of the shirt, turn it over, so that the folded under "back" of the collar is on top.

Tack stitch it in, iron well, sew properly, job done.
Works aswell with double cuffs.

jackieb

I've heard of people turning their stair carpet. In fact when I got my first council house the tenant who was leaving offered to sell me the carpets. The stair carpet was worn but she said she would get it turned if we bought it. We didn't as she was needing £600 for the carpets - and £50 for the kitchen vinyl and she'd throw in the carpet that was in the dining area for free! And this was back in 1986!

My dad said that his mum used to darn his socks, but she wasn't very good at it, and they always hurt his feet where they'd been mended.