Despite the fact that the elastic corners of the sheets with an elastic band hold them very well on the mattress, folding such bedding is very, very difficult. Tried unsuccessfully to fold a sheet with an elastic band and in frustration shoved it in a lump in the closet? Believe me, you are not alone in this! Fortunately, with some practice, you can still learn to fold these sheets perfectly and stack them beautifully on a cabinet shelf without any clumps!
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Align the corners of the sheet
Step 1. Grasp the inside out corners of the sheet along one of its longitudinal sides
Insert your hands inside two adjacent corners of the sheet so that the short sides hang down and the long long sides are horizontal. When working with the sheet, position it so that the front is facing you and the wrong is out.
If you look at the seams in the corners of the sheet with an elastic band, you will notice that they form a neat fold on one side, and allowances are clearly visible on the other. The side where allowances are visible, is the wrong side of the sheet that should normally be in contact with the mattress. This side should be facing away from you.
Step 2. Slip the corner of the sheet from your right hand onto the corner of your left hand
Bring the corners of the sheet together in front of you so that the seams on them also match. Then turn the right corner out onto the front side so that it slides over the corner of the sheet on your left hand.
- Imagine slipping the cuff of one sock over the other - it can help.
- At this stage, the elastic bands sewn into both corners should fit neatly.
- If you are left-handed, slide the corner on your left hand over the corner on your right hand.
Step 3. Add the near one from the bottom corners to the two top ones
Hold the two matching corners in your left hand and reach the bottom edge of the sheet with your right hand to grab the corner closest to you. Pull it up to the two previously folded corners and place it inside them so that all three corners are neatly aligned.
- Folding the bottom corners one at a time will create tidier folds in the fabric.
- If you wish, you can also first combine the lower two corners and then put them in the two previously combined upper corners.
Step 4. Insert the last fourth corner into the aligned corners and straighten the edges of the sheet
Before doing this step, one last corner will hang down and the other three will hang from your left arm. Fold up the last corner to line up with the rest of the corners. Use your hands to straighten the hanging edges of the sheet.
An easy way to straighten the sheet is to insert your palm into the bottom fold of the fabric and gently shake the fabric until the edges of the sheet are aligned
Part 2 of 2: Roll the sheet into a neat rectangle
Step 1. Place the sheet on the table with the aligned corners facing up
After aligning all four corners of the sheet, place it on a flat, horizontal surface, such as a table. The four combined corners should represent, as it were, one corner facing up. However, there is nothing wrong with the fact that at this stage the sheet does not look very neat. Just keep the corners from falling apart while you lay the sheet on the table.
If the corners fall apart, you may need to unfold the sheet and start over from the beginning
Advice
if you don't have a table large enough, spread the sheet on the mattress or even on the floor!
Step 2. Fold over the edges to form a rectangle
Adjust the sheet so that the seams of the four aligned corners lie diagonally and form a "new" corner. Then, tuck the sheet along two adjacent sides of that corner to create a neat rectangle.
When you're done, you should have an L-shaped fold that runs along both sides of the sheet (with elastic along the inner edge)
Step 3. Spread the fabric with your hands
Working on a flat, horizontal surface will allow you to create neat folds in the fabric when folding the elastic. Once you tuck the two adjacent sides with the elastic to create a rectangle, run your hands over the sheet (including the folds you just made) to smooth out any wrinkles and creases in the fabric.
If you are working on a mattress or on a carpeted floor, chances are you won't be able to achieve the folds that are as neat as when working on a hard surface
Step 4. Fold the resulting rectangle in three vertically
Fold the top third of the rectangle down so that the nested corners are hidden inside. Stretch the fabric out with your hands, and then fold the bottom third of the rectangle upward to create a new long, narrow rectangle.
Now all the corners and the folds you made earlier will be hidden
Step 5. Complete the procedure by folding the rectangle horizontally threefold
Once you get a neat long rectangle, all you have to do is form a square out of it. Fold one side of it a third towards the middle. Then fold the other side in the same way to complete the neat folding of the elasticated sheet!