I wanted to post about this for a while so here goes.
When I was a child we used to snuggle up under the warmest sheets ever and they were a brushed cotton (i think this is what you call them). Now you dont find these type of sheets here anymore and they are just the normal type. I am lucky enough to own afew sheets that were handed down to me by my Mum and were actually my Grandmothers. Imagine my devistation when I found this
Yes, my dear children have worn them into a hole right in the middle of the sheets where their little bodies snuggle up just as their Mamma did. I have used them for about seven years and they belonged to my grandmother who dies nearly ten years ago, so really they have been well used.
Well after a chat with my Mum, I have cut them in half, sewn the two hemmed sides together and re hemmed what was the middle to form an edge. Now I have perfectly useable, warm and snuggly sheets for the childrens bed and it has cost me nothing. My Mum informed me that she can remember her mother doing this and also her Grandmother. This would be done until the sheet was well used and could not be sewn back together to get further useage and then it was used for something like a rag or the decent bits of fabric would be used to be sewn into something different.
Years ago I would have probably thrown them away and ran to the shops to buy brandnew bedding and thought nothing of it. I am not the Queen of Green and must confess that I did this mainly for the financial benefit of not having to buy new bedding but it also means that there is less thrown away for landfill.
For more inspiration on Greener living have a look at this blog,
4 comments:
Well done you for fixing those sheets - not only did you save money and landfill but also a kind of family heirloom! Lucy x
Hi Sarah, My mum used to do this to our sheets too. Oh the joy of brushed cotton sheets in the winter - did we call them flannelette or winceyette maybe? not sure. We had them in white and also in pastel colours. Well done for mending.
Hi Sarah, Yes I know it as 'sides to middle-in'! I was brought up with these frugal ideas, then eventualy they are turned into cot sheets, then teatowels then rags!
I know them as flanalette sheets, I often get good ones from the car boot sales, people seem to prefer new cold cotton ones these days - still all the more ( and often better quality for being made in the 60/70s) for us snuggle bunnies!
x Vicky x
That is exactly what my mum and gran used to do. Great how simple traditions like that are passed down. Good on you for doing it and not throwing them away.
X Clare
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