DIY Crib Sheet from a Flat Sheet

Materials I used:

• a flat, flannel, queen-sized sheet, cut to 70"x45" (you can make two crib sheets out of 1 queen sheet!)
• four 14" lengths of 1/4" wide elastic
• thread
• scissors
• sewing machine

 My husband and I use a duvet on our bed, so when I buy sheet sets, I never really have a use for the top flat sheet - until now.  I've seen some easy tutorials for DIY crib sheets online, and yesterday, after struggling yet again with an ill-fitting, pricey, store bought crib sheet, I decided to make it happen.

The finished product - it was the perfect size, a snug fit,but not too tight!

I took a flannel, queen-sized top sheet and measured a 70"x45" rectangle.  I kept two finished edges - why repeat the work someone else has already done?  Since flannel works so nicely to rip, I just cut a slit through the finished edge, and then ripped the material straight across the 45" side.  I repeated the same with the 70" side, and was left with the rectangle I'd be working with.

In order to make the corners, I cut (er, ripped) a 9" square from each corner.

Because I have to change the crib sheet every two days, I'm not really concerned with the aesthetics of the bottom of the sheet - so instead of hemming the unfinished edges, I just zig-zagged all the way around to prevent unraveling.  Then, with the right sides of the material together, I sewed the corner edges together. 

I don't have any photos of the final step, of sewing the elastic on - but it's pretty straight forward.  The key to using elastic to make the sheet fitted is to fold the elastic in half to find the centre, and then tack the centre to the seam in the corner of the sheet.  Pin down the elastic and sheet (at the spot where you tacked it) with the foot of your sewing machine.  Hold the sheet in one hand and stretch the elastic as long as possible with the other.  Sew, using a zig-zag stitch, along the length of the elastic.  (As it was my first time sewing elastic this way, it was really not the neatest sewing job I've ever done.  But, as I said, how the underside of the sheet looks doesn't matter to me - no one can see it, anyways!)  Repeat with the other half of the elastic, and then finish the other three corners the same way.  Clip all of your hanging threads off, and you're finished! 

This is the website where I found my tutorial.  Because I chose to omit some of her steps, I created my own tutorial - but feel free to check hers out if you have questions about how I said or did something!