Fabric Craft: Toddler Sheets from Vintage Sheets

Fitted bottom sheet, semi-fitted top sheet

Today, a different kind of sheet music: toddler sheets! There are tons of tutorials for toddler (crib-sized) sheets on the Web. So why add another one? Three differences here: 1) Let’s use a vintage sheet! 2) How about a semi-fitted top sheet, to make it easier for little ones to learn to make their own beds? 3) It’s not really a tutorial, just some tips.

This toddler sheet set is made up of  a fitted sheet and what I call a semi-fitted top sheet. The beauty of a semi-fitted top sheet is that the bottom two corners are fitted, so it provides the coverage of a flat sheet with the stay-tucked-in-ability of a fitted sheet. Just tug on the top hem and the bed is made! Do they make these for adults? I may have to experiment with modifying my own sheets.

The reverse mullet of sheets: party at the top, business at the bottom.

You can make this from new fabric, or from vintage (or just old, whatever) sheets – it just takes a little more cutting and measuring (not to mention courage) to make them from vintage sheets. The set above was made for a friend from her childhood Mickey Mouse twin fitted sheet and an extra piece of red cotton broadcloth for the semi-fitted sheet.

Cutting the Mickey sheets...gulp!

As I mentioned, there are a bunch of crib sheet tutorials around for you to start with – they do a much better job than I could at showing you how to sew elastic. Here are two:

• At Vanilla Joy
• At Everything Your Mama Made and More

Those are both great instructions to get you started; either start with your new fabric or old sheet, cut, and sew. The elastic is the only tricky part, and it’s not that bad. Then, for the semi-fitted sheet, use their tutorial instructions as a guide for the bottom two corners. For the top, just fold the fabric over a couple of times and hem, then finish hemming all the way around. I also stitched a piece of black grosgrain ribbon along the top hem to give it a more finished look and tie the red sheet in with the Mickey Mouse sheet. But I’m kinda schmancy like that.

You can also download a PDF of the Toddler Sheet Set diagram. Tune in Monday as I use the scraps to make a matching pillow case!

*UPDATE* See the finished matching pillow case here!