Inspiration – At Just the RIGHT time

I want to share a post that I read at “just the right time” in my life.

BACKSTORY – Last week somehow ripped the top cuff on my bedsheet in the middle of the night. Looking it over the next morning, I recognized that the cuff was attached using an heirloom stitch which essentially was an “invitation to perforation”. Nothing like a set of pretty stitches that is akin to having perforations across the width of the sheet. I suggested to my husband that perhaps I could do better than “mend” a perfectly fine set of sheets. (Make do and repair before you buy new was my thought). Really, the rest of the sheet was in fine shape, no pilling, no wear.

(Am I turning into my grandma here…..mending sheets ??? )

You know the price of king size sheets is quite high, and as the sheets were washing, I did give some thought to how a quilter might repair the sheets. I thought about that as I was shopping on line for new sheets and placing an order.

Not long after ordering the new set, I tripped over the blog post below from Moda Fabrics. DIVINE INSPIRATION STRUCK!!! Pretty-fied sheets. Thanks Moda Fabrics ! Do go look, but come back for the rest of my story! https://modafabrics.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/pretty-fied-sheet-set/

A couple of days later, out in my quilt room, I was pondering borders for an autumn quilt, and had my baskets of 2″, 2 1/2″ squares out, plus a container of four-patches made from 2″ squares. While I was looking through those baskets, the hubby came up to the sewing room and matter of factly stated that those 4 patches look like they came from our Allietare quilt.

I always seem to make “extra” when working on a mystery quilt.

When I emptied my Allietare project box the leftover 4 patches got stored in my 4 patch box! I had about 12 left from that quilt and LOTS of other autumn colored 4 patches. I just needed enough to span the width of the sheet, 104″.

In the Moda Fabric blog post, the writer used charm squares and yardage. I had a piece of yardage that had the greys of the sheet and the burgundy in my strip and prints, so I thought it would work well. It was a nice feeling fabric too. The burgundy was a piece of wide backing in the scrap pile.

The “end” of the project didn’t turn out quite like I had intended, but it did turn out ok. I had intended to do something quite different with that burgundy strip, but my execution was slightly off. Oh well….no sheet inspectors in my bedroom!!! I wouldn’t say it is “wedding gift quality” but it turned out well enough to be functionally pretty, and much better looking than a mending job on the edge of the original sheet cuff.

If you have ever done one of those pillow cases where you turn it “burrito style”, you will know how much fun it was to do the same to the king size sheet.

(check out the Missouri Star Pillow case tutorial )

Really, wasn’t too hard to turn it out. And now, the sheet can go back in rotation, and will last a bit longer.

The new set I had ordered, arrived on Friday as I was finishing this up. They are washed and dried and folded.

Note; not an advertisement or a negative to any company. The repaired sheet is about 6 years old, purchased at BJ’s warehouse store and was 1200 thread count Egyptian Cotton. The added trim is all from my quilting scrap box.

The new sheets I ordered I got at a reasonable price from My Pillow.Com, using every discount and coupon offer. They are also Egyptian cotton, and feel rather nice. The only negative I can say is that they are only 400 thread count, and I am disappointed, because I had expected them to be much higher. They feel REALLY good, even after washing. I am now concerned about how they will do over time. They came with a 10 year warranty and the following was proclaimed on the website –

• Made with the world’s best cotton called Giza. Grown only in a region between the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Nile River. Its long staple cotton makes it ultra-soft and breathable.
• Its sateen weave gives them a luxurious finish.
• Available in multiple colors, styles, and sizes.
• Machine washable and durable – 10-year warranty
• 60-day money back guarantee

So, watch for a report in a month or so after the new sheets make the rotation and the newly repaired sheet has it’s week on the bed. In all the advertising Mike says ““The first night you sleep on my sheets, you’ll never want to sleep on anything else.” Mike Lindell. I’ll let you know! I’m pretty good with warranty claims, as you may remember in my recent post about my FISKARS rotating mat!

I will also report back if the hubby has any complaints about the 4 patches on the cuff of the sheet.

Are you a “mender” or a “make do” or would you toss the old sheets in the rag bag or trash can?

Edit – updated to include a link back to http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/ OH SCRAP !

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