One of many pet peeves is when the corners of a fitted sheet ride up over the mattress. Before heading to bed or after waking up in the morning, I need to tug the corners down because I don’t like the white mattress corner peeking out. The solution — adding elastic straps to the corners — has always been hanging around in the back of my mind, but I was unsure whether it would actually work.

Thanks to the interweb and Pinterest, my solution is just fine since I’m not the only person with the genius idea. Some stores sell elastic straps with clips on the end, but I fear the clips wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the corners overnight. I have the same fear about sewing elastic straps, which is why I zigzagged the crap out of the elastic to the fitted sheet.

The entire process was simple and quick (my favorite kind of process!). Sort of. I read a few tutorials to make sure I was on the right track. The only issue I encountered was how far from the corner do I sew the elastic end? Four inches? Twelve inches? Since the various elastic straps measure 12 inches, I figured six inches from the corner would be OK. None of the tutorials gave a measurement so I guessed.

Not that Charlie and I toss and turn viciously during the night, I wanted to make sure the elastic didn’t pop out. So, I used the zigzag stitch heavily on all the corners. Again, the process was simple and quick, and I couldn’t wait to run the sheet through the washer and dryer and throw it back on the bed. I second guessed my work as I tucked the corners underneath the mattress.

Instead of six inches should I have placed the elastic 12 inches away from the corner? The elastic straps seemed too close to the edges and corner. However, all my fears and worries disappeared the next morning when all four corners were still tucked under the mattress! Ignore all the cat hair (Riley likes to sleep on Charlie’s side of the bed) and look at the beauty of the tucked corner. Squee!