Wednesday, December 15, 2010

In The Fold

Those of you who have read every post I've written since I started blogging 2+ years ago (Hi Mom!) may have wondered to yourselves why I have gone this long without ever doing a post on one of housekeeping's greatest mysteries and challenges- how to fold a fitted sheet. Well, the truth is that nobody's good at everything, and this is a skill I can honestly say I don't have. In the past, even when I have tried my hardest at neatly folding, my fitted sheets typically come out looking like some giant's used hankie. But that may be because I was doing it wrong! Check out this video my friend, Irene, alerted me to, via kottke.org. This lady takes the sheet and turns it into a perfect, flat rectangle, like some kind of sweet, nurturing magician, set to gentle guitar chords.  I could seriously watch this video all day. And maybe after I watch it a few more times, I'll actually go into my linen closet and attempt it. Or maybe I'll just have a cup of tea.



For those who prefer written instruction, here are the basic steps she takes (although, to use an idiom I think I just made up, "no one ever learned to walk by reading a book!").

Note: Your sheet will end up with much fewer wrinkles if you do this when it's still warm out of the dryer.

1. Take the fitted sheet, inside-out and place one hand in each of two of the pockets, along one of the long sides. Bring your hands together, and transfer the pocket on one hand on top of the other, so that both pockets are over one hand.

2. Using your free hand, follow the edge of the sheet down to the next loose pocket. Bring that up and tuck it inside the two pockets that are already folded together. Repeat with the fourth pocket so that all of them are nested together.

3. Still holding the sheet by it's corners, straighten any folds and the edges, so that the sheet forms a rough rectangle. Lie the sheet down on a flat surface and smooth further.

4. Fold the sheet in thirds width-wise, and then in thirds again lengthwise. If it turns out badly, just watch the nice lady do it again.

16 comments:

Jessica said...

I'm somewhat worried about how excited I am to go home later and try this!

Mixed Nuts said...

Oh my goodness....this is awesome!!

Everyday Mama said...

Seriously, I'm going to take my crumpled sheet and try this! Purely for the joy of trying it...

Caroline said...

Oh my god she's a godsend.

Sandra said...

Very strange how just on Sunday I pulled my fitted sheet from the dryer, folded it into some shape still yet to be named, and thought "I wonder if I looked back on Lily's blog if she has ever explained the "Correct" way of folding a fitted sheet.
This is just too spooky.

Liz said...

I did it!!!!! I was skeptical as I have tried other tricks before, but it was so easy! Thank you, thank you!

Kristina Clemens said...

Wow! So that's how you do it! I've never known that!
Kristina J.

Preppy Southern Belle said...

I can't wait to try this tonight...I think this is a sign of how much of a homebody I am.
Also, love your instructions; 'just watch the nice lady do it again'. HA!

Sandy said...

Oh my goodness this really works and is easy! How is it that this is one of life's greatest mysteries? Can you sense how excited I am that I just performed this feat?

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I now have this trick in my back pocket, but my favorite part of this video is the proclamation: "One of the biggest challenges you're going to face in your life is How to Fold a Fitted Sheet." If only that were my largest life concern...all problems solved!

Anonymous said...

It's just that easy! Huh. Who knew. I always attempted to grab the corners and fold in the sides, but it never turned out quite that well. I'll have to watch and fold at the same time.

Cheers and thanks for the tip,

*Heather*

Anonymous said...

Another tip (from Martha, I think): store your folded fitted sheet, flat sheet, and one pillowcase inside of the second pillow case. Makes everything easy to store and retrieve from the linen closet.

Cubicle said...

Thanks for the tips...I never know how to do this correctly!

Anonymous said...

Chris is losing his mind right now. He's amazed by that lady's folding skills... we may just double our closet space!

~*¨`*.~*¨*.¸¸.~*¨`*. said...

Ah, sadly most of my fitted sheets have elastic not just at the corners but all along the short sides... Even this magical method won't work for them! Le sigh.

therealslimkatie said...

Holy Moly! THAT'S AMAZING!! About to send this link to everyone I know!!