General Chat

Not only did I do sides to middle.I used to make under pillowcases out of sheets that had gone thin in the middle.
I used to have a guest house and out of season ,all under pillowcases were renewed..

Can you see the--disposable set -of today doing that.! !but then the bedding fabrics of today are much more durable.

My mum did it and also with towels with good bits made into facecloths or dusters.cant remember her ever turning shirt collars.

Yes, sides to middle for us too and pillowcases afterwards. I don't think Mum did it when we were young, unless by hand, as we didn't have a sewing machine till I was 12 and I got great aunt's machine then it was me did it, and turned Dad's collars too

I went on to make curtains and bedspreads at home and then my own curtains, first duvet cover and cushion covers as well as clothing

Lizxx

Yes we did it when first married. Luckily we had two sets of sheets as our first sheets were pale lilac.

Yes, we did that when I was young - mum didn't have a washing machine in either the converted bus or the Bessacarr caravan - and there were 4 children! :-(

Did anybody else have to follow this rule when changing the sheets?
" Top sheet on bottom, clean sheet on top"
Of course this was when all sheets were white and there were no fitted bottom sheets.

I remember sheets to the middle, and turning collars and cuffs

My grandmother made rag rugs, and always had a couple in her kitchen, which was also the main living "room" in the house ... the front room was for "important visitors"!

My mother taught me to sew and knit by the time I was about 6. I had to give up knitting last year when it became too painful to knit more than a couple of rows .......... we've been sending boxes of my wool and patterns over to my daughter!

I made one recently with the bits left from the quilt..

Fred's mate has it and he likes to sit with his shoes off and his toes buried in the rag.

I remember making "proggy mats" as a kid. My mam still had some in the bedrooms when I got married.

Kath. x

Mum turned sheets sides to middle. When these gave up, the best part of the sheet might be made into a pillow case or pram / cot sheet for the next generation.

My grandmother, who lived in a Welsh cottage had a rag rug in front of the hearth.

We never had them at home, but Dad did buy rug wool, wound it round a wooden ruler-like stick, which had a groove down one side and carefully cut it into short lengths for making home-made rugs with hook and canvas.
You could buy ready cut wool, but I would guess that it was a bit cheaper to cut it at home.
The rugs lasted for years.

Also rag rugs, who else remembers making them?

I have been known to turn sheets sides to middle. Not often but I have done it and I know my Mum did. (probably of necessity during the war years. (I am 77).

My ne'er do well ex was kind of forced into doing a job, even if it was beneath his dignity, and , to my surprise, I turned the collars on all his shirts so he had something decent to wear.

My mum did that too!

I remember sides to middle sheets, when the bottom sheet got a bit thin Mum used to cut them down the middle, sew a hem on the thin bits then sew the thicker bits together to make good again it would then be the top sheet. I’m in my 60s now by the way. :-D