dollycaswell

Okay, here's the story. While I was in Australia a couple of years ago with YWAM, I took some donated, flat, motel sheets and made them into fitted sheets for the many twin beds at the base. I went to a local fabric/notions store and bought "sheet elastic". It is FABULOUS stuff, has a rib down the center and elastic on both sides, probably about 5/8 to 3/4 wide and when you stitch it on the raw edge of the sheet fabric, it completly encloses the edge. The "rib" wraps around the edge, the two sides get stitched together automatically with one stitching and you can go all the way around the entire sheet with elastic, not just at the corners. When I was done with each sheet, they looked "professional" like it was factory done, the sheets were gorgeous!!

When I came home, I decided I would cut down some of my king-size sheets for my new queen-size bed and went to buy some of this elastic at the local fabric store. CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. IN BULK!! There are teeney, weeney little 2-1/2 to 3 yard packages for $5 or something like that, but when I was in Australia I bought an entire roll of about 15 to 20 yards +- for very cheap, don't remember exactly, but very cheap, something like 30-50 cents per yard. It was on a large cardboard winder sort of thing, not the tiny cardboard and plastic bubble package.

I can't find it in bulk anywhere in the U.S. I have even googled and emailed shops in Australia and the ONE that answered my inquiry said they won't mail it to the U.S. because the postage costs more than the elastic and they don't want an "unhappy" customer. And yes, I'm aware that the exchange rate of the currency would change the cost of the item here and there.

Also, I found it (much wider, but too wide) in a fancy wedding shop in Portland, OR, but the cost was about $1.50 per yard, waaaayyyy to expensive. Have found VERY wide stuff that is close, but not exact that is used on the bottom of swim suits?? Problem is, it's usually some wild color and I only want white.

1. Do any of you know which elastic I'm talking about?
2. Do you have any idea how/where I can buy it in a large quantity, very cheap?
3. Has the entire world stopped making this kind of elastic? I've googled trying to find suppliers in the US with no luck and one said they couldn't sell to me because I am not a wholesaler.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I've tried the usual elastic, the thinner stuff, and string it around the edge of a sheet, and it's not even close to the same. I don't want to "enclose" it in a casing, that's too much work. This elastic is so incredible, easy and fast to apply and looks gorgeous when you're done. I'm on a very tight budget and am trying to use up sheets that I already own and adapt them to smaller queen and twin beds.

sewwhat85

google elastic binding there are many place to buy this here is one http://verybaby.com/ecom-catshow/elastics.html

ConnieSue

Hi Let me know if the website that sewwhat85 gave you is the elastic that you need. I would like to try the same thing on some of my sheets!

fabricfairy

Yes I know exactly what you are looking for , I work for Australias lead Manchester Company and get ask for this about 10 times a week , it is made for fitted sheets and is very easy to apply , at work we send customers to a Fabric store called Textile Traders , they stock it .
Cathy

jitkaau

Just on the side, I understand the Australian shop owner's attitude: I was wanting to buy an $8 item from Nancy's Notions and by they time it would get here it was going to cost $28 - and it is even more expensive to send items from this side! Hope you have some luck with it.

katcox

I looked and I am wondering if it is the first bolt of elastic showing. It looked right, but please let us know.
Thank you.

LindaaJR

How many yards do you need to do the sheets? If just doing the corners and would only have to do 3 corners since you could use one of the original ones on the kings size sheet and 2 if the sheet is same length as the queen bed. Are you putting the elastic all the way around the sheet? If you are only doing the corners I would think 15 to 18 inches per corner would be plenty. So 3 yrds for $5 is not bad considering you could get 4 corners out of the package and you could not buy a fitted sheet for $5. Oh just remembered you were only using the top flat sheet, but still could do one or more sheets for $5. Good luck, take care.
Linda

Elizabeth in Texas

I have used the 1" wide fold over elastic when making cloth diapers for DGS. You're right, it encases the edge of your fabric & when you need it to be gathered, you just pull on it while you're sewing, creating tension that will gather when you let go of it. Great stuff! Good luck in finding exactly what you're looking for!

Mornigstar

Is there any chance that you have a piece left that you could photo up close so we can see what you are looking for and also we would know if we ever get to use it as I also would be interested. Am going to a place in few days and can look at the suppliers.

dollycaswell

Looks like this is a fairly good site. I can't tell from the pic, it doesn't look EXACTLY like what I used, but it must be close because they are saying it has a rib down the middle for folding.

http://verybaby.com/index.php

It's also a reasonable price for sheet elastic.