Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag » LinenLiving off the Smell of an Oily Rag

Karen, Palmerston North

reader — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 21:47:08 +0000

My quite expensive (although bought on sale, of course!) pillows had flattened with use. I bought 1 metre of 1.5 wide dacron (the pillow was filled with this) for $5.95, cut it in half and wrapped 2 pillow inners, replaced the zipped covers and then pillowcases. Good as new! When they do eventually need replacing, keep the zippered covers; they can be removed and replaced for washing as needed, keeping the filling fresh.

TwinMum, Christchurch.

reader — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 07:20:27 +0000

Don’t bother buying cot sheets – they look pretty, but your child will outgrow the cot in a year or two. Instead, buy and use single bed sheets, which (if you buy the right ones) will last the child until it leaves home! Simply fold them in half when using them in a cot.

TwinMum, Christchurch

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:11:44 +0000

A recycler from way back, New Plymouth.

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:11:10 +0000

When double or queen size sheets are a bit worn in the middle, I cut them down & rehem the cut edges to make cot-size sheets.

Jean Sparks

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:10:35 +0000

Sometimes the domes on Duvet covers will no longer close. Just replace them with small squares of Velcro. No need to remove the faulty domes.

D.M.

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:10:06 +0000

I go into charity shops or garage sales and buy queen size sheets and sew them together to make a new? duvet cover,or if I can get more than 1,I unpick the duvet cover and sew the hems up, and wow, you’ve got very penny pinching sheets or duvets.

D.B.

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:09:34 +0000

Sew two single sheets together to make one Queen of King size sheet for your King or Queen size bed. Buy the sheets from second hand shops.

R.R., Ashley

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:09:01 +0000

My mother used to ‘turn’ worn sheets by cutting them down the middle, hemming the newly cut and more worn edges, and sewing the less worn edges together to make the middle of the sheet. It works great as the part of the sheet that gets tucked in doesn’t get worn, and as the cuts were from top to bottom of the bed I never felt un-comfy with the seam down the middle of the bed.

BMD, Christchurch

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:08:27 +0000

Short of blankets, use sleeping bags opened out, under the bed spread, not seen and you soon get used to the rustle of the nylon.

Patty L, Opotiki.

reader — Sat, 30 May 2015 23:03:20 +0000

If you have old woollen blankets which are not large enough to tuck in at the sides of the bed, This is what I do. Get hold of an old sheet or some other material. Cut two strips about 30cm wide or larger and stitch on to the sides of the blanket. This will make a blanket big enough to keep you warm and give you the extra on the sides that you need.