Bertha berman fitted sheets biography graphic organizer

Ah, the fitted sheet—a modern bedroom essential that makes our beds look neat (when it cooperates) and keeps us wrestling like amateur wrestlers when folding it.

Plus, the full flat sheet is always too short so I buy a full size set and separate queen flat sheet. 😄

Okay who the hell invented this gem?

Housewives preferred the two flat sheet system coupled with the corner fit procedure that hospitals used. Despite her innovation, her patent application was rejected three times.

So the next time you wrestle with one, remember—you’re handling a piece of history.

Now, who’s up for another round of "how do I fold this thing?" 😆

Would you like some fun folding tips thrown in? Finally, no more waking up on a bare mattress!

Her innovation laid the foundation for modern fitted sheets, but early versions still had issues—mainly that they didn’t always stay snug.

Elastic, Revolutionized: The ‘70s and Beyond

By the 1970s, improvements in elastic materials made fitted sheets even more practical.

But that’s not where the plight of the fitted sheet ends. She filed a patent for her design on October 6, 1957, marking the birth of an innovation that would transform the way we make beds.

Decades later, in the 1990s, Canadian homemaker and inventor Gisele Jubinville saw potential for further improvement in the fitted sheet design.

Finally in 1990, Gisele Jubinville created a fitted sheet deep corner pockets that grab a mattress and stay put. Makes me insane. Since people continually shed skin cells, sweat and may have dust or dirt on their bodies, the bed will over time become dirty and accumulate germs and bed mites, or worse. This worked fine, but anyone who tosses and turns at night knows the struggle: by morning, the sheet was often a crumpled mess!

Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, wealthier households used fancy embroidered linens, while the rest of the world made do with basic cotton or linen sheets.

I know you’re supposed to tuck two corners together then tuck one tucked bundle inside the other tucked bundle and that’s when I say oh the hell with this and commence manhandling and pounding the thing into something looking like a bloated American Flag triangle. After several failed attempts to create a better version on her home sewing machine, Gisele found the solution in a dream.

If you don't like the idea of waking up sleeping directly on the mattress, then you will want to use fitted sheets.

Before the invention of fitted sheets, flat sheets were folded around the mattress using techniques such as hospital corners to keep the sheet snug to the bed. Did he make this procedure up merely to keep his sons occupied?

Buckle up, because the history of fitted sheets is surprisingly fun!

Once Upon a Time… There Were Only Flat Sheets

For most of history, people slept on flat sheets—just plain rectangular pieces of fabric tucked under the mattress. Fitted sheets can be selected based on the materials that you most prefer providing for a comfortable night's sleep.