Oct. 26, 2006

MC students invent the latest trend in sleeping

BY JON MOFFETT
jrm001@marietta.edu

In November of 2004, a young man by the name of Kevin Leonard was having a problem. While he was sleeping, his sheets would not stay on his bed, so he decided then to come up with a solution.

He wondered what would happen if he were to sew zippers onto sheets. Afew weeks later, he had his girlfriend's grandmother create a prototype of what he had envisioned. This was the beginning of the Bed Sleeve.

Now, a couple years later, Leonard and his partner Adam Rockhold are trying to continue the vision of making the Bed Sleeve a revolution in the way people sleep. A Bed Sleeve is your fitted sheet, top sheet, and comforter sewn together with zippers that gives control while sleeping and in the morning.

The Bed Sleeve, according to co-inventor Kevin Leonard, “takes your sheets to the next level of comfort and style. Where else can you buy stylish sheets that won't fall off your bed? The answer… nowhere! Undoubtedly this product is not your everyday product. We use comfort, style, and a little creativity to make the Bed Sleeve a must-have!”

The Marcolian sat down with Leonard to talk about his invention.

Q: What is your invention?

A: I like to call it a Bed Sleeve.

Q: What exactly is a ‘Bed Sleeve’?

A: It’s simply your normal fitted, flat sheet and comforter all connected together by separable zippers. The zippers are not only concealed from sight, but they prevent a loss of covers at night and that wretched game of tug-of-war some may play with their significant others. This new way of sleeping also allows for ease of making the bed in the morning simply by zippering all sides.

Q: Why did you invent it?

A: I actually thought of the idea when I was in grade school. I figured that we had so many other great technological advances available to us that it doesn’t make sense that we still fight to get a good, warm night’s sleep. It wasn’t until Christmas of my freshman year in college here at Marietta in 2004 that I actually made the first Bed Sleeve.

Q: What does it do for MC students?

A: I plan to market and sell them to MC students first because I know they will gain great benefits from it. First of all, we all know that dorm beds are not that comfortable or that big. It is hard enough to climb into a lofted dorm bed, much less attempt to make it in the morning. And I am more than positive that I am not the only one that has had the awful experience of waking up cold in the middle of the night only to find your cover lying on the floor close to eight feet down. The Bed Sleeve allows you to keep your sheets in place at night when zipped and makes it extremely easy to make in the morning: just zipper and go.

Q: How did you come up with the concept for this invention?

A: I first thought of using Velcro to keep the sheets together but realized it would be loud and night and may wear out. I then attempted to sew the sheets and the comforter together but realized it was too difficult to get into and gave little leeway to shift around at night. I then moved onto the idea of zippers which is where I am today. I have added extra material to give more room and am currently working on getting down-filled microsuede comforters for a more elegant look.

Q: How did you make the idea a reality?

A: I took a lot of effort. I asked my girlfriend’s grandmother to help me make the first Bed Sleeve and show me how to sew. Ever since then, I have been sewing each Bed Sleeve individually by hand. I have put almost all of my summer and current workstudy earnings into the Bed Sleeve project, which my girlfriend has complained and warned me about relentlessly, but I feel that the investment will more than pay for itself in the future.

Q: Who helped you with this process?

A: My girlfriend has supported me and given me lots of advice. Her grandmother helped me to create the first Bed Sleeve and still offers her ideas when they come to her. My girlfriend’s mother has also done a lot with lending space for the making of them and storing my inventory. Also, Adam Rockhold, my roommate and friend, has helped me with numerous marketing ideas.

Q: Are you planning on branching out with it beyond MC and trying to get it to catch on in the ‘real world’?

A: I am absolutely planning on marketing this idea. I feel that college students would be a large market, and kids and teenagers would be another market I soon wish to enter. One day, I hope to create a large company.