Back then my bed looked something like this:
two of these
+
the top sheet of this
+
the fitted sheet from this
=
seriously embarrassing!
No joke. I really did have sheets exactly like these, so therefore,
no visitor EVER went into my bedroom.
These days I can afford a matched set, thank goodness, and I've done a bit of research on the subject which I'd like to share with you. Lets call this quick primer "Sheeting 101"
Its kind of a long one, so grab a cup of joe and settle in...
Thread Count
What it means:
The number warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads woven in a square inch of sheeting material.
Recently, I've seen a lot of marketing that goes into the thread count and its a little misleading because extra threads called "picks" can be woven into each square inch to make the sheet more dense, but it doesn't up the quality of the sheet itself. Most luxury hotels use a 300+ thread count, which is what I look for when buying news sheets.
Bottom line:
The higher the thread count, the denser the material and the denser the material, the heavier and hotter it is. (In the south and in the summer, that's an important factor to take into consideration!)
Content
What it means:
This ones kind of a no brainer...it just means what the material is made of. Cotton, polyester, linen, silk, etc. I have a friend who swears linen sheets are the best, but you can only find them online. Silk seems kind of "Howard Wolowitz-y" to me, (You Big Bang watchers will get that reference!) so for "quick primer" purposes, we'll stick to descriptions of cotton and polyester, which is what most sheets are made of. Egyptian cotton is the crème de la crème of sheeting content because of its long cotton fibers and soft hand, or feel. It lasts a really long time, but its really expensive. Pima cotton also has long fibers and a great hand. Its much more affordable than true Egyptian cotton. Finally, American Upland cotton is what is most widely used in sheeting. (If the sheet states 100% cotton on the tag, its probably A.U.) It has both long and short fibers and can be soft or stiff to the touch, depending on how it was woven. Polyester is a man-made petroleum based monofilament thread. Often, it will be blended with cotton. Initially, it has a really soft feel, but after usage it tends to pill. Or rather, it will pill. Pilling is bad. Pilling is itchy and uncomfortable. Stay away from it.
Bottom line:
100% cotton sheets wear well, are affordable and will most likely soften over time. So in my (humble) opinion are the best value for the money.
Weave
What it means:
The way in which the threads are woven to create the sheeting material.
There are several different types of weaves for sheets, but I'm going to stick to the three basics; percale, sateen, and jacquard. Percale is a simple, evenly woven sheet (there are equal amounts of warp and weft threads in each square inch.) and tends to have a crisp feel to it. Sateen (not satin) is super soft right out of the package has a very slight sheen on one side of the sheet. I have sateen sheets and they are the only type I will buy. The more I wash them, the softer they get...like buttah! I really have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning because my sheets are so soft and cocoon-ey.
The jacquard sheet has tone on tone patterns woven into it. The patterns are created by controlling the amount of warp and weft threads in each square inch.Tone on tone damask stripes, dots and fleur de lis are a good example of a jacquard weave.
Botton line:
Buy percale for crisp and cool, sateen for soft and buttery, and jacquard for luxurious tone on tone patterns.
Still with me? Great! I hope this post was helpful to you!
Now here are some great deals to get you started:
Macy's Lots of great selections on sale in the Martha Stewart Collection!
Pottery Barn They are advertising 20% sheets and bedding, but honestly, you can do better by watching the clearance section. You have to be quick, though. Clearance items sell out quickly.
Bloomingdale's Check the bottom of the page, my friends. Pratesi (translation: cha-ching) is actually marked down!
Kmart We have a saying here in Key Largo; "If it ain't at Kmart, you don't really need it." Ha! Its funny because its true. They have a pretty decent and very affordable line from their Country Living collection that you might want to check out.
And last but not least, my favorite, HomeGoods. I like to be home goods happy and I buy all of my sheets here. More specifically, Ralph Lauren, 300 thread count 100% cotton sateen sheets. In white. (Always white, it goes with everything, looks super clean on the bed and you can bleach stains out of them.) No white sales here and no online shopping. You have to go to the store itself and dig through the organized mess. With a little luck you'll find just what you're looking for.
Until next time,
xojo
