The most important factor in selecting a sheet is simple: how does it feel to you? Everyone’s taste in sheeting is different, so think about what really matters to your and how you sleep.
Often people don’t realize that the weight of a sheet can make all the difference. Do you prefer a light, almost-not-there feeling or do you prefer to be draped in softness? Or do you like to switch from season to season.
The finer the fiber, the better the sheet. It’s that simple. The world’s finest cotton is grown on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. Egyptian cotton is renowned because it yields one of the longest-staple cottons in the world, the staple being the individual cotton fiber. The longer the fiber, the better it can be spun into smoother, stronger finer yarn.
Thread count is the number of threads per square inch of fabric. The staple size, weave, yarn type, ply of the yard, and thread count together make up the feel of a fabric.
After a sheet is woven, it goes through the complicated process of fabric “finishing.” This is an important step that determines the final texture, color, and softness. Italian mills that produce SFERRA linens consider fine finishing an art form, and guard the exact process as a secret.
The four types of fabric typically used in bedding are percale, sateen, jacquard, and linen. Each type of fabric has a unique feel and weight. Percale, for example, is a tight uniform weave that results in a smooth, crisp feel and matte look. We feature Grande Hotel (top left) with a 200 thread count as a terrific value and promote Sferra’s Giza 45® (top right) as the very finest percale sheet made.
Sateen is a weave that features long expanses of exposed yarns, creating sheen and exceptional softness. Milos and Millesimo (bottom left) have the highest number of threads per square inch - 1020 - of any sheet made and has a heavier feel than our 590 thread count Diamonte and Giotto (bottom right).
For more information or a free brochure called “Lose Count”, please e-mail us at info@scheuerlinens.com or call us toll free at 800-762-3950.
There are four basic steps that affect the quality of a sheet. The finest feeling sheets start by using the best cotton with the longest staple, usually about three inches long. A staple is what you pull from a ball of cotton. Shorter staple cottons can result in yarns that break and fabrics that pill.
Prices are all over the board and even discount stores offer sets of high thread count sheets at really attractive prices. Once upon a time, the best sheets were made in Italy or Switzerland, but now they are made all over the world.