Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
chambleemama

200 TC 100% Cotton Muslin Sheets

chambleemama
15 years ago

I've read through the thread about problems with $300 high-thread-count sheets and all the longing for the cotton/poly sheets 'you could buy in the 80s'--those sheets were normally 180 thread count. I have muslin 'cot' sheets that my mother bought in the 1950s. They were probably 140 thread count, 100% cotton, and they could be washed in hot water, with bleach--AND they wore like iron. Muslin was the choice for children's beds and hospital beds, in those days. It started out a bit rough to the touch, but it softened over time. I'm planning to make pillowcases from mine. (BTW, I know when she bought them because she marked all her linens with the date--and sometimes with the store and the price she paid!)

The Vermont Country Store offers 200 TC muslin sheets. I'd never heard of muslin being a thread count higher than 140, so I bought a set. WONDERFUL. They're crisp/soft, not slick, and they have a great 'hand.'

I detest sateen, and percale is my idea of perfection because of its crispness and 100%cotton is my bottom line for its absorbency (think: hot flashes/night sweats). However, both my husband and I LOVE these muslin sheets.

The sheets will probably wear like cast iron, so I will follow Mama's lead and write in the corner where I bought them, the year, and what I paid.

I wash on HOT, with Charlie's Soap and no fabric softener. The clothesline will probably leave them less wrinkled than the dryer, but if you take them out when almost-dry and smooth them as you fold them, you will find they aren't as wrinkled.

Confession: I ironed the pillowcases with light starch, and I ironed the top of the top sheet as a treat to myself. They feel heavenly when I climb in at night. All my linens are white, so they match my duvet cover and extra pillowcases. It looks like a cloud I'm cuddling up in.

Anybody else out there love crisp, 100% cotton sheets?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Vermont Country Store

Comments (9)

  • sbcichocki
    15 years ago

    I see on the link that these are for mattresses that are 15" deep. My mattress is 15" deep. I am having problems with sheets that say fit up to that size. They fit when I 'try them on' but when I wash them (I even use cold water, warm dry) they shrink to where they will no longer cover my mattress. How were these on shrinking? And are the top sheets nice and wide?
    Thanks for the info, if these aren't shinkers I might just have to get me a set!
    S

  • michelle_phxaz
    15 years ago

    Why are we starting a new thread about this? There are already several going about sheets.

  • chambleemama
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Silverraven, I just measured, and the sheets hang roughly 18" off the top of the mattress on either side, after two washings in hot water and drying in a hot dryer. I can't speak to the issue of the bottom sheet, so contact them specifically about that. They've been very reputable. Let me know what they say about that, please. My mattress isn't that deep, but I'm curious!

  • sbcichocki
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the info! It will be a while before I am ready for sheets (few months), but I will boookmark this and try to get back to it! I forgot to bookmark it and I had a heck of a time re-finding this thread again this morning!
    S

  • graywings123
    15 years ago

    Thanks for starting this thread. I would have assumed that muslin sheets would be rather rough.

  • chambleemama
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Graywings, they aren't slick, but they are very far from scratchy. If you love sateen, you won't care for muslin. Percale is smoother, but this is crisp and comfortable. Remember that this is 200 TC muslin--not 140 TC. When I was ironing pillowcases, I had trouble telling the difference between these muslin ones and my cotton percale ones.

    I'd love to try the "clothesline" percale ones, but they are almost twice as costly. I buy most of my sheets at thrift stores, actually. I'm very picky: must be white or off-white (bleachable), 100% cotton, and must have a really good "hand."

  • mara_2008
    15 years ago

    I haven't bought these particular sheets, and they sound very nice. When I was a young bride, I didn't know a thing about thread count and I bought a sheet set which was either 180- or 200-count. They were impossible to sleep on; were unbearably scratchy, no matter how many times I washed them in mild detergent *and* used fabric softener. Finally, after about a year (we were living on a shoestring then), I broke down and bought more, making sure I bought a higher thread count. Oh, the bliss!

    Not long ago, I came across a fantastic deal - 100% cotton, 600-thread count sheets *on clearance* for less than $40 at BJ's (a warehouse store). Dear hubby and I were needing a set of sheets for our Q-size bed, so I grabbed them, LOL. They are absolutely luxurious. They do tend to wrinkle in the dryer, so I always get them out just as soon as the dryer chimes and either fold them to put them away or put them on the bed immediately. Dear hubby hardly ever notices anything like that, but he has commented on how nice these sheets feel. Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand name that was on the sheets; I wish I did.

  • chambleemama
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Mara, unless you cut the tiny tag off, you'll find the name somewhere along the selvage of the sheets. What a great price for really lovely sheets! It would make sense if the thread count guaranteed thickness and softness, but that doesn't always hold nowadays. I've bought disappointing sheets with 300+ thread counts. Home Comforts has great information about this. It's an encyclopedia that every homemaker ought to have.

    I'll bet your scratchy sheet set was polyester or poly/cotton blend. The standard for family sheets used to be 180-200 count, 100% cotton--but the country went overboard with polyester for a decade or so!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Home Comforts at Amazon.com

  • elbits
    15 years ago

    Well the muslin sheets I remember were around 120 threads and felt like sandpaper.