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pammyfay

(Same old song!) The quest for bedsheets that aren't ...

pammyfay
9 years ago

... so thin that you can see the outline of your hand through them.
After a week or so of checking several stores, that's all I want.

I bought a set at Kohls (the Croft & Barrow Damask Stripe cotton sateen Sheets, 300TC), and at Tuesday Morning, I picked up a no-name-brand 450TC Egyptian cotton sateen set. Both are so thin! And likely they're headed back. I don't gravitate to the high TC numbers, but I do like white sheets that have the "tuxedo stripes" (makes the queen bed a lot faster to make!) -- and I guess those stripes are the "sateen" portion? Is sateen really code for "thin"?

I know a lot of folks here on previous sheet threads have commented on how the sheets look and feel after washing (whether the first time or a few times down the line), but where do you find nice sheets?

Comments (32)

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Sheets, like everything else, have gone WAY up in price and WAY down in quality.

    Best place to get great sheets are either online stores like Garnett Hill or other high-end sites that specialize in bed linens, or eBay, buying vintage sheets, which were made much better.

    It's maddening.

  • LucyStar1
    9 years ago

    I like Ralph Lauren sheets. I buy them from his website or from Macys.

  • jellytoast
    9 years ago

    The last few years I've noticed something with my sheets that I've never ever seen before. After what seems like a very short time, they just tear right open in the wash. Noting the thread count seems to be all the rage, but what good are 600 thread count sheets if the threads are as thin as a spider's web? What I wouldn't give for old school sheets, before they started counting the threads!

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Pottery Barn makes very nice cotton sheets.

  • flymom65
    9 years ago

    Ralph Lauren lover, here, too. I have found his sheets at a great discount at TJ Maxx and Marshall's. Not the 300 TC--they are nothing to write home about.

  • rosesstink
    9 years ago

    I'm not a sheet snob. lol I don't need high thread count or anything "fancy". After having several sets from department stores get tears very quickly I've gone back to buying LL Bean sheets. Cotton for summer, flannel for winter. DH hates white sheets so I don't have any experience with those but the colored sheets I buy from them are decent weight/quality at a reasonable price.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I'm not a sheet snob either and I refuse to pay $100+ for a set. I don't care about thread count. I want something that feels flat and smooth and crisp. Hate the sliminess of sateen or its greasy look.

    OMG, I've just noticed two sets of sheets with tears right along the fiber. I live alone and there ain't a lot of action, so I don't know why they're taking such a beating.

    WTH doesn't somebody just figure out this is what everyone wants and give us what we want?

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    linelleâ¦that would cut into profits!

    Haven't you noticed that, say, queen-size mattresses no longer have the handles on the side which make them easier to move? What's that? 5 cents each, cutting in to profits?

    Business is done very cynically now.

    I am a sheet snob in that I want only natural fibers. Thread count doesn't matter. I like vintage sheets the best. Also really dislike sateen. I like percale. Crisp, cool, wrinkled!

  • lucillle
    9 years ago

    Totally agree on Ralph Lauren, thick quality sheets, all I use these days. Got mine on sale for very reasonable.

  • lazydaisynot
    9 years ago

    If you're looking for queen or king size I think Costco's Kirkland brand sateen sheet sets are the best. High quality 100% cotton. Substantial weight, smooth but not limp, come with four pillowcases, fresh from the dryer they're wrinkle-free-enough for me, very durable. The Kirkland sheets are not slimy or slippery or shiny, they're just very smooth. Since it's Costco, you can return them if you don't like them.

  • ThreeBeez
    9 years ago

    I usually lurk, but must agree that LL Bean sheets have been my favorite. It's only disappointing that our local outlet has become a full-priced store. I've picked up a few good sets at Home Goods, but nowhere else is as consistent as LL Bean.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    I just bought LL Bean pima cotton percale sheets. The quality seems really good considering they are made in China. However I was expecting a crisp feel and crisp they aren't so back to the drawing board. Honestly I just want a set of sheets that have that crisp, slightly rough feel like the sheets from my childhood.

  • Deeby
    9 years ago

    The 200 TC sheets from Walmart are my favorite. They have that crisp childhood feeling. Wash well, don't pill, and last forever.

  • SparklingWater
    9 years ago

    I'll second Pottery Barn cotton sheets. My daughter went through a PB phase and darn, if those deep pocket queen sheets didn't last and wash up crisp and maintained.

    Another, in addition to RL, is Tommy Hilfiger sheets. I have a couple colorfast cotton sets which are just a pleasure to sleep on. I don't know their number, suspect 350 or so.

    I jumped on here to see what you thought, as my old white 100% cotton 24 year old king bottoms finally gave up the ghost. The tops are still going strong. They just don't make sheets as they use to, or do they?

  • aiallega
    9 years ago

    I really like Target Threshold Performance Sheets--they are on sale right now too.

  • camlan
    9 years ago

    Sateen is a weave. Instead of the usual over/under/over/under, the warp thread passes over several weft threads before going under the next one. This gives the fabric its smoothness. Satin is woven in the same way. Sateen is the satin weave, but in cotton fabric. Why it gets its own name, I have no clue.

    One thing to realize is that to get a high thread count, the thread has to be very, very thin. The thinner the thread, the more easily it will break or tear. And with the sateen weave, you have all those warp threads floating over the weft threads--just ripe for being snagged and torn. And the thinner the thread, the thinner the fabric, up to a point.

    The weave affects the feel of the sheets. The thread count affects the weave of the sheets. And so does the type of cotton used. Egyptian, Supima, and pima cotton will all yield a softer fabric. Turkish cotton now closely rivals Egyptian cotton.

    So you could have a lower thread count sheet made with Egyptian cotton that might feel softer than a higher thread count sheet made with a lesser type of cotton.

    Really, you need to open the package and feel the fabric in order to know what you are buying and if you will like it.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Camlan, thank you. Will the sheet feel the same after it is laundered? I have some sheets that I bought at Macy's that have the feel I love. They were discontinued and I got them for a song. The one issue is that after the first wash they shrunk a lot. I still use them but holy cow they are really tough to get on the bed!

  • colleenoz
    9 years ago

    Satin gets its own name because proper satin is made from silk, and sateen from cotton. Similar to the difference between velvet and velour- properly velvet is silk, velour is cotton or some other fibre.

  • 4boys2
    9 years ago

    Holly-Kay ~ Check this quote from Consumer Reports :

    "And keep in mind that selecting sheets by how they feel in the store can be misleading because manufacturers add hand enhancers, silicone softeners, that wash out after the first trip to a laundry. ThatâÂÂs why itâÂÂs important to keep the receipt and return the sheets if you donâÂÂt like how they feel after theyâÂÂve been washed."

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/09/higher-thread-count-doesn-t-guarantee-better-sheets/index.htm

  • minty88
    9 years ago

    I love Target's Simply Shabby Chic sheets. They're made of 100% cotton in a percale weave. They are the best sheets I have ever had. They feel so comfy, soft and cool. They do come out of the dryer kind of wrinkley but it seems the wrinkles disappear when I put them on the bed. They come in very pretty patterns too.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Thanks Forboystoo. It's seems like with everything else, buyer beware!

    Minty, the Simply Shabby sheets sound interesting. Thanks for recommending.

  • buyorsell888
    9 years ago

    I really love the Costco Kirkland Sateen sheets but they have such deep pockets they won't stay tucked on my mattress. My parents have the same issue. They are just too big so they pull out and I'm having to retuck every night.

  • louislinus
    9 years ago

    I too like the Simply Shabby Chic sheets. They are very crisp.

  • wantoretire_did
    9 years ago

    Lurker here - Target's Simply Shabby Chic sheet recommends washing in COLD WATER (to avoid shrinkage??) That wouldn't sit well with me at allâ¦â¦..

  • emmarene9
    9 years ago

    Anyone still using laundry starch?

  • lizzie_grow
    9 years ago

    I love my Pottery Barn sheets (classic, I think). They are holding up well & are a really nice weight & feel.

  • nanny2a
    9 years ago

    I need new sheets - looks like IâÂÂm off to Target to try out the Shabby Chic ones. At that price, itâÂÂs worth a try!

    Thanks for all the comments thus far, itâÂÂs been very helpful.

  • vedazu
    9 years ago

    I have been buying my sheets from Neiman Marcus' white sales for years--they last forever. Whenever I buy something else, I'm unhappy: either heavy cotton, or wrinkly sateen stuff.

  • junco East Georgia zone 8a
    9 years ago

    I just returned from a trip to Target to look at the Shabby Chic sheets--very nice. They also have Threshold Percale in 250 count that feel crispy. My favorite sheets came from Target and may be the Percale I saw today. I hadn't recognized them when I tried to buy more--but I think that's what they must be. Wonderfully cool and crispy!
    Thanks for all the tips, there are many of us who don't like sateen sheets!

  • junco East Georgia zone 8a
    9 years ago

    duplicate deleted

    This post was edited by junco on Wed, May 28, 14 at 20:19

  • nanny2a
    9 years ago

    I got the Shabby Chic sheets, laundered them, and slept on them last night. Heaven! IâÂÂm off now to buy a second set, since they were on sale for only $44 per set. ThatâÂÂs a real deal for a queen size sheet set that feels cool and crisp. It was my first comfortable nightâÂÂs sleep in weeks!!

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Junco and Nanny, thank you so much I am going on line now to look.

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