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Sheets and Sheet Sets
Percale Fabrics
Percale fabric begins its life as two sets of undyed, interwoven threads, known as a "greycloth" that will later have its color and pattern "sprayed" on. Since the threads are woven at a 1:1 ratio, the same number of threads will be found along one inch of the length, and one inch of the width. The number of threads along one inch (in each direction) makes up the fabric's "thread count." The thread count of the fabric determines its density, and that generally gives you a good gauge of its softness, although there are other factors that impact the softness of the fabric even more than its thread count. One such factor is "content."
The content of percale can vary widely. Though many people assume that "percale" means a polyester-cotton blend, this is untrue. A percale can be made of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, or any combination in between. Even a high thread count 60/40 percale blend won't be as soft or luxuriant as a lower thread count 100% cotton. Also, a dark colored cotton percale will feel stiffer than a lighter colored percale with the same thread count.
Even within cotton itself, there are many differences in grade. Just as grapes grown in certain regions are favored by wine connoisseurs over grapes grown in others, the quality of cotton can be estimated by its origin. Our own domestic cotton is an excellent breed called "pima" cotton. This is a long-staple cotton, and is relatively inexpensive, considering its high quality. The fertile Nile valley which also produces the same breed of Pima Cotton as the United States, calls their more luxuriant textile "Egyptian Cotton." With its longer, silkier, and thicker fibers, this cotton is woven into the absolute best percales. Unfortunately, since it must be imported from Egypt, it carries with it a heavy price tag.
At the other end of the spectrum, some imported percales are very inexpensive, and for good reasons. A combination of low thread count and high ratios of polyester to cotton causes these percales to rip easily, feel rough to the touch, and worst of all, pill. Pilling is that sand-paper feel that sheets can get after washing. If you find your sheets doing this, and are bothered by it, consider upgrading to a higher thread count, and better content. Though this may mean more expense, you really do get what you pay for.
All of Linens 4 You percales are domestically produced, have thread counts of at least two hundred, and contain no more than 50% Polyester. 50/50 Polyester/Cotton percales of this quality can stand up to a great deal of abuse. They resist wrinkling and can be washed frequently, in whatever conditions desired (hot or cold water, line or machine dry).
100% Cotton Percales, on the other hand, are more difficult to maintain. They should be washed in cold water, and line or tumble dried. They do tend to wrinkle, and can be expected to shrink 1-2% the first time they are washed. This shrinkage is taken into account when the sheets are manufactured. For this reason, they may fit loosely before laundering, and provide a snug fit afterwards.
Percale fabrics are generally available in widths great enough to provide a sleeping surface without any add-ons or seams. Extremely large or thick mattresses may make add-ons necessary.
Conventional Sheets Sheet sets consist of a top sheet, bottom sheet, and one or
more pillowcases, depending on the size of the bed. Conventional (inner-spring) mattresses are available in many
standard and semi-standard sizes, and we manufacture sheets for all of
them. They are also found in very unusual shapes and sizes, particularly
when installed in boats or recreational vehicles. We are capable of
manufacturing sheets for those strange sizes, too, if provided with dimensions
or a template.
All fitted bottom sheets for conventional mattresses are fully
elasticized, with half-inch elastic. While some companies will sell fitted
sheets that only have elastic at the head and foot, or only at the four corners,
or use a narrow quarter-inch strip of elastic, our sheets are designed to
tightly hug the mattress from all directions. This not only
provides a better appearance, but prevents the sheet from popping off the
corners or arching up the sides to reveal the mattress underneath.
Both the fitted bottom, and the flat top sheet are designed
with the depth of the mattress calculated into their finished size. This
means that the owner of a 16" double pillow-top mattress can not only
expect the bottom sheet to fit perfectly, but also expect the top sheet to tuck
in at the foot and drape completely over the sides of his or her
mattress. This is why it is important to provide the depth of the
mattress when ordering sheets. Average mattress depths are
gradually increasing, in recent years, as more and more people are buying
pillow-top mattresses. The old standard of eight inches can no longer be
assumed. If you must assume a depth, the new average is about 11
inches, though we recommend 13, to be on the safe side. It is better to
over-estimate than under-estimate. The width of our top sheets can be
found by adding the width of the mattress, twice the depth, and another ten inches. (IE: A 78x80x13 mattress gets a top sheet that is
78+13+13+10
inches wide, or 114") The length of our top sheets follows a similar
formula, incorporating the length of the mattress, the depth, and a further 8 inches. (IE: A 78x80x12 mattress gets a sheet that is
80+13+8 inches long, or 101")
Several common options are available to consumers wishing to
customize their sheets.
Top Sheet Fitted at the Foot:
This option is
becoming increasingly common, as people realize the convenience of never
having to worry about the top sheet coming un-tucked from the foot of the
bed. We use half-inch elastic and box the bottom corners of the top
sheet to stay on the bed, even when tugged by the bed's occupants. The
result is that the sleeper's feet stay under the sheet all night. This
option adds an extra charge to the price of the set, or to the price of the
top sheet.
Added Length to Top Sheet:
Some people prefer
a longer top sheet, either to provide more fabric to tuck in at the foot
(thus holding the sheet more securely, like the fitted option above), or to
fold back from the head of the bed. Whatever the reason, this
option adds an extra charge for every 12 inches, or fraction thereof, that is to be
added.
Top Sheet Attached at the
Foot:
This option solves the same problem as the first two:
keeping the sleeper's feet covered, even when the sheet is tugged from the
head of the bed. There is an extra charge for this, but the resulting
one-piece set is more cumbersome to launder.
Varying the Pillowcase Size:
Not everyone who owns a king size bed uses king size pillows. There is
no charge to substitute smaller pillowcases for larger, but substituting
larger pillowcases for smaller ones carries a an additional charge per size
upgrade. For instance, upgrading a
queen set with king pillowcases adds an additional charge to the price of the set, and
upgrading a full size set (normally sold with standard size pillowcases)
with king size pillowcases would add an additional charge.
Sheets
for Round Beds
Believe it or
not, the lack of corners on a bed causes no end of unique problems that need to
be solved. The trendy round shape has its following among vinyl waterbed
mattresses (in a wood frame), as well as inner-spring mattresses, and the
problems are similar in both. First,
satin doesn't cling well in the best of circumstances. Without the tension
that comes from nice 90-degree angles, the elastic is hard-pressed to keep the
bottom sheet from shifting or popping free. For this reason, we offer
percale sides on round satin sheets, to maintain a healthy amount of clinging
friction. Customers who don't want percale
sides should specify all-satin when ordering round satin sheets. Second,
thought it may not make sense at first, the top
sheet of a round sheet set is always rectangular.
The reason for this, stems from the way people sleep in a round bed. Oddly
enough, they don't arrange themselves like spokes of a wheel, from the center
outward... but rather tend to align themselves in the bed as if they were in a
conventional bed. (If you have trouble envisioning why, just imagine a
couple, crossed at the knees and laying at a perfect 30-degree angle from one
another). Needless to say, a curved top sheet would simply be folded back
and bunched up awkwardly in their attempts to keep the sheet covering them both
without burying one or the other of them.
Waterbed Sheets
Though the traditional wood-frame
waterbed is not as popular as it once was, the waterbed still has a sizable
market share. This fact seems to have been overlooked by department
stores, who carry a very limited selection of waterbed sheets, or (in some
cases) have stopped carrying them altogether. This makes waterbed sheet
sets very difficult to find for the average consumer.
"Soft-Sided" or "waveless"
waterbeds can generally take a conventional sheet set in the appropriate size,
and this information does not apply to those, of course. But wood-frame
waterbeds (or "hard-side") have some special needs, in the linen
department.
First of all, lifting the mattress and
tucking in the top sheet at the foot is not really an option. Instead,
waterbed sheet sets are designed with the top sheet sewn to the bottom sheet at
the center of the foot.
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Second, because of the fluid nature of
the mattress, elastic, no matter how strong or tight, cannot be trusted to hold
the bottom sheet in place. Instead, triangular pockets are sewn to each of
the four corners of the bottom sheet, to slip over the corners of the vinyl
mattress and hold it secure. |
Some people prefer to be able to
separate their top and bottom sheets at will (for easier laundering, or to mix
and match different sets, for instance). We offer a six-pocket design in
waterbed sheet sets, in which the top sheet has two pockets sewn to the bottom
corners, to slip over the mattress just like the bottom sheet, and hold it in
place. The six-pocket design option adds an additional charge to your sheet set price. |
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