Mattress Forum

megalops wrote:

Thanks for the response. Being made in China explains a few things, especially the fact they claim to be single ply & 600TC sateen. I don't believe sateen can be woven using single ply at 600TC, but I am certainly no expert. Odds are that these are also not Extra Long Staple Egyptian cotton, and are more likely to be upland cotton grown in Egypt.

I'm glad to hear they are comfortable, but if I'm spending that much on sheets, I want to make sure they're going to last a while. I'm thinking I'd rather pay a little more upfront to know I'm getting high quality.

Sheets, well for my nickel the Coyuchi organic sheets are superb and frankly the basic made in USA organic percales are fabulous (really they wear well and soften so nicely - feels great)  I got my basics from HolyLambOrganics.com  (though others sell them).  They will happily send you a swatch for touch/color test.  I'm a bit of a sheet snob (hypersensitive) and frankly have been thoroughly pleased and amazed.  

Mattress pad -  both HolyLamb and SoaringHeart.com are somewhat  local for me (SH offers free shipping and currently has a white sale going)  and I absolutely love these companies for a reason. Total information and good stuff.  I went for a wool 'puddle pad' /moisture barrier underneath my thick wool fleece topper and Soaring Heart has a wonderful explanation as to why the wool makes sense - just pop to their wool pad page and they tell you. 

Wool pads are most effective when used underneath a cotton pad - in short, to your question as to whether you need cotton or wool or both - - get both.   

There is a caveat though - no matter if they are washable or not the wool pads do not go in your dryer and that needs to be considered.  (Yes indeed, even the St Dormeir says to not put it in the dryer).  Why? Well in a dryer the oils in the wool would be stripped and they become useless.    So I put a protective cotton cover over my mattress, then the wool pad and my thick wool fleece topper, which has a thick cotton backing. They need air more than soap and water to stay fresh.    The wool pad does not move around on our bed at all even though there are no straps or attachement points.   For full encasement protection the cotton pad at Soaring Heart is awesome

I've bought many many sheets over the years including very expensive ones, and I couldn't believe how smooth, generous, cool and comfortable these sheets are. They feel absolutely luxurious, wash like a dream and don't shrink or pill. I also love that they're solid colours and no flowers etc. which I dislike. I immediately went out and got 4 more sets and I doubt I'll ever buy anything else.

SallySmiles, thanks for your response.

I too am looking forward to my new flobed. Although I already placed my order for it, I won't be taking delivery of it until early February, due to my request.

Regarding Coyuchi, I did get swatches of their 220 percale and their 300 percale. The 300 feels very nice. Unfortunately, their percale fabric is made of cotton sourced and woven in India. The sheets are finished in USA, albeit of imported materials. I'm also a bit concerned about the fact that they don't mention the type of cotton they use which leads me to believe it is upland cotton. These assumptions don't mean they're not quality sheets, just that they seem pricey for what they are. If they were less than $200 a set, I'd seriously consider them. Being close to $300 a set leads me towards the St. Geneve stuff.

Regarding the mattress pad, I've decided to stick with 100% cotton. I'll probably get the one from flobeds, but will check into HolyLamb and SoaringHeart. I received a sample bed kit from flobeds, and am very impressed with the amount of wool sewn into the encasement. I can compress it to about 3/8", but once I release it, it expands to 1.5". Because of this thick layer, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just a cotton protector pad.

One other sheet set I found was these: http://www.daxstores.com/organic-cotton-sateen-sheets-and-pillowcases.html. They also make a 200TC percale. I got swatches of each, but the percale felt a little rough. Their 280 TC sateen was surprisingly nice despite the not so high threadcount, especially after I washed it once. These are made completely in USA. I may consider getting a set of these for my son's bed, just to see how they feel after a few washings.

I have seen the St Dormier at many sites and three of recent finds did state that they were to be 'machine washed and air dried' - so that would be a plus since you pointed out several others say low heat in dryer. OK then!!      Yes, I have washed my 100% wool 'puddle pad/moisture barrier' with no loss of function and minimal loss of fiber.   If it were not for the very thick backing on my fleece topper I would have a cotton mattress pad over the wool pad.

My thick wool fleece topper can be machine washed - but it would take a commercial machine without a doubt - 

One is a generic 464TC percale from Italy. The percale is obviously a 2 ply yarn woven at 232 TC tightness, and was labeled as Le Telerie Toscane THEOREMA Solid Percale. The tags on these sheets only state 100% cotton made in Italy. These are an extremely nice set of sheets, and are extremely heavy in actual weight, even though they are fairly thin and breathable. I may actually weigh them before they get washed the next time, as they were much heavier than any other king sized sheets I've ever felt. Also very smooth and soft for Percale. I can't wait until these have been washed several times. I may go back and get another set even though my wife is not crazy about the two remaining colors they had. These were only $160 a set.

The other set is a 310TC Sateen from Portugal.  The Sateen was labeled under Peacock Alley Oasis which I believe is a name they created just to liquidate products through Tuesday Morning. These Peacock Alley sheets claim to be Egyptian cotton. These sheets are extremely soft, but sleep a tad hotter than the percales.These were $90 a set. An excellent deal compared to anything else I've seen in that price range

The only other quality sheets I saw at the 4 Tuesday Morning stores I went to were Sferra, but most of which were made in China. They were all jacquards and sateens, and overpriced for Chinese sheets as far as I'm concerned. The Sferras they had from Italy were all in sizes other than King.

If anyone is looking for some qualiy sheets, I highly recommend Tuesday Morning stores.