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Sheets

My memory may not be what it could be, but it seems to me that when I started buying sheets for myself many, many years ago, you pretty much had a choice of 180 thread count or 200 thread count.
At the time, my mother was thinking that the invention of no-iron percale sheets was the greatest thing since sliced bread--maybe even perforated toilet paper.  She just shook her head at my insistence on 100% cotton, knowing, I'm sure that I wasn't going to be a maniac about ironing them.
Oh, but I do remember how crisp and cool those sheets were.  They just got smoother with washing, but not so soft that they lost that crisp coolness.
I just can't seem to find sheets like that anymore.  Now 200 thread count sheets are the bottom of the barrel.  I couldn't stand the smirks of the clerks at the store if I purchased less that 400 thread count.  I still go for the 100% cotton, but they are not crisp.  To me they feel soft, but kind of nubby.  I find it annoying.  I don't have particularly sensitive skin, yet I find sheets these days irritating.  They seem to have the feel of those tee-shirt knit sheets which, sorry Oprah, I just hate.
I keep going for the next price level up, but I still keep being disappointed.  I probably had my first sheets for at least twenty years.  Now I find myself getting rid of them after two or three years and then not liking the replacements either.
Please, don't anybody suggest flannel, fleece, or satin.  Otherwise, I'll remain open minded.  Maybe I should sleep standing up.
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Comments

  1. Bobby Dobbins TitleJune 7, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    My sentiments exactly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Muffy's MarksJune 7, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    I hear you!!! I like to take the old top sheets and recycle. I make my granddaughters summer nighties out of them. The older ones with all the pretty flowers are getting very hard to find. But boy oh boy when I find a queen flowered sheet all three little ladies get new pj's.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Auntie sezzzzzz...June 7, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    I have to have all cotton. And I hate those T-shirt knit sheets! Bleahhhh...

    But guess I never thought as much about my cotton sheets. -sigh- Now I wish I remember such delightful sheets, as you do. -pout-

    If you find them again, please tell us!

    ~♥~

    ReplyDelete
  4. marciamayoJune 7, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    I keep my sheets until my toe goes through them in the middle of the night. I hate any kind of new sheets. I like them soft and worn and holy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sally WesselyJune 7, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    I agree with you. I have been complaining about this very same thing for the past three or four years. I had some wonderful old sheets, 100% cotton, soft as can be, and very soothing. They finally wore out. I can't find any like them to save my soul.

    Those old sheets wore like iron, but didn't need to be ironed. I keep looking, and buying, but I haven't found what I like either. In fact one set, promised to be oh, so soft etc. is like sleeping on a flannel board. I stick to them at night and can't turn over.

    Please let me know if you find any of those good old sheets like we used to buy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda ReederJune 7, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    I like crisp sheets too. I;m wondering if the way to go is cheaper, rather than more expensive. those high thread cout sheets seem to wear out much faster. Is that the plan, so we have to buy new ones more often?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Arkansas PattiJune 7, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    Well at least you wouldn't have to make the bed that way.
    I like 400 Egyptian cotton. I feel so rich slithering around on them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JuneJune 7, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    I know what you mean. I have ONE set of sheets that's just right...some weight to them, but not heavy...and smooth and soft...

    Have you ever tried resin-free sheets?
    Vermont Country Store sells 'em. I've never tried them, but feel free to do so and provide a review. :-p
    Here's a link to those sheets:
    http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/products/For-The-Home/Bed-Bath/Sheets/resin-free-cotton-percale-sheets.html?evar3=browse

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jenn JilksJune 8, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    We found cotton sheets in a health food store, on sale. We LOVE them!!! I'm with you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousOctober 13, 2016 at 10:03 AM

    I may have found a new company that could help find what you have been looking for. The company is called Red Land Cotton (redlandcotton.com). They make 100% cotton and 100% American made sheets. They took a sheet passed down from the 1920's and had it reverse engineered. It is a low thread count ~140 (very breathable) and very sturdy product. They have an option with lace around the sheet (just like grandma's). I would definitely recommend checking them out. They are soft sheets, but are definitely similar to what my grandmother had.

    ReplyDelete

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