The Linen Doctor

The most important factor in selecting a sheet is simple: how does it feel to you? Everyone’s taste in sheeting is different, so think about what really matters to your and how you sleep.

Often people don’t realize that the weight of a sheet can make all the difference. Do you prefer a light, almost-not-there feeling or do you prefer to be draped in softness? Or do you like to switch from season to season.

The finer the fiber, the better the sheet. It’s that simple. The world’s finest cotton is grown on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. Egyptian cotton is renowned because it yields one of the longest-staple cottons in the world, the staple being the individual cotton fiber. The longer the fiber, the better it can be spun into smoother, stronger finer yarn.

Thread count is the number of threads per square inch of fabric. The staple size, weave, yarn type, ply of the yard, and thread count together make up the feel of a fabric.

After a sheet is woven, it goes through the complicated process of fabric “finishing.” This is an important step that determines the final texture, color, and softness. Italian mills that produce SFERRA linens consider fine finishing an art form, and guard the exact process as a secret.

The four types of fabric typically used in bedding are percale, sateen, jacquard, and linen. Each type of fabric has a unique feel and weight. Percale, for example, is a tight uniform weave that results in a smooth, crisp feel and matte look. We feature Grande Hotel (top left) with a 200 thread count as a terrific value and promote Sferra’s Giza 45® (top right) as the very finest percale sheet made.

Sateen is a weave that features long expanses of exposed yarns, creating sheen and exceptional softness. Milos and Millesimo (bottom left) have the highest number of threads per square inch – 1020 – of any sheet made and has a heavier feel than our 590 thread count Diamonte and Giotto (bottom right).

For more information or a free brochure called “Lose Count”, please e-mail us at info@scheuerlinens.com or call us toll free at 800-762-3950.

Because Egyptian cotton has a luxury cachet, many customers ask if a sheet or duvet cover they are interested in is made from that type of cotton. The Egyptian government is making that information more accessible by recently launching an initiative that would lead to the licensing of 100 percent Egyptian-cotton home fashions to make sure that products labeled 100% Egyptian cotton really are. “Much of the Egyptian cotton used around the world is actually a blend, even though it says only ‘Egyptian cotton’ on the packaging,” according to Cotton Egypt Association executive director Sahar Mounir. “We’re looking to license the name ‘Egyptian cotton,’ and we have created a logo that can be used only on products that are 100 percent Egyptian cotton.” Mounir said Cotton Egypt has established a testing and monitoring program to ensure that a product labeled 100 percent Egyptian cotton really is.

We always educate our customers by pointing out that there are different qualities of Egyptian cotton and that the spinning, weaving, and finishing processes also determine the quality and feel of any cotton sheeting product.

Egyptian cotton is considered the best because it produces the longest, smoothest threads of any of the types of cotton. It is based on a longer fiber and is softer and more durable than other cottons. Blends or derivatives can be any combination of Egyptian cotton and some other cotton not grown in Egypt. According to Fairchild’s Dictionary of Textiles, “the U.S. has crossed Egyptian cotton with American cotton since 1903.”

75 percent of exported Egyptian cotton is inferior to American Pima cotton, according to Matt Laughlin, executive vice president of the Supima Association of America. Laughlin says, “it’s not as long, it’s not as fine, and it doesn’t hold up as well. They dilute the quality.” The Supima Associate licenses their products and has their own logo.

We actually test our competitions high thread count sheets and cases, so we really know what something will feel like after washing and ironing. We invite customers to feel a sheet or duvet cover before they buy it and tell them that we guarantee that it will feel the same after many washings. We do stock sheets with thread counts of up to 1020 and also offer 300-count sheets that feel better than many others with a higher thread count.

Always make sure that you can return a sheet or duvet cover if it does not feel as good or hold up as long as you expected. We are always happy to send you a swatch of any of our sheeting fabrics so you can feel the quality for yourself before buying.

We get this question all of the time. The main reason is that mattresses are no longer a standard size and most are much thicker now than in the past since the “high profile” mattresses are considered more luxurious. A very common complaint years ago was the fitted sheets were too tight or didn’t have long enough sides to completely cover their mattress. And certainly now long enough to have bit of tuck under to prevent the fitted sheet from riding up the mattress and coming “undone.”

Now because of the wider mattresses, manufacturers are typically making them 15-17” deep, which is fine for some pillow top beds, but way too much for the older mattresses, which used to be a standard 8-9” thick. It’s even too much for some 12” thick mattresses. T here is also a trend to make them oversized and this just adds to the problem.

We have a simple fix. We have our workroom just cut them down, usually after a few washings so we know what the true size is after shrinkage. It’s kind of like getting your pants length altered because it is too long. We are so used to just putting a new sheet on the bed that it seems like a real nuisance to wash it and then return it for altering. But it will fit perfectly. We also make fitted sheets from fabric for odd sized or shaped beds, e.g., a round bed.

A full bed, also called a double bed, measures 54×75. A queen measures 60×80 and so many manufacturers make a full/queen flat sheet that is really a queen flat sheet and a full/queen comforter that is really a queen comforter. It is simply less expensive to produce and stock one sized flat sheet (typically 90” wide) and one sized comforter (also typically 90” wide) for both sizes. They obviously can’t choose the full size because it would be too narrow and since today’s mattresses are so much thicker, the queen will often work for the full without too much complaint.

When I first started in the business in the 70’s, full was a much more common size, but not so much anymore. People now want a wider mattress so they have the luxury of more width and now spend more time in their bedrooms since so many have either a television or even a whole entertainment center in their bedrooms. I’ve never seen a statistic on which rooms people watch the 10 o’clock news or Leno or Letterman, but I have a hunch a fair number are watching from their beds.

But the good news is fitted sheets and mattress pads still have to measure a true 54×75 or they simply won’t fit.

“Dear Linen Doctor, how are fine linens hand embroidered? 

Hand embroidery is not as popular as it used to be, but it is still being done and customers still request it, particularly for table linens.  The first step in the process is to draw the pattern onto tracing paper.  A hand-held stitch counter is then dragged over the pattern lines to determine the number of stitches required to embroider it.  The embroiderer is paid by the stitch.

A picote machine driven via foot pedal perforates the paper along the lines of the pattern.  An inkpad-like “doll” saturated with ink is swiped over the paper to transfer the pattern onto the fabric below it.  In Maderia, Portugal, for example, the printed fabrics, a sheet specifying colors and stitches to be used, and the embroidery threads are given to a delivery agent who farms them out to embroiderers.  The embroidered pieces are returned to the factory, washed to remove the ink, and smoothed by hand using heavy, flat-faced irons.

One fancy cutwork tablecloth may take as long as eight months to complete, since only one person can work on the tablecloth at a time to ensure consistency in stitching and to eliminate puckering near the embroidery. One way to tell great embroidery work is to turn the embroidered fabric over to check the neatness and tightness of the embroidery by making sure that the back side embroidery is relatively flat compared to the top side, where it will typically be raised.

Almost all of the great hand embroidery used to be done in Madeira, but now much of it is being done in Vietnam  In my opinion, that work is comparable to the European work we’ve seen for centuries.  This wasn’t true of Chinese embroidery years ago, but the Vietnamese seem to have mastered the embroidery techniques required to produce quality work.

“Dear Linen Doctor, what do I do about all those Thanksgiving Day stains on my good tablecloth?”

Dinner was wonderful and the guests were charming, but your linen tablecloth has all the evidence of a Thanksgiving dinner. There are spots from gravy, wine, cranberry sauce, coffee, and candle wax. Where do you start? Do you treat all of these stains the same?

If you are lucky enough to have a reliable laundry nearby, you can always take your tablecloth and napkins to them.  Ask the laundry to use dry cleaning fluids to remove specific stains and then to wash and iron the cloth.

But what if you want to clean the tablecloth and napkins yourself? There is no better cleaning agent than Linen Wash, a specialty cleanser formulated to safely and effectively remove difficult stains on fine linens. You can use Linen Wash to treat spots or simply as a soap for machine washing. Remember that linen can be washed in hot water whereas warm water is best for cotton fabrics.  

Here are some suggestions for removing some of those Thanksgiving Day stains:

Gravy
Saturate the stain with a prewash spray. Wait several minutes for the product to penetrate. For tough stains, rub with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder.

Wine, Cranberry Sauce
Soak or sponge fresh stains as soon as possible. Launder with detergent in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Do not use soap (bar, flake, or detergents containing natural soap), since soap could make the stain permanent or at least more difficult to remove. Soak tough stains for 30 minutes in one quart of warm water and one teaspoon of enzyme presoak product, such as Spray ‘n Wash or Zout.

Coffee, Tea
Same as suggestions for gravy.  Remember that hot water will set coffee and tea stains.

Candle Wax
Harden wax by rubbing with ice or put in your refrigerator for a few hours (really!). Remove surface wax by carefully scraping with the dull edge of a butter knife. Sandwich the wax stain between two pieces of brown paper (like a shopping bag) and press with a warm iron. Continue as long as the wax remains. The wax will be absorbed by the paper and you will probably have a grease spot left.  Then treat as a gravy stain (see above).

The longer a stain remains on a tablecloth or napkin, the harder it is to remove, so attending to it as soon as possible makes a huge difference. Avoid aggressive rubbing since it may cause irreparable damage to the surface color and fabric. Sponging rather than rubbing, followed by thorough flushing is best for your linens. Once your linens come back home or after you’ve cleaned them, store them in a cool, dry, dark area until the next use.

For more tips and suggestions on how to remove stains, visit Fabriclink.com.

All cotton will shrink to some extent, but quality sheet manufacturers anticipate this by cutting their items larger to allow for shrinkage.

When buying fitted sheets, look for extra-deep 15 to 17 inch pockets, which allows for the deep, pillow-top mattresses that are popular in the United States, and also ensures that the elastic will not be overstretched, leading to stress on the seams and fabric.

When it’s time to wash your sheets do so in warm water, dry them on a low setting, and remove them from the dryer promptly while they are still slightly damp, then hang or fold to smooth.

Dear Linen Doctor, “I want to invest in some new sheets, but wonder how long can I expect them to last?

I think you’ll find that an investment in fine linens will pay dividends night after night after night!

With proper care, your fine bed linens can last for many years. In order to assure the long life of your bed linens, it is best to alternate the use of each set on a weekly basis. Three sets of sheets for each bed is a good guideline to follow – one on the bed, one in the wash, one in the closet.

In between each use, launder and store your linens in a well-ventilated space. For best results when laundering, use a non-chlorine bleach and gentle liquid detergent. Wash on a gentle cycle with warm water. Line dry or tumble dry until slightly damp. Over-drying or drying on too hot a setting is the single biggest factor in reducing the life of your sheets.

“Dear Linen Doctor, we received two sets of beautiful fine linen sheets as a wedding gift. How should I store them to keep them like new?”

Always clean your linens before storing them. Store items in a cool, dry, and preferably dark place after wrapping them in muslin or an old cotton pillow case. For wool items, consider using a cedar chest or moth balls. However, cottons and linens should not be stored in cedar, which will yellow them. 

I recommend Linen Wash to our customers to safely remove difficult stains from any of your fine linens.