The Linen Doctor

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.

When my father died in 1982, I was suddenly in charge of the store. I was really scared. Even though I had worked at the store for 11 years at that point, I really didn’t know exactly what to do. I could sell, do basic bookkeeping, and do shipping and receiving. I always seemed to have lots of ideas to suggest to my father, but when I assumed control, I was not so sure I could successfully implement those ideas. There was no training program, no manual or written guidelines for buying, and there were things my father (pictured on the right, with his parents, Rosel and Fred, and his wife, Leonore, at the store’s opening in 1953) did that I had never done, like going to Madeira, Portugal on a buying trip.

I decided to call George Matouk, Sr., another second generation owner of a respected wholesale company in our industry. He gave me advice that I have never forgotten. He told me not to worry, that I would make lots of mistakes the first year, would correct them in my second year, and start seeing success in my third year. I listened to him and believed him. He ultimately was right and his words of wisdom got me through some challenging times when I had lots of doubts about what I was doing.

I am the third generation of my family to run Scheuer Linens and George Matouk, Jr. (pictured on the left, with his father, George Sr.), is the third generation of his family to run Matouk. In 1929, John Matouk founded a company whose “mission was to give American homemakers ready access to the world’s finest, most luxurious linens.” My grandparents started in 1937 by selling fine linens in customers’ homes. There was no Scheuer Linens store in those days. As both companies evolved and grew, both stayed committed to having the very finest quality linens and never compromised on quality or service.

As the years went on, both Matouk and Scheuer Linens diversified their product lines of bed, bath, and table linens. We still offer the full line of Matouk linens. George, Jr. and I often talk on the telephone about our future plans and every so often, we reminisce about our fathers and grandfathers. It always gives me a warm feeling to know that we are successfully carrying on the traditions established by our grandfathers.

In 1878, John Wanamaker of Philadelphia department store fame decreed January to be the time for a white sale where bed linen, which were available in white only, were sold at a discount. It is believed he might have done so to keep linen makers in business during a slow time of the year.

Today, white sales usually revolve around household items. However, they no longer only involve items that are white in color and they are not restricted to take place in the month of January.

Most linen stores and department stores have many white sales during the year.  The best way to comparison shop is by paying attention to the actual final sale price and not worry about the percentage off, or the amount saved. One store may sell something at 25% off and another may not have the same item on sale at all, yet the prices may be exactly the same.

So compare by checking the final price and also by making sure that the items being compared are the same.

I have tested various brands of high thread count sheets and there are big differences in quality and cost for items with the same thread count. For more on thread count, see The Truth About Thread Count.  

“What is the real difference between high thread count sheets?”

This is one of the most common questions we are asked in our luxury linen store. We do a lot of research and testing and actually use sheets with different thread counts before we make a decision to buy any.

There are four basic steps that affect the quality of a sheet. The finest feeling sheets start by using the best cotton with the longest staple, usually about three inches long. A staple is what you pull from a ball of cotton. Shorter staple cottons can result in yarns that break and fabrics that pill.

The cotton is then spun into continuous yarn. High quality spinning ensures a durable yarn that will not produce sheets that pill or feel rough with normal use. The yarns are woven into sheeting, usually percale (crisp) or sateen (shiny and silky) and are then finally finished.

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Thread Counts - It’s all About Marketing

Thread count has become an important selling point for all kinds of sheets and comforter covers. For years, 200 count was considered the standard for luxury in bedding, but that number has now soared to over 1000 threads per square inch.

Prices are all over the board and even discount stores offer sets of high thread count sheets at really attractive prices. Once upon a time, the best sheets were made in Italy or Switzerland, but now they are made all over the world.

Further, thread count was made by counting the threads in the warp (vertical) direction and in the weft (horizontal threads, remember “weft to right”) direction in one square inch of fabric. These threads were almost always one ply. Now manufacturers will twist two threads in a way that allows them to double the sheet’s thread count.

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