Percale or Sateen? (city, love, difference, California)
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I'm putting this in the retirement forum because there's not much traffic in the home decorating forum, plus the reason I need to know is age related.
I remember sheets being cool as a kid. If you overheated you could just move your legs to a cool spot to cool down.
So an acquaintance has hot flashes that wake her up at night. I know the microfiber sheets she uses isn't helping matters, but I don't know which type of cotton sheet is the cool crisp kind. Anyone know?
Percale weave gives cool and crisp bed linens. OTOH sateen (satin weave) is heavier and thus warmer.
There are reasons why women (or anyone else) do not wear satin fabrics in warm weather, but go for lighter weight weaves.
Next grade down from percale is muslin (about 144 thread per square inch count) which while not heavy as sateen, never the less because threads are thicker can result in a heavier sheet or pillow case/sham.
For much of recent history muslin was the preferred "bargain" level for bed linen used in hospitals, military, institutions and thrifty housewives for nursery, children's rooms and even master bedroom. Theory was the thicker threads of good heavy muslin stood up to heavy wear and often rather harsh home or commercial/industrial laundering.
However by 1940's American textile mills began promoting percale as a better alternative both on price and wear. They pointed out (correctly) that the tighter weave of percale made for bed linen that was just as serviceable as muslin but light and comfortable. Lighter weave of percale bed linen meant sheets, and pillow coverings weighed less which meant cost less to send to laundry (nearly all commercial laundries then as now often charge by weight).
Percale bed linen was also easier to launder and iron at home again because lighter weight meant less holding of water.
I was pretty convinced that I hated sateen sheets and went through a couple sets of "percale". The thing is, 100% cotton sheets of good quality have gotten quite expensive. Percale is a specific woven weave that gives a sheet a certain crispness. Now however in more reasonably priced sheets they often treat the cotton or the sheet with a coating to give it crispness. No joy. I tried the 100% oxford sheets from Lands end? Or LLBean? they were ok but I toss and turn a lot and they have a sort of rough feel that drags at your pjs. So I broke down and bought some pretty pricey 100 cotton sateen (which is nothing like satin, is just a tight flat weave, nota material) sheets from Macy's. I have really liked them.
I live in FL and am a hot sleeper so can 100% say PERCALE from my experience. For great quality I'd recommend checking out Garnet Hill. The Eileen Fisher Tumbled Percale is my recommendation, soft easy care with no ironing required. While not cheap, the quality allows for years of wear so in the end more than worth the investment. https://www.garnethill.com/eileen-fi...niqueId=546743
Percale weave gives cool and crisp bed linens. OTOH sateen (satin weave) is heavier and thus warmer.
There are reasons why women (or anyone else) do not wear satin fabrics in warm weather, but go for lighter weight weaves.
Next grade down from percale is muslin (about 144 thread per square inch count) which while not heavy as sateen, never the less because threads are thicker can result in a heavier sheet or pillow case/sham.
For much of recent history muslin was the preferred "bargain" level for bed linen used in hospitals, military, institutions and thrifty housewives for nursery, children's rooms and even master bedroom. Theory was the thicker threads of good heavy muslin stood up to heavy wear and often rather harsh home or commercial/industrial laundering.
However by 1940's American textile mills began promoting percale as a better alternative both on price and wear. They pointed out (correctly) that the tighter weave of percale made for bed linen that was just as serviceable as muslin but light and comfortable. Lighter weave of percale bed linen meant sheets, and pillow coverings weighed less which meant cost less to send to laundry (nearly all commercial laundries then as now often charge by weight).
Percale bed linen was also easier to launder and iron at home again because lighter weight meant less holding of water.
Thank you for the interesting information. I love nice sheets and towels--not luxury type, just good, decent quality. My old standby was always 200 thread count cotton percale, crisp and cool. But, as a kid, I remember my mother using some muslin sheets one time and she explained that muslin was the cheap kind and that she didn't like them. I didn't like them either as they felt rough and scratchy.
Thank you for the interesting information. I love nice sheets and towels--not luxury type, just good, decent quality. My old standby was always 200 thread count cotton percale, crisp and cool. But, as a kid, I remember my mother using some muslin sheets one time and she explained that muslin was the cheap kind and that she didn't like them. I didn't like them either as they felt rough and scratchy.
For bed twin or double bed sizes vintage muslin or percale sheets are a bargain, but becoming pricey as word as gotten out.
These are all USA made from such once great names as Wamsutta, Canon, Dan River, etc...
Am here to tell you Wamsutta "Supercale" beats much of what is on sale today even from names like "Frette" hands down. Feel and look great, plus you can't kill them; that is stand up to heavy use and laundering.
Muslin bed linens really need to be ironed; once that is done they are smoother and less "scratchy". Back in day housewives or anyone else who only line dried bed linen but didn't iron were referred to as "slovenly" or "poverty" because of how sheets and pillow cases felt that weren't ironed. For this reason hospitals and other institutions routinely always ironed their muslin (or any other cotton) bed linen.
Fast forward to modern times many such places have gone over to cotton/poly blend "muslin" sheets and pillow cases. Addition of polyester makes for easier laundering and ironing as it is a hydrophobic fiber; that water resistance means such bed linen doesn't absorb so much water so dries faster etc......
Overall quality of American bed linen began declining post 1970's or so as textile mills either closed and or moved large amounts of production overseas. Equipment in those mills was either sold off to India/Asia or just left in abandoned plants to rot and ruin.
History of textile production in USA is largely about an industry always in search of cheap labor. Many are unaware that large parts of north east from Maine through New Jersey and onto Pennsylvania were once large centers of textile industry. Pequot for instance was originally from Massachusetts.
Bitter labor actions along with other factors caused many plants to either close, merge and or otherwise pick up and move to south. Which wasn't a bad thing overall since that is where most of the cotton used in production was grown anyway.
As labor in south became expensive (largely due in part to African Americans and others either leaving area and or finding other better paying jobs), textile mills packed up or packed things in.
Our grandmothers, great-grandmothers and before generations bought bed linens (or fabric to run up their own) that lasted often a decade or longer of heavy use. This with the harsh laundering that consisted of boiling, mangling, wringer washers, ironing, etc...).
Today you spend more on things that barely last a year or so even with so called "gentle" laundering and machine drying with modern washers and dryers.
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