Not All Created Equal

The thread count issue continues. So we've established that we are looking for good quality cotton and that Egyptian cotton fits the bill. We also know that we have to be on the lookout for that sneaky "with" and "part" so only 100% Egyptian will do. We're still not done though.

Now we have to take into account how the fabric is woven. First and perhaps the easiest way to get good value for your dollar is to look for fabrics woven in Europe and cut and finished in Canada (or the US.) Some of the best sheets you'll ever see are woven in Italy. Many of the finest cotton bedding is produced there by small mills weaving small batches of fabrics in gorgeous colours, in both traditional and contemporary patterns in crisp percales and the silkiest of sateens. What's even better is that there are Canadian manufacturers, like St. Geneve, importing this fabric, cutting and sewing it by hand in North American sizes. That means that you get the best of the best in fabrics and finishing, while keeping the cost down a bit and supporting Canadian industry.

Buying bedding completely manufactured in Europe (Anichini, Frette) will also give you great sheets, but not necessarily good value. Brands like these often have two or three lines at varying price points, the best of which is not really affordable for anyone other than Oprah and the affordable versions are not much nicer than a decent department store brand. With a lot of the big name brands, what you end up paying for is a very successful marketing campaign, we all know the name, but it doesn't make the sheets feel better.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Asian import. As of a few years ago, China had become the largest importer of Egyptian cotton. They are making a lot of sheets at rock bottom prices with all the bells and whistles -- high thread count, Egyptian Cotton (most likely not 100%), silky feel and great packaging. It can be pretty tempting when you're looking at a 600 thread count sheet set from China for $80 beside a 235 thread sheet set of German fabric sewn in Canada for $ 344. But in the end the Chinese sheet will most likely have been mass produced with little to no quality control. The thread count will have been artificially inflated with double insertions. The fabric will have been dyed after it was woven rather than being dyed as threads then woven. It will have been cut and sewn by machine leaving loose threads and crooked seams. It may also have been subjected to finishing tricks including optical brightening and surface polishing in order to make it look and feel like a fine fabric. So the $80 good deal ends up needing to be replaced after a few months because it fell apart in the wash, has ripped and split where your feet rub on the fitted the sheet or has faded and discoloured unevenly and just plain looks bad. The 235 thread set on the other hand has washed beautifully and is getting softer each time you use it, all the seams are perfect and intact and the colour is as vibrant as the day you took it home.

So far we've covered the basics, that thread count isn't the way to pick a good quality sheet, that the kind of cotton matters and that the place of manufacture matters even more. Next time I'll give you the specifics on how to pick the type of sheet that is the best for you and some pointers on what to look for when you're shopping. We have had a quite a few new products in so there will be a quick post in the next couple of days with details on all of the recent arrivals.

Enjoy your weekend!