The highest thread count fabric we currently offer is called Regency by St Geneve. It is a 1020 strand count double ply fabric made of Giza Egyptian cotton. From St Geneve's web site:
"Regency consists of exceptionally detailed weaving, resulting in one of the most luxurious and soft cottons you can find. The material is built strong and durable, and has a wonderful and natural luminous shine. The Regency design is so very simple and elegant, making it a timeless collection.
This is a Remarkable fabric woven from two threads, or strands, twisted together to make two-ply threads of exceptional quality; a 1020 strand count fabric. This special twisted double thread imparts greater strength and longevity to the fabric, while maintaining incredible softness.
Due to it's extremely high strand count, the Regency collection is remarkably soft, shiny, and absolutely gorgeous. Sets come in solid Creme or White.”
Technically this makes it both the highest thread count and the best cotton fabric we offer. However, and this is the important part, just because it has an extremely high thread count doesn't automatically make it the right sheet for you.
There are many things that go into making a great sheet and many more reasons that make a great sheet for you as an individual. Thread count plays only a small role. As we noted in the posts "The Thread Count Issue," "Not All Created Equal" and “What does Thread Count Mean?” there are things like type of cotton, weaving techniques and finishing quality to take into account in determining if the sheet is of good quality. So we know that Regency gets all of that right, why might it not be a great choice for everyone? The answer is easy – not everyone sleeps the same way. Some people are always warm, others always cold and others still who sleep well regardless of temperature. There are restless sleepers who move around a lot and ones that lay still like logs. All of them need different kinds of bedding to have the most comfortable sleep, and that's not even taking into account personal preferences for feel regardless of comfort.
To illustrate, I am a warm sleeper. I like to sleep in a cool room with light bedding so that I don't overheat at night. I love the silky softness of the 1020 strand count Regency sheets but putting them on my bed would be a mistake. Why? Because that much cotton in a sheet makes it very dense and very heavy. It's silkiness makes it cling and the weight and density of it traps body heat close to the body. It is a warm sheet which is not an appropriate choice for a warm sleeper. Additionally the weight of it can be troublesome to an active or restless sleeper who may need to be able to easily adjust and reposition the sheet with out waking.
A person who tends to be cold at night regardless of the temperature of the room or one who sleeps comfortably at any temperature will do much better with Regency sheets, as will people who don't move around much. This style of sheeting will provide added warmth to the people who like it and the weight won't be an issue for those who aren't restless sleepers.
So to find the best sheet for you, we need to stop thinking about thread count and start feeling different kinds of sheeting fabrics. There are a lot of different weights and styles available from the lightest, crisp percale weaves to silky, soft sateens and everything in between. You'll need to figure out which is right for you by thinking not only about what feel your hand likes but also about how you sleep. Take into account that a sheet that feels a little crisp and light on your hand will act the same way on your bed. It will be cooler to sleep under than a heavier sheet that may cling to the body like silk. And don't be afraid to ask questions when you're shopping! The people who sell great sheets will know how warm or cool, heavy or light, clingy or floaty a sheet is. We'll be able to point you in the right direction.
Showing posts with label Thread Count. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thread Count. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
What Does Thread Count Mean?
I know that we've dealt with the thread count issue before, but it was a long time ago so we're going to do it again. I'm also going to fill you in on some of the dirty details, so it's not just the same stuff over and over.
Thread count is one characteristic used to evaluate the quality of cotton bedding. However, thread count alone is not enough to determine quality. It is becoming a less reliable way to judge quality due to manufacturing techniques that can effectively trick the thread count higher. Let's start with the technical definition and go from there.
Thread count simply refers to the number of threads, both vertically and horizontally in a one-inch square of fabric. These consist of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together.
Easy enough, right? There's more though. The number of threads that can occupy a square inch is determined by thickness of the thread used and the ply. Since Egyptian cotton is fine, there are more threads used to cover the same square inch compared to other cottons (pima, american uplands, short staple.) Finer threads feel smoother and when properly woven are longer lasting and more colourfast than short staple fibers. Ply is the number of finer strands which are twisted together to make threads. Technically a double or triple ply fabric should have a strand count listed as well as a thread count, but labeling regulations in different places don't always require it.
It can be argued that in weave quality terms alone, the best fabric will be made with single ply yarns and have a single pick that is one warp thread and one weft. The highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is about 360.
To achieve higher thread counts, sometimes multiple yarns (picks) are inserted into the weft and sometimes 2 ply yarns (as we mentioned above the finer strands twisted together) are used. These two techniques are the reason that you can't use thread count alone to judge the quality of the sheet. Multiple pick insertions are often done with short staple cotton of inferior quality that leaves the fabric prone to pilling and slippage. Additionally, the pick may not be properly integrated into the weave causing the fabric to be unstable. It may feel quite nice but will certainly require extra gentle handling as it will always be more prone to abrasion damage and uneven wear than single pick fabrics.
It's not all bad news though. There can sometimes be a case to be made in favour of 2-ply yarns. When done properly with very fine and long staple cotton, they can improve the durability and colourfastness of a fabric as well as look and feel great. It is however important to distinguish between a well made 2-ply and a fabric with an unnecessarily or artificially inflated thread count. Seeing the term “strand count” on packaging is often a good way to identify better quality 2 ply fabrics, as the manufacturer is referring to the number of strands that are twisted together to make the. The usual marks of good quality like 100% Egyptian cotton and a European or North American country of manufacture are almost always good signs.
Makes sense? It's complicated, I know. It does mean that you'll have to do a little more work when looking for great bedding. But if looking at, learning about and touching really nice fabric is the worst of it, it can't be all that bad.
Thread count is one characteristic used to evaluate the quality of cotton bedding. However, thread count alone is not enough to determine quality. It is becoming a less reliable way to judge quality due to manufacturing techniques that can effectively trick the thread count higher. Let's start with the technical definition and go from there.
Thread count simply refers to the number of threads, both vertically and horizontally in a one-inch square of fabric. These consist of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together.
Easy enough, right? There's more though. The number of threads that can occupy a square inch is determined by thickness of the thread used and the ply. Since Egyptian cotton is fine, there are more threads used to cover the same square inch compared to other cottons (pima, american uplands, short staple.) Finer threads feel smoother and when properly woven are longer lasting and more colourfast than short staple fibers. Ply is the number of finer strands which are twisted together to make threads. Technically a double or triple ply fabric should have a strand count listed as well as a thread count, but labeling regulations in different places don't always require it.
It can be argued that in weave quality terms alone, the best fabric will be made with single ply yarns and have a single pick that is one warp thread and one weft. The highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is about 360.
To achieve higher thread counts, sometimes multiple yarns (picks) are inserted into the weft and sometimes 2 ply yarns (as we mentioned above the finer strands twisted together) are used. These two techniques are the reason that you can't use thread count alone to judge the quality of the sheet. Multiple pick insertions are often done with short staple cotton of inferior quality that leaves the fabric prone to pilling and slippage. Additionally, the pick may not be properly integrated into the weave causing the fabric to be unstable. It may feel quite nice but will certainly require extra gentle handling as it will always be more prone to abrasion damage and uneven wear than single pick fabrics.
It's not all bad news though. There can sometimes be a case to be made in favour of 2-ply yarns. When done properly with very fine and long staple cotton, they can improve the durability and colourfastness of a fabric as well as look and feel great. It is however important to distinguish between a well made 2-ply and a fabric with an unnecessarily or artificially inflated thread count. Seeing the term “strand count” on packaging is often a good way to identify better quality 2 ply fabrics, as the manufacturer is referring to the number of strands that are twisted together to make the. The usual marks of good quality like 100% Egyptian cotton and a European or North American country of manufacture are almost always good signs.
Makes sense? It's complicated, I know. It does mean that you'll have to do a little more work when looking for great bedding. But if looking at, learning about and touching really nice fabric is the worst of it, it can't be all that bad.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
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!
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!
Friday, April 13, 2007
The Thread Count Issue
One of the questions I am asked most often is also the most difficult to deal with. Almost every day people walk in and the first thing they say is "What's your highest thread count?" My answer is invariably "1020, but that doesn't mean that it's the right sheet for you."
It turns out that there is a lot more to a high quality sheet than thread count. A lot more. The problem is that looking solely for a high thread count is ultimately only going to give you a sheet with a lot of cotton in it. It doesn't indicate that the cotton itself is good, that it is woven properly and with care, or that the finished product is well finished and correctly sewn. What's more worrisome is that in the past few years manufacturers have been developing techniques which allow them to insert extra threads into the weave of fabric independently from the actual structure of the weave thereby creating a higher thread count while decreasing the strength and longevity of the fabric. In the end a 1000 thread count sheet made with bad cotton is a bad sheet. The same goes for crooked seams, chemical based finishing tricks and low quality dyes, it will look great in the package and it may be very reasonably priced, but on your bed it looks and feels cheap, it washes horribly and you feel ripped off. No fun at all. It is not, however, as bleak as it sounds. There are lots of beautiful sheets, some reasonably priced and some not so reasonably priced, and with a bit of care you can find some that you'll love.
So if thread count isn't where it's at, how do we tell it's a good sheet? The first and most important thing is the cotton itself. Like people, cotton comes in many sizes. There are short cottons and long cottons, with a lot of variations all through the spectrum. The term we use for determining the value and quality of cotton is "staple." For sheeting fabrics the longer the staple the better. So what I'm looking for in bedding is Egyptian cotton, even better I prefer when the species of Egyptian cotton is identified. Some of the finest fabrics I deal with are 100% Giza Egyptian cotton, its staple is very fine and very long. When woven into percale it is light and crisp with a cool hand while remaining very soft, in satin or sateen weaves it is soft, silky and smooth with a warm feel and beautiful drape. Egyptian cotton can do all this with out chemical and mechanical finishes often used on shorter staple cottons. That means that the 100% Egyptian cotton fabrics will age well becoming softer over time while poor quality cotton will coarsen and show uneven wear. It is important to double check labels when shopping for "100% Egyptian Cotton" or "Full Egyptian Cotton" because frequently manufacturers will use small amounts of Egyptian cotton mixed with inexpensive/poor quality short staple cotton and label the fabric as "with Egyptian Cotton" or "part Egyptian Cotton."
So we're off to a good start, we've gotten beyond thread count, we're looking for the best cottons, we're on the right track but there is still more to learn. I think it's time for a break though so I'll sign off for now and and continue a little later with "Not All Created Equal" the thread count issue continues. I'm afraid that this entry has been a little dry and that the next one may be as well. The fun stuff is coming though, I promise.
It turns out that there is a lot more to a high quality sheet than thread count. A lot more. The problem is that looking solely for a high thread count is ultimately only going to give you a sheet with a lot of cotton in it. It doesn't indicate that the cotton itself is good, that it is woven properly and with care, or that the finished product is well finished and correctly sewn. What's more worrisome is that in the past few years manufacturers have been developing techniques which allow them to insert extra threads into the weave of fabric independently from the actual structure of the weave thereby creating a higher thread count while decreasing the strength and longevity of the fabric. In the end a 1000 thread count sheet made with bad cotton is a bad sheet. The same goes for crooked seams, chemical based finishing tricks and low quality dyes, it will look great in the package and it may be very reasonably priced, but on your bed it looks and feels cheap, it washes horribly and you feel ripped off. No fun at all. It is not, however, as bleak as it sounds. There are lots of beautiful sheets, some reasonably priced and some not so reasonably priced, and with a bit of care you can find some that you'll love.
So if thread count isn't where it's at, how do we tell it's a good sheet? The first and most important thing is the cotton itself. Like people, cotton comes in many sizes. There are short cottons and long cottons, with a lot of variations all through the spectrum. The term we use for determining the value and quality of cotton is "staple." For sheeting fabrics the longer the staple the better. So what I'm looking for in bedding is Egyptian cotton, even better I prefer when the species of Egyptian cotton is identified. Some of the finest fabrics I deal with are 100% Giza Egyptian cotton, its staple is very fine and very long. When woven into percale it is light and crisp with a cool hand while remaining very soft, in satin or sateen weaves it is soft, silky and smooth with a warm feel and beautiful drape. Egyptian cotton can do all this with out chemical and mechanical finishes often used on shorter staple cottons. That means that the 100% Egyptian cotton fabrics will age well becoming softer over time while poor quality cotton will coarsen and show uneven wear. It is important to double check labels when shopping for "100% Egyptian Cotton" or "Full Egyptian Cotton" because frequently manufacturers will use small amounts of Egyptian cotton mixed with inexpensive/poor quality short staple cotton and label the fabric as "with Egyptian Cotton" or "part Egyptian Cotton."
So we're off to a good start, we've gotten beyond thread count, we're looking for the best cottons, we're on the right track but there is still more to learn. I think it's time for a break though so I'll sign off for now and and continue a little later with "Not All Created Equal" the thread count issue continues. I'm afraid that this entry has been a little dry and that the next one may be as well. The fun stuff is coming though, I promise.
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