Lisanne

Honestly, I was 12 when I started buying my own linens (in 1972), and I got them in major department stores, not specialty stores. Mostly Macy's-quality stores, but JC Penney carried them, too. Almost all of them were 200s in the '70s, a few 180, then some 260 by the '90s. And I was in the Midwest to start, came east in the mid-'80s.


Not sure if this question was meant for me, but I want to say they were US sheets. But LOL, we know almost nothing is made in the US, so maybe they were made in Japan. Certainly not China, just whatever country made most sheets sold in the US at that time.

I do have one set imported from Australia, bought around 1997, and they've always felt a bit different. I didn't like the feel at first, but they've worn down to softness. The pillowcases are different, with an extra inner piece to cover the exposed side of the pillow.

Oh yes, I've gotten bits and pieces of info from the web and books. I'd like something less disjointed, more comprehensive. Were your classes taken through your company or from a college or textile school?

butterflywing

we were bused to the distributor's main office in nyc, shown slideshows, given samples to examine, shown movies and given seminars, one day at a time over the course of 3 days. we were then questioned extensively to make sure we understood..

butterflywing

butterflywing

Were your classes taken through your company or from a college or textile school? I WENT TO PRATT INSTITUTE, A COLLEGE OF ART, ART TEACHING ARCHITECTURE AND FASHION DESIGN. PART OF THE FASHION DESIGN COURSE WAS THE IN DEPTH STUDY OF TEXTILES. WHEN I BECAME INTERESTED IN QUILTING, I ZEROED IN ON COTTON QUILTING FABRICS.

Lisanne

I came back because I'd forgotten to ask what you meant about the printed fabrics (that's below), and you'd already responded. Thanks for taking time to answer all my questions!

In response to your "HUH" about the Australian sheets, I remember getting them at Macy's, which was selling "special shipment" of the Australian linens for quite a pretty penny.

I was getting lost in all our quotes and responses, so I'm just copying and pasting this one:

butterflywing wrote:

Do you know the country of origin? when you say prints, you mean the old dye jobs, yes, they were gone. they were not replaced until those awful prints/patterns became available.

What I forgot to ask before was, what "awful prints/patterns" did you mean? When I started buying sheets, I was getting florals where they were all intertwined, kind of a medieval look although some were kind of '60s mod. Marimekko was big back then, too. I stayed with mostly florals through the years. Chintz florals got big in the '90s. I never noticed any problems from the dyes, but I gather they had harmful chemicals? I'm surprised I never noticed anything in the news about it. Anyway, were all the large prints the "awfuls" you referred to?

butterflywing

yes and yes. the new type prints were not eco-friendly. HARDLY anyone knew. big business knew. we won't go there. that's a very charged topic.

the other awful was the advent of the stamped or rubbery overlaid patterns. they can recognized by their appearance and their feel. they don't feel like cotton at all. if feels like vinyl was painted on the fabric. it also feels stiff, and it doesn't get soft like cotton. it usually looks like white on white or pink on pink, etc. it is thought to be refined or high-class looking by some people, and it is pretty. but when you feel it you realize that in the summer you will not be cool as you would be on cotton, and in the winter you will not be comfortably warm. that's because the fabric doesn't breathe or absorb or hold in or let go of, your body heat, as needed. each place there is a little patch of this stuff, it interferes with the comfort of cotton. ralph lauren is a biggie here. 200 -250 tc sheets.

Adriane

Thanks for posting that, butterflywing! :D

Lisanne

Okay, thanks for clearing it up. I never did buy any Ralph Lauren, so I must have missed out on the overlaid patterns. Never had any trouble with linens that felt like vinyl.

butterflywing

about merrimeko. loved it then. love it still. i can still buy it at a local crate and barrel clearance center. the texture now is thicker than quilting cotton and rougher. the dyes, especially the reds, bleed forever, and i mean forever.

i used some recently and washed and washed and washed. i planned to make slipcovers for my daughter. it still rubbed off on everything that rubbed on it, including my tush. ( i was wearing jeans at the time. LOL ) i ended up using it for bbq gloves and potholders for every one i know. who cares if it gets grungy and runs now? i will never buy it again. it's actually manufactured for home dec and i should have known better.

btw, it fades like mad. if you own any, keep it in a dark, dark place.

motomom

Butterflywing, thanks for this great lesson on cotton fabric!

I don't know what thread count the old sheets are that I have, but I do know that if I follow this procedure:
1. Wash with no fabric softener
2. Hang them out on a sunny day to dry
3. Put them immediately on the bed without folding

They feel and smell just like the beds at home when I was a child. Just a little rough but soft at the same time, and heavy. I can't find any more sheets like them.

Do they still make any sheets in America? I haven't been able to find any.