okay, i will start again. i think the storm is over.
egyption cotton, since it has longer staples, has fewer pokey ends. that accounts for the smoothness. it might be woven in the one under, one over weave or the two/two or the twill weave that you see on work clothes. it always feels silky. it comes in between 300 up to anywhere depending on how thin a strand they started with. remember the spaghetti? the old percale sheets were 120 tc. that's what most of us grew up with. i don't know how old you are, but 200 - 250 has been widely available for not more than 15 years.
about 15 or so years ago the thread count started going up. that was a marketing thing, convincing people that they needed smoother sheets. they do feel better, but let's face it, we don't need them. just like you don't need filet mignon when sirloin is very nice too. that was started by designers. okay then.
the old printed sheets were printed with dyes and such that are not necessarily considered healthy today,or they create pollution. the machinery is also heavier and more difficult to build and maintain, and you need more staff to run the work. getting the picture? today's dyes are cheaper, although not as nice, easier to use and less than or non-polluting. the machinery is computerized and automated. less working staff. altogether cheaper to produce.
much of what you see today is not really printed at all. it's stamped on. if you feel a white-on-white sheet, you can feel a rubbery substance that creates the pattern. it makes it feel very stiff and it will not get softer.
it's non-absorbent and non-cooling. in other words, not very comfortable, but very popular. they are usually 200-250 tc.
weaves: if weaves are important to you, then you should understand that sheets do come in several weaves. the most common is the one over/one under, just like most cotton. there is also two/two, and the twill weave, just like work clothes. if the staples are long and therefore smoother, you might prefer one weave over another. but it always, always depends first on the length of the staple. if the cotton has short strands and a lot of 'pokeys' the weave won't feel as smooth.
i also like indian cotton but only for garments. it has short staples because of the growing conditions, and makes a loose, pokey weave. it's great for summer clothes because you can take advantage of it's poorer quality to create clothes that are cooler, and more absorbent. when you perspire, the sweat (pardon me) can evaporate. it's also used for ethnic clothes. but, for those that can afford it, bedding is bought from america. in europe, american bedding is very desirable. don't ask me why. maybe egyptian cotton cottons are too expensive. i know that visitors from england, ireland and the scandinavian countries all send it home. as well as the sultan of bruneii (sp?).
american sheets are considered worldwide to be of good quality. long staple, strong. easily dyed. not as high quality as egyption cotton, but really nice.
the higher the tc, the harder it is for the needle to slip between the fibres without breaking them. if you use a ballpoint needle, it's very blunt and pops between the threads, and if you use a sharp the point can tear the threads and weaken them. if you look at some sheets, especially stiff ones, (they have been overdyed to achieve a saturated color), you can see, at the sewn edges, teeeny holes where the needle went in. they are usually white holes. it really shows on darks. also, because of the overdying, the sheets are not soft.
moda batiks have a high tc and a strong dye, so that it runs as little as possible. the combination makes it hard to sew. the dye is very imortant here.
1500 tc sheet may last longer than you. the thread staple is probably longer than anything i have ever seen.
dunster, one reason that sheets don't stay on the bed is that the sheet manufacturers can't keep up with the mattress companies. the mattresses are getting so high it's become ridiculous. i'm short and i have to climb up onto my bed. i won't get suckered into that again. another reason is that they use cheap elastic - another issue for another day.
you don't need a special tool. you need a STRONG magnifying glass. but if the package tells you the tc and the country of origin, and you don't see any stamped patterns, you should be okay.
joann has a cotton muslin with a rather loose weave that is very popular, because it sews easily. it comes in 108" and gets very soft. but always remember that all cotton will shrink..the looser the weave (lower tc) the more shrinkage. because there is more space for the threads to come together and tighten. in a tighter weave, there would be less space between the threads for the threads to shrink into. i don't know if i said that right.
tc = fibre length. fibre length = smoothness. it all has to work together. whatever is then done to it usually detracts from the good feeling of cotton.