Sheets to ensure sleep
In every home, a good night's sleep can be enhanced with quality bed sheets, but deciding on the right product can be difficult. A high-thread count does not necessarily indicate a good quality bed sheet. The numbers don't include other, more important indicators of quality such as fibre quality, yarn size, construction and finishing, says Panda Pascal from linenplace.com.
Thread count is the number of threads per square inch of fabric. These consist of vertical threads (warp) and horizontal threads (weft) woven together. Construction refers to how the thread count is achieved - the number of warp and weft yarns, number of picks in the weft and use of two-ply yarns.
The most popular fibre for sheets is 100 per cent cotton. The highest quality cotton is long-staple cotton. Staple refers to the length of the cotton fibre. Longer fibres are better because they create stronger and finer yarns. The longest are Egyptian extra-long staple and Pima, sometimes called Supima. Geoff Fuller, from Tequila Kola, says Egyptian cotton fibres are about twice as long as other fibres. 'You will find that with Egyptian cotton, the colours are much more vibrant, as they are known to absorb dyes much better than regular cotton,' he says. 'You can throw them in the wash as many times as you like and they will still look as good as new.'
Tequila Kola's Satin Stripe Bedding Collection uses a 380-thread count per square inch, made with 100 per cent Egyptian cotton. Fuller says department-store-bought bed sheets normally range from 175 to 250.
The fineness of each yarn is what the term 'yarn size' refers to - the higher the yarn size, the finer the yarn. Finer yarns allow for lighter, supple fabric. The yarn size in quality sheets is typically between 40 and 100.
Higher thread counts are created with finer yarns, as more of them can be woven into a square inch. Also, super-fine yarns can be twisted together, creating two-ply yarns that can then be woven into sheeting. When two-ply yarns are made with a very high yarn size, they make a good product that is not at all weighty or blanket-like, Pascal says.
After the cotton yarns are woven into a fabric, the fabric needs to be finished. This process includes singeing and mercerising. The singeing burns off the tiny fuzz that can later develop into pilling on your sheets. Mercerising is conducted in order to increase strength and lustre. Bed linen of lesser quality may not be singed or mercerised.
'In weave-quality terms alone, the best fabric would be made with single-ply yarns and have a single pick, but the highest thread count you can get with this type of construction is about 400,' Pascal says. 'In a quality product, the incremental comfort value of thread counts over 300 is very little. A 300-thread count can feel far superior to a 1,000-thread count.'
