Why buy Egyptian Cotton for you bedding?

The term egyptian cotton is usually applied to the extra long staple cotton produced in Egypt and favored for the luxury and upmarket brands worldwide. In fact, the cotton species which produces extra long staple "Egyptian" cotton is the native American species Gossypium barbadense which was introduced by Mohammad Ali Pasha in the 19th century. During the U.S. Civil War, with heavy European investments, Egyptian-grown cotton became a major alternate source for British textile mills. Most of what is labeled "Egyptian cotton" today, however, also includes long staple cotton, the product of the other native American species Gossypium hirsutum. The ancient Egyptians made their clothing from linen, a product of the flax plant.

Why is polyester and cotton used for making bedding?

Polyester is a category of polymers, or, more specifically condensation polymers, which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Usually, polyester refers to cloth woven from polyester fiber. Polyester clothing is generally considered to have a "less natural" feeling to it compared to natural fibers. Polyester fibers are often spun together with fibers of cotton, producing a cloth with some of the better properties of each.

Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant (Gossypium spp.), a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India, and Africa. However, virtually all of the commercial cotton grown today worldwide is grown from varieties of the native American species Gossypium hirsutum up land and Gossypium barbadense. The fibre is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-fibre cloth in clothing today. The English name derives from the Arabic word al qutun, meaning "cotton fiber". (The Spanish word algodón has the same etymology.)

Cotton fibre, once it has been processed to remove seeds and traces of wax, protein, etc., consists of nearly pure cellulose, a natural polymer. Cotton production is very efficient, in the sense that ten percent or less of the weight is lost in subsequent processing to convert the raw cotton bolls (seed cases) into pure fibre. The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton fibres a high degree of strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fibre is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll is opened, the fibres dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn and then weaved into bedding using a certian thread count.

What are bedding sheets?

!A bed sheet is a large piece of cotton or linen cloth used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on. Bed sheets come in two main varieties--flat or fitted. A flat bed sheet is simply a rectangular sheet of cloth, while a fitted bed sheet has its four corners sewn fitted with elastic.

Bed sheets were traditionally white, but now various colors and patterns are used. The quality of bed sheets is often conveyed by the thread count - the number of threads per square inch of material. The higher the thread count, the softer the sheet.

In many areas of the world a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a top sheet. One sleeps between the two bed sheets. Blankets, comforters, and other bed covers are then placed on top of the second bed sheet.

Usually a flat bed sheet is overlocked around the edges to form four seams. One of the seams is wider than the other three and helps with orienting the sheet correctly on the mattress. The wider seam goes at the head end of the mattress

How did the term bedding originate?

History
Around 3400 BC Egyptian pharaohs had their beds moved off the ground and slept on a raised surface.

The Roman Empire brought the beginning of luxury beds. The mattresses were stuffed with wool, feather, reeds or hay. They were decorated with paint, bronze, silver, jewels and gold.

During the Renaissance, mattresses were stuffed with straw and feathers and then covered with silks, velvets or satin material.

The arrival of the 18th century brought bed frames made from cast iron, and mattress that were made of cotton. This quickly did away with much of the vermin that would nest in mattresses that were stuffed with easily decomposed matter. The 19th century saw the invention of the bed spring, also called the box spring.

The 20th century brought the inner spring mattress, futon, water bed (starting in 1960's), air mattresses, foam rubber mattresses and pillows.

Terminology

Bed Spread: A bed cover with sides that go to the floor. This does not require a bed skirt.

Comforter: A filled bed cover that is quilted and usually reversible. They require a bed skirt to complete the look, as the sides only go about halfway to the floor.

Thread Count: The number of thread ends per square inch in a woven fabric

Bed Skirt (also Bed Ruffle, Dust Ruffle or Valance): A decorative piece used to cover the boxspring and legs of the bed. It fits between the mattress and boxspring and hangs to the floor.

Drop: The length of a bed skirt.

Pleated: Sewn in folds like a fan

Flanged: Including a decorative band of fabric that is straight or tailored; often used to describe pillows or pillow shams

Pillow Shams: Decorative coverings for pillows, often designed with trims, ruffles, flanges, or cording. Shams are normally placed behind the pillows used to sleep on, which would be covered with regular pillowcases.

European Sham (or Euro Sham): A decorative pillow covering which fits a large 26” x 26” pillow. These are often placed behind the standard size pillow shams as a backdrop for all of the other pillows.

Tailored: Fitted closely ie made to fit the bed exactly

Boudoir Pillows (or Breakfast Pillows): Small rectangular decorative throw pillows.

Duvet cover: A decorative and protective covering for a duvet. Most duvet covers have a button or tie closure at one end.

Neckroll: Small cylindrical decorative throw pillows

What is linen (BEDDING)?

Linens are fabric household goods, such as pillowcases and bedding.

Originally, many, such as bed sheets and tablecloths, were made of linen. Today, the term "linen" has come to be applied to all related products even though most are made of cotton, various synthetic materials, or blends. These may be referred to as white goods (as high quality linen was bleached in the sun until it was pure white in color). Stores offering sales on these items may advertise a white sale, despite having a wide variety of actual colors of items for sale.

Why choose high quality sateen bedding?

Sateen is a cotton fabric with a satin-like finish, often found in bed sheets.

Sateen is usually made of cotton, or sometimes rayon. Better qualities are mercerised to give a higher sheen. Some are only calendared to produce the sheen but this disappears with washing and is not considered genuine sateen. Sateen may be bleached, dyed, or printed. It is difficult to make good bound buttonholes on it as it has a tendency to slip at the seams.

Sateen produces the sheen and softer feel through the use of a different stitch in the weaving process. The sateen stitch is four over, one under, placing the most threads on the surface, making it extremely soft, though slightly less durable than other weaves. Standard, non-sateen, weaves use a one over, one under stitch. Satin also uses this stitch, however, instead of using cotton, different materials are used (e.g., silk, polyester, etc).

Why we prefer percale bedding

Percale refers to a closely woven fabric often used for bedding and fine linens. From the Persian "pargalah."

The type of fabric used in the manufacture of most sheets and other bed linens. Many people are of the mistaken impression that the term "percale" refers to a blend of cotton and polyester, etc. This is not the case. Percale can be a 50/50 blend, 100% cotton, or a blend of other fabrics in any ratio. The word "percale" refers to the weave of the fabric, not its content. A percale weave is noticeably "tighter" when compared to the the standard type of weave used for bed-sheets.

Characteristics: Medium weight, firm, smooth, with no gloss. Warps and washes very well. Made from both carded and combed yarns. Comes white or can be printed. First made in New Bedford's Wamsutta Mills in 1876.

A thread count of 200 or higher is considered percale bedding.

What is a Comforter?

A comforter is a type of blanket. Comforters are intended to keep the user warm, especially during sleep. Comforters are generally large and rectangular in shape, filled with natural or synthetic insulative material and encased in a shell/covering.


Comforter sizes correspond with bed sizes: twin, full, queen, king, and cal-king. Comforter sizes run slightly larger than actual bed sizes to allow for draping over the sides of the bed.

A comforter is sometimes covered with a duvet (comforter) cover for protection and prolonged use.

Construction

Filling - Comforters are filled with layers of material such as polyester batting, down feathers, wool, or silk. The loft of the filling determines the weight as well as the level of insulation. The comforter is stitched or quilted to secure the filling and keep it evenly distributed.

Shell/Covering - The outer shell of comforters are typically constructed using cotton, silk, or polyester fabrics or blends, of varying thread counts. Comforter shells vary in design and color, often designed to coordinate with other bedding.

Damask bedding explained

Damask is a figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Made with one warp and one weft in which, generally, warp-satin and weft sateen weaves interchange. Twill or other binding weaves may sometimes be introduced. The term originally referred to ornamental silk fabrics, which were elaborately woven in colours, sometimes with the addition of gold and other metallic threads. Damask weaves are commonly produced today in silk, linen or linen-type fabrics which feature woven patterns featuring flowers, fruit, forms of animal life, and other types of ornament.

damask was first produced in China, India, Persia, and Syria, then the Byzantine Empire followed. In the West, it was first known as diaspron or diaper, the term used in Constantinople. In the 12th century however, the city of Damascus, famous for its textiles, so far outstripped all other places for beauty of design that it gave the cloth its modern name.

Damask weaves in linen, cotton, synthetic or blended fibers are currently most commonly found in table linens. Damask cloths for table or bedding purposes are most commonly made of flax or tow yarns, but sometimes made partly of cotton or synthetic fibers. The finer damask textiles for these purposes are made of the best linen yarn, and although the latter is of a brownish, ecru color during the weaving processes, the ultimate fabric is pure white. The highlights in these cloths are obtained by long floats of warp and weft, and as these are set at right angles, they reflect the light differently according to the angle of the rays of light; the effect changes also with the position of the observer. Subdued effects are produced by shorter floats of yarn, and sometimes by special weaves. Any subject, however intricate, can be copied by this method of weaving, provided that expense is no object. The finest results are obtained when the so-called double damask weaves are used, such as your finest bedding.

What is tablelinen?

A table cloth is a cloth used to cover a table. Typically table cloths are made of cotton or artificial fabrics. They are often designed to be easy to wipe clean. More expensive items may be made from silk, linen or lace. While many table cloths are meant to protect the table from being stained or scratched, they may also be used purely for decorative purposes, either hanging near two ends vertically over two parallel edges of the table, or hang mostly vertical along all four edges of the table, with bunched folds hanging at the four corners of the table.

A popular "magic trick" involved pulling a loaded tablecloth away from a table but leaving the plates behind. This trick relies on inertia. This can be very dangerous, and is not recommended with expensive china.

What is Flannelette?

Flannel is a warm fabric of various degrees of weight and fineness, usually made from loosely spun yarn.

Flannel is a light-to-medium weight woven cloth commonly used to make clothing and bedsheets. It was originally made from carded wool, but is now often made from either wool and cotton, or wool and synthetic fibre.

The term "flannel" is also often used to refer directly to the clothing created from flannelette. Today, many so-called flannels are made with a large mixture of cotton or synthetic fibres. These are, in some countries called flannelettes. In fact, in some countries (e.g. the United Kingdom), it is illegal to sell flannelettes under the name 'flannel'.

In the United States, the terminology is slightly different. The term 'flannelette' is not used, and 'flannel' frequently refers to 100% cotton fabrics. It is also unusual to use the term to refer directly to a garment.

Flannel and flannelette can be woven in either a tight twill weave or a plain weave, although this is often obscured by napping one or both sides. After weaving, it is napped once, then bleached, dyed, or otherwise treated, and then napped a second time.

GSM: Bedding, Quilts and Duvets

Tex is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers and is defined as the mass in grams per 1000 meters. Tex is more likely to be used in Canada and Europe, while denier remains more common in the United States. The unit code is "tex". The most commonly used unit is actually the decitex, abbreviated dtex, which is the mass in grams per 10,000 meters. When measuring objects that consist of multiple fibers the term "filament tex" is sometimes used, referring to the mass in grams per 10,000 meters of a single filament.

Tex is used for measuring fiber size in many products, including cigarette filters, optical cable, yarn, and fabric amd more importantly your bedding and duvets.