200 TC 100% Cotton Muslin Sheets

15 years ago

I've read through the thread about problems with $300 high-thread-count sheets and all the longing for the cotton/poly sheets 'you could buy in the 80s'--those sheets were normally 180 thread count. I have muslin 'cot' sheets that my mother bought in the 1950s. They were probably 140 thread count, 100% cotton, and they could be washed in hot water, with bleach--AND they wore like iron. Muslin was the choice for children's beds and hospital beds, in those days. It started out a bit rough to the touch, but it softened over time. I'm planning to make pillowcases from mine. (BTW, I know when she bought them because she marked all her linens with the date--and sometimes with the store and the price she paid!)

The Vermont Country Store offers 200 TC muslin sheets. I'd never heard of muslin being a thread count higher than 140, so I bought a set. WONDERFUL. They're crisp/soft, not slick, and they have a great 'hand.'

I detest sateen, and percale is my idea of perfection because of its crispness and 100%cotton is my bottom line for its absorbency (think: hot flashes/night sweats). However, both my husband and I LOVE these muslin sheets.

The sheets will probably wear like cast iron, so I will follow Mama's lead and write in the corner where I bought them, the year, and what I paid.

I wash on HOT, with Charlie's Soap and no fabric softener. The clothesline will probably leave them less wrinkled than the dryer, but if you take them out when almost-dry and smooth them as you fold them, you will find they aren't as wrinkled.

Confession: I ironed the pillowcases with light starch, and I ironed the top of the top sheet as a treat to myself. They feel heavenly when I climb in at night. All my linens are white, so they match my duvet cover and extra pillowcases. It looks like a cloud I'm cuddling up in.

Anybody else out there love crisp, 100% cotton sheets?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Vermont Country Store

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Comments (9)

sbcichocki
15 years ago
I see on the link that these are for mattresses that are 15" deep. My mattress is 15" deep. I am having problems with sheets that say fit up to that size. They fit when I 'try them on' but when I wash them (I even use cold water, warm dry) they shrink to where they will no longer cover my mattress. How were these on shrinking? And are the top sheets nice and wide?
Thanks for the info, if these aren't shinkers I might just have to get me a set!
S
michelle_phxaz
15 years ago
Why are we starting a new thread about this? There are already several going about sheets.
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Goodness, patricia43, that's a shame if your sheets tore so easily! You'd think expensive sheets would be more sturdy. I suppose the weave they use is very fine, or something like that. I'd be ticked off too. romy718, I checked out the Hotel sheets when I was at Macy's last night picking up a mattress pad. They do feel very nice! I had no idea Macy's had sheets that cost that much -- $200 per sheet, for the pattern they had on display. Because I am a horrible person and the bedding dept was right next to china, of course what I thought was "well, they have to have something for people to put on their wedding registries." (Years ago when I was registering for my own wedding I remember seeing a sign, foolishly left where customers could see it, reminding the registry people to steer couples over to fine china if they showed signs of wanting only the less expensive everyday dishes.) I'll keep the Hotel sheets in mind, especially the less stratospheric line that you have, and thanks for the Ebay tip. patty_cakes, thanks for the other warning! I did return the sateen Sferras. Unfortunately the Wamsutta pinpoints didn't work either. My husband said he liked them just fine and now thinks I am crazy, but to me they felt too rough (worse on my face than just feeling them in hand) so they also went back. Luckily the store was absolutely great about taking back washed sheets. The good news is that our set of Target organic sheets fits on the new mattress (barely), so we do have something to sleep on while the hunt continues. :) Now those are some very soft and comfy sheets... though our set is frayed in one corner so I do need to get some new ones. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Hello friends, I'm chiming in just now after a slight absence and cannot resist tossing in my two cents worth on this topic, as I've had quite a similar experience. Some time ago my mother-in-law gave herself a wonderful birthday present, in that she bought all new everything for the boudoir, down to and including new carpeting, and I said, "Way to go, Rosemary, you and Johnnie deserve this treat!" She had a couple of old sheets that she earmarked for the church's charity drive but I wheedled them away for use in my own bedroom. One set, which I believe was Wamsutta, was like the silky ones your mother-in-law has, and the they were designed by Yves St. Lawrence, in awesome pinks and purples. The colors nothwithstanding, those elderly, well-worn and washed, and much beloved sheets were pure perfection to my husband and me. The lovely smoothness of that old bedding transported us into the sleep of the angels. I promise, we NEVER noticed the pink and purple designs, and we slept on them for another 20 years until they could no longer manage to hold together in one piece. Oh! Holy cow, I just came out of my reverie and realized you had asked a question! Mea culpa! My bad! Here's my suggestion for silky sheets, or at least for as close we can come these days: Buy 100% Egyptian Cotton in a reasonably good thread count, like 300, 400, 500. I'm now a retired senior with rather thin, frail skin, which I feel warrants the smoothest, most silky bedding I can afford. And I buy my Egyptian cotton sheet sets from Penney's, when they go on sale twice a year. And they last forever, well, I'm still using them 8 years later! I have 3 sets and just rotate. Give them a whirl; they're quite reasonable on sale, and enjoy! Kaye
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For the people who like crisp sheets, do you starch them or have you thought about it? Enough starch and you could have them crispy as potato chips! My head spins when I look at what people are paying for sheets! Geez! I guess I'm glad that I overbought years ago since my sheet supply is going strong and haven't bought sheets in at least 20 years! I was given 2 or 3 sets of flannels when a friend got a different bed. I never seem to have enough pillow cases though. I like a lot of pillows on the bed, but not for looks, for use to prop my legs, and me and the like. My dog used to like his own pillow too! (Spoiled little brat, but I miss him.) And I don't recall ever paying more than $30 for a set of sheets. They were the expensive flannels. About $20 for the regular ones IIRC. I usually use flannel year round now though. Yeah some are stained but that doesn't bother me. Can't see it when the lights are out and I'm asleep so why worry.
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Huge sucker for paisley and Homesense (same as your Home Goods). I really like those! I was in a rush a few weeks ago and grabbed my son a twin set of Ralph plaid sheets for camp ($34.99). Same place of manufacture. I really liked them and agree quite nicely finished. A stiff cotton percale finish. He loved them. (like this but twin http://www.ebay.com/itm/RALPH-LAUREN-UNIVERSITY-BLUE-WHITE-PLAID-QUEEN-SHEET-SET-4PC-/381719316440?hash=item58e03e87d8:g:NjoAAOSwENxXnBJF) A few years ago I got my younger son a set of Nautica sheets for $39.99 (full/double) that were retail over $350. They were a blue/off white ticking but the pattern was woven right in the fabric not printed on. They are still beautiful sheets. More of a sateen finish though. I just love looking for high end bargains there. Not long ago my mother found linen sheets from Belgium that were crazy expensive for super cheap. A one off find.
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chambleemama
Original Author
15 years ago
Silverraven, I just measured, and the sheets hang roughly 18" off the top of the mattress on either side, after two washings in hot water and drying in a hot dryer. I can't speak to the issue of the bottom sheet, so contact them specifically about that. They've been very reputable. Let me know what they say about that, please. My mattress isn't that deep, but I'm curious!
sbcichocki
15 years ago
Thanks for the info! It will be a while before I am ready for sheets (few months), but I will boookmark this and try to get back to it! I forgot to bookmark it and I had a heck of a time re-finding this thread again this morning!
S
graywings123
15 years ago
Thanks for starting this thread. I would have assumed that muslin sheets would be rather rough.
chambleemama
Original Author
15 years ago
Graywings, they aren't slick, but they are very far from scratchy. If you love sateen, you won't care for muslin. Percale is smoother, but this is crisp and comfortable. Remember that this is 200 TC muslin--not 140 TC. When I was ironing pillowcases, I had trouble telling the difference between these muslin ones and my cotton percale ones.

I'd love to try the "clothesline" percale ones, but they are almost twice as costly. I buy most of my sheets at thrift stores, actually. I'm very picky: must be white or off-white (bleachable), 100% cotton, and must have a really good "hand."
mara_2008
15 years ago
I haven't bought these particular sheets, and they sound very nice. When I was a young bride, I didn't know a thing about thread count and I bought a sheet set which was either 180- or 200-count. They were impossible to sleep on; were unbearably scratchy, no matter how many times I washed them in mild detergent *and* used fabric softener. Finally, after about a year (we were living on a shoestring then), I broke down and bought more, making sure I bought a higher thread count. Oh, the bliss!

Not long ago, I came across a fantastic deal - 100% cotton, 600-thread count sheets *on clearance* for less than $40 at BJ's (a warehouse store). Dear hubby and I were needing a set of sheets for our Q-size bed, so I grabbed them, LOL. They are absolutely luxurious. They do tend to wrinkle in the dryer, so I always get them out just as soon as the dryer chimes and either fold them to put them away or put them on the bed immediately. Dear hubby hardly ever notices anything like that, but he has commented on how nice these sheets feel. Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand name that was on the sheets; I wish I did.
chambleemama
Original Author
15 years ago
Mara, unless you cut the tiny tag off, you'll find the name somewhere along the selvage of the sheets. What a great price for really lovely sheets! It would make sense if the thread count guaranteed thickness and softness, but that doesn't always hold nowadays. I've bought disappointing sheets with 300+ thread counts. Home Comforts has great information about this. It's an encyclopedia that every homemaker ought to have.

I'll bet your scratchy sheet set was polyester or poly/cotton blend. The standard for family sheets used to be 180-200 count, 100% cotton--but the country went overboard with polyester for a decade or so!

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Comforts at Amazon.com
elbits
15 years ago
Well the muslin sheets I remember were around 120 threads and felt like sandpaper.

200 TC 100% Cotton Muslin Sheets

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200 TC 100% Cotton Muslin Sheets

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