Received my sheets a few days ago. I am glad that I bought the extra pillow cases. After feeling the material, and finding it very rough (I purchased the Jonquil Star) I decided to wash the pillow case and use them first. One washing did nothing. Still rough!

A second hot water soak, with fabric softener, and a wash...did not seem to do much. :( And they do crinkle a little when shifting the head.

Having gone through this with some sheets from The Company Store, I think, I am not giving up. I will not wash/try the new sheet set until I am satisfied that these will soften up some more. The texture is really rough on my face! More so than the other sheets. I will wash the pillow cases with every load of laundry and make a decision in a week or so. Taking the set back to Target if they don't soften more.

Any feedback from others? I wonder if the pattern makes a difference in feel???

On the plus side, I like the fit of the standard pillow case on our King pillows. No extra fabric having to tuck in. Also, I have seen no shrinkage, but I believe the pattern color faded a bit. Never was vibrant.

I gave my daughter some sheets from her high school bedroom, to use in her guest room. They are around 15 years old and have seen lots of washings. They are a rose bud pattern on cream. Those sheets still look brand new! Color is vibrant. Soft to the touch, yet sturdy and cool. I looked at the tag. 50% Cotton and 50% Polyester, and MADE IN THE USA! I'd love to find more of those. Not wonder I enjoyed sleeping in the guest room when I or DH are sick. :)

I will be the naysayer here. I went to Target to get these sheets and came home without them. I just didn't like the feel of them, even for the price.

I bought the sheets on the recommendations here. Honestly, I'm not sure about them, I washed them but have not put them on the bed yet, but just folding them they seem rough and as nhb22 said, they do crinkle. My old sheets actually completely disintegrated after soooo many years of use. I was looking to buy the rough linen sheets after hearing raves about them, but Target's price point is pretty good. I got cream colored solid color.

I bought them, and love them! I love crisp sheets, and these fit the bill for a very small price. Thanks, Lynn, for the recommendation!

Mine arrived in this morning's mail. They are now in the washer, to be put on the bed tomorrow.

Any clever uses for the little bag they come in?

dee - How have you washed them? Cold, hot, times, dryer cycle?

I've dried mine on the full Cotton cycle. Maybe there is a difference in how they are dried?

One thing that I did notice. The cute sheet "bags", that came with both the set and the pillow cases, is softer than the actual sheets/cases. This before wash.

I may try this tip! I have also read that vinegar and salt will soften up fabric. I thought those two were for setting the color, though.

"To help soften stiff material, run it through the washing machine (warm wash/cold rinse), using 1 cup of nonfat dry milk in place of your usual soap. Then use the clothes dryer to dry. My mother was allergic to the chemicals that kept clothes looking nice on the store racks, and her dermatologist gave her this advice many years ago."

For those who don't think these sheets are soft enough, are you sure that you want/like percale sheets. Percale sheets are more crisp by nature rather than traditionally "soft." I think it might come down to whether you like percale or not.

Nhb, I have washed them, but I didn't want them soft. I wanted to feel like the old percale, somewhat stiff off my mother's clothesline. I think, like sas95 said, it's personal taste. I'm thinking "soft" to your sensibilities may be "limp" to mine.

sas95 - I wasn't expecting soft, or limp, although if you read the reviews online, a few people mention how soft the sheets are.

Right now, the sheets are rough! Feels and sounds like sandpaper on my face.

My other sheets took a few washings with hot water and fabric softener, but they were never what I think of as rough. Just stiff and almost feel like sheets with tiny picks in the fabric.

I'll check back in after a few more washings. I am really intrigued with the milk washing. :)

Percale is a type of weave that gives cotton sheets have a certain hand or feel, which is usually defined as crisp.

However, the way any sheet -- percale or other -- is finished can affect the texture. Finishing is not disclosed on the packaging.

If sheets have printed patterns, and the patterns are printed on top of the textile, that can account for a big difference in the feel of the sheet.

The tiny picks in the fabric that nhb22 describes come from short cotton fibers used in the sheets. Typical of inexpensive sheets with every type of weave.

Target Threshhold percale sheets are made in China or India. They are not made from the highest grade cotton that gives percale the characteristic smoothness. The ones that do feel smooth may be finished in a way that alters the fiber. No problem with that if you like the texture.

It's not reasonable to expect a set of $59 sheets to feel like old-fashioned Italian made percale that now cost $200-500 a set.

By all accounts, for the money, these sheets are very nice though not necessarily the longest lasting.

Washing in milk, aspirin, vinegar are not likely to affect the texture. Fabric softener might work to some extent though it takes about a dozen washings to really get out all the finishing and know how the sheets will feel going forward.

Ha! I'll keep washing the cases and see what happens.

It's not reasonable to expect a set of $59 sheets to feel like old-fashioned Italian made percale that now cost $200-500 a set.

Well, in my case, I don't expect that. It's true that I have some 20+ year old sheets that are just delightful (and that cost a whole big bunch of money even back then), but I also have some Homegoods cheapies and I didn't find the Target ones equal to those. The ones I handled felt extremely full of sizing and stabilizers.

Last night, I asked DH what he thought of the pillow cases. He likes them and said he thinks I should wash the sheets and give them a try. Anything that makes him happy, I am happy with. Off to do the laundry!

I've been away on a business trip and was excited to open the package containing the sheets when I got home yesterday. I haven't washed them yet, and of course I will, but they feel so nice to me already. I'm definitely thinking this was money well spent! The minty color is so pretty too.

The proof is in the washing. It takes a surprising amount of time to get rid of the finishing agents. I bought a vintage, but new in package, sheet from France. Those are half cotton and half linen and the standard there. Those last a lifetime. But it had been in an armoire and even with the plastic wrapper it desperately needed washing.

It's been washed now about 4 times and it doesn't yet feel like the older sheets I have of the same type. Will be interesting to see when it starts to change.

I've never encountered sheets like these before. They feel thin and crinkly like paper and the top sheet was terribly wrinkled out of the dryer. They do warm up nicely from body heat on a cool night. I didn't have the courage to put on the pillow cases after feeling the material. The jury is still out, but I just find these odd. I don't think I had these as a child!

I don't think I did, either, but we did have our sheets ironed, so probably did and I just didn't know/care what they felt like. :) I'm sure these will turn out fine. My CS sheets are thin, but most of the stiffness is out after several washings. They don't wrinkle that badly, except for that darn header.

nhb22 - It's doubtful that we'll ever find those sheets you so fondly remember. I've mentioned this on other posts about cool, crisp sheets - but I have 6 sets of Wamsutta Percale and Supercale sheets, some are 50/50 cotton/poly and others are 60/40. If I had know that they'd stop manufacturing them I'd have purchased enough extra sets to last my lifetime.

My MIL used to work in the bedding department at Bealls department store and every year she'd give us a set for Christmas. Some of my sheets are nearly 25 years old and they have held up surprisingly well. The solid colors look better than the prints where some fading is evident. In all those years only one bottom sheet ripped although I have replaced the elastic on some of the others. Over the years I've purchased other brands but none of them have lasted as long as these. The most recent was a Martha Stewart 100% cotton percale set that I bought at Macy's and added to my sheet rotation schedule - the bottom sheet lasted about 4 years before it ripped.

Unfortunately like so many other well know US companies Wamsutta is no longer a US textile mill. At one time it was owned by Springs and was the largest in the US. Now it exists in name only since Springs is now owned by one of its' former subcontractors and according to this article Bed, Bath and Beyond may have purchased the Wamsutta name.

The article that I linked below also discusses Target and the Threshold brand.

http://www.therobinreport.com/private-labels-public-nuisances-and-captured-moments/

For years I had & loved the 100% cotton percale Wamsutta sheets. I think they were only 200 or 300 thread count. Best sheets ever & I have never found anything close. These sound like they might be.

The Wamsutta sheets of old were woven in the US and marketed under the manufacturer name. Today, as the article above observes, sheets and towels are marketed under various labels -- private retailer and celebrity labels mainly. All the manufacturing is done overseas.

Percale is a one-over, one-under weave. American cotton is the world's best though there is less of it grown here today than in the last century.

So those superb mid-20th c percale sheets will never been seen again. If you have them, treasure them!

Thing is about overseas manufacturing: no regulations or quality standards. The mills only disclose how a textile is woven at the time of purchase by the marketer. Do they even ask? Who knows. So there is absolutely no verification on how any sheeting is made any longer, whether "Egyptian" cotton was grown in Egypt or whether it's just called that.

In general, the highest quality sheets are woven in Italy and Portugal. Those countries are usually promoted. Sheets from China it may simply say "imported" though I give retailers credit for citing China as the country of origin as some do. I like to know what I'm buying.

But there still is no way to tell at the time of purchase sheets what is actually being purchased. The sheets can be percale at the low end of the price point there is likely to be extra threads woven in which can cause tearing, and the cotton can be poor quality that is chemically altered to feel smooth. Or, they can be good quality and a great find. Buying sheets today is completely different than in the past -- brands don't always guarantee quality.

maire_cate - Thank you for the explanations and article. Very sad that we cannot get the 50/50 anymore. :( I may have to take those sheets back from my daughter.

Update on my Target sheets. I soaked them for almost 24 hours in a mixture of hot water, fabric softener, soap, vinegar and added a handful of aspirin. :) Once the wash cycle was finished, I dried individual components (bottom, top, and then pillow cases) on the Perma Press cycle for 10 minutes each.

As soon as I took each component out of the dryer, I placed on the bed. They feel softer and almost wrinkle free. The big test will come tonight after we sleep on them.

What I am liking so far:

The feel is crisp and soft, especially the top sheet. (Pillowcase still a little rough on the face. DH says not to put it on my face. haha I may slip my mother's silk case over my pillow.)

The bottom seems tighter/better fit than my other sheets.

Love the extra band of elastic, though which it went all the way around on the 2nd band.

The sides and length of the top sheet appear longer than normal. Plenty to tuck in.

Very little, if any, shrinkage.

What I am afraid of:

The crinkling noise. To me, the bottom sheet (not the top) feels similar to the diaper pants that I found among the box of my baby clothes that my mother kept. They were not plastic like the mattress protectors. Nor were they like the diaper pants of today that have a light cottony feel. They were more like a waxy feel. Hard to describe. I don't want to scare anyone. LOL The sheets are not that bad, but something about the feel and sound brought back that memory.

I'll check back in for my final review in the morning.

Finally sleep on the new sheets last night. I really like that there is a tag on the end of the fitted sheet saying that it is the top or bottom. I have spent too much time trying to figure this out when making up our King sized bed. The fitted sheet also fits much better (tighter) then other sheet sets that we have.

The sheets are almost like what I remember the old time percale to be. Close, but not exactly. Although I washed the set twice, they still feel just a little stiff. Using and washing again might fix this?

My husband, who notices almost nothing I do in the house right away, asked; "are those new sheets?" this morning. When I replied in the affirmative with a "why", he asked if they were supposed to be so noisy.

Funny, I did not notice the noise...

Thanks for the recommendation Lynn. I'll use and wash them a few more times before I get another set. these do feel better then some that I have spent much more on.

I love nice percale sheets, but I have to say that so far I am not crazy about these Target ones. They do have a rough feel-- almost scratchy, though I have not found them to be noisy. I will wash them and try them a few more times, but if they don't improve they will be relegated to the guest room.

I have been buying the Brooklinen Classic (percale) sheets, and for me, they are nicer in every respect. Yes, they are twice the price of the Threshold sheets, but still relatively cheap by today's standards.

I think they feel a lot like sleeping on a heavily starched white shirt. Not bad just different.

I like them. I've only washed them once and have slept on them for the past three nights, and find them quite nice. I don't think they're scratchy at all. They have a crinkly quality to them and remain crisp. I too love the tag indicating placement (mine are on the sides, not top/bottom). Good recommendation, Lynn!

I was in Target the other day and ran across some sheets called "Shabby Chic" that looked and felt really nice. They seemed to be a little crisp feeling, but soft too. Not sure of the thread count-but have been thinking of them since I saw them. They looked like the kind of sheets I slept on when I stayed at my grandma's house when I was little. Anyone try them yet?

Olliesmom, I have frequently looked at those Shabby Chic sheets and I also thought they felt nice. I am tempted to buy some to check them out. Hopefully someone here has tried them.

Well, the only sheet left on the bed of this set is the bottom fitted one. It was difficult (and noisy) to form the top one around our bodies, it just seemed to resist us. We're back to flannel so this turned out to be a very expensive bottom sheet. But, you'll never know until you try something.

"They have a crinkly quality to them and remain crisp. I too love the tag indicating placement (mine are on the sides, not top/bottom). Good recommendation, Lynn!"

Sorry that I'm delayed in my response. The first night, I did not sleep well. Probably because of a milkshake I drank. I would wake up, and then hear that darn crackling. Went to sleep in the den.

Last night, I slept better, but the sheets are very noisy. My husband wakes me everytime he moves. I have above average hearing, so perhaps that explains why some hear it, and some don't.

This morning, I told my husband that the sheets remind me of those paper sheets that the doctors office gives to put on. My husband said that he thinks they sound like plastic "wetting" sheets.

I bought some dry, non-fat milk to wash them in this weekend. Not giving up!

I do like the crispness, in a way. They are cool. Easier to make the bed with the labels. I have them on all 4 sides.

NHB, my hearing is not good at all but I have sheets from LL Bean that I loathe because they are so darn noisy! I decided not to get a set for when DGS visit. They will have to use the noisy LL Bean sheets until I find a better alternative.

Oh rats, Holly-Kay. I was at LL Bean last week and looked at the percale sheets they had on the display bed and thought they might be worth trying. I Thought I'd wait for a sale. BTo not if they're noisy.

Now I'm wondering if perhaps my sheets were noisy when they were new but it's been so long ago I don't remember.

The sheets would be fine if not for the noise but honestly I would never use them on my bed again unless I had no choice. My DGSs can sleep on anything so it's not a problem for them but I still want to find un-noisy sheets because it bugs me to use them for my boys.

I'm the pickiest person on earth when it comes to sheets!

Okay - a quick lesson on percale sheets. Thread count is usually irrelevant if it's at least 200 - it's the length of the fiber that matters - the longer the fiber, the silkier the sheet.

Percale such as the old Wamsutta was made at mills in MA for years. Matouk still makes sheets there but I'm not sure where the fabric is milled - the mills are gone.

Garnet Hill makes nice percale sheets as does LLBean.

But for the sheets you are remembering, you probably want Portuguese percale sheets. Italian percale is so soft it almost feels like sateen - I don't care for it at all. I like the crispness of percale.

Percale gets its silkiness from YEARS of washing, not just a few times. They just get better and better, Your mothers also probably ironed their percale sheets - that also increases silkiness while maintaining crispness. I have my sheets ironed by a Chinese lady who runs a laundromat - she charges $8 for a queen size sheet. I don't have the bottom fitted sheets ironed - they smooth out when put on the bed. I do iron the pillowcases. To get a true silky smooth crispness, iron them wet - not sprinkled, but straight out of the washing machine. If you don't have time, stick them in a plastic bag and put them in the FREEZER, not the refrig - they will mildew there.

Sferra makes lovely percale sheets but they are very expensive. About 13-14 years ago, I found an alternative that I adore. It's a company called Cologne & Cotton and they are in the UK. I first bought pillow cases to see how they ironed up - loved them and on next trip to London, bought sheets.

I can't tell you how much I love their sheets! Not only do I love the fabric, but I love the UK size! They make their sheets with a huge drop on each side (no more playing who has the covers and who's freezing their bottom off!), and are made with a 24" turn-back at the top. You can pull these up over your ears and they won't come untucked at the bottom. Several of their sheets have lovely drawn thread embroidery that is just stunning. Their pillow cases are called "Oxford" cases which means they are actually french-backed shams but they don't charge a fortune for these they way they do in the US. I much prefer them.

Are they expensive? Well, they're more than Target but a lot less than Sferra. I wait until they go on sale, and then buy them (they can be bought online). The shipping is significant and they now use a shipper that uses a custom's broker so there will be duty - they didn't use to do that and it really ads to the cost. But these sheets last and just get better and better.

I was told when I got married 50 years ago that all beds should have three sets of sheets - one on the bed, one in the wash, and one in the cupboard. I've always done this and they do last longer that way.

My daughter and I will not use any other sheets and now that my son is divorced, he has joined the club, too. They're just the best. And do treat yourself - have the sheets on your bed ironed - nothing lovelier than slipping into a bed with freshly ironed sheets.

Forgot to add about UK sheet sizes; there is a chart on the Cologne & Cotton web site, but they have different names for their sheets. What we in the US call a "Queen", they call a "King"; what we call a "King", they call a "Super King". My daughter has a king size bed but it is not one that is high off the ground, so she buys their "king" size for her king size bed since the side drop is so long, it would hang on the ground. I have a queen size Charleston Rice bed that is very high, so I prefer their "king" for a long drop on the side. There are measurements - just look at them before ordering.

That sounds great, but I won't go to Target anymore because of that policy thT they adopted.

I'm the pickiest person on earth when it comes to sheets!

NO you're not!

Suzzane,

According to C&C

The UK Double is larger than US Queen sizes.

US size is 90" X 102"

UK Double is 90" X 108"

"NO you're not!"

Why not?

Brushworks, when I got married 50 years ago this summer, double/full size sheets came in two sizes, depending on price and quality. Lower end sheets, were approx 81 x 96. Nicer sheets such as Wamsutta, were 90 x 108 - yes for a FULL/DOUBLE sheet! When queen size beds came along, they decided that 90 x 108 was the appropriate size and that they became, ALL double/full size sheets now being the smaller size.

A 90 x 108 sheet on a queen bed is NOT big enough for two people of average size who are side sleepers, and also like the covers to come over their shoulders, up to their ears. My late husband and I fought over the covers for years until I started buying UK size sheets!

I like a big turn back on my sheets, and a long drop on the side, so C & C's UK "King" is the perfect size for me. The SuperKing is enormous but perfect for a tall 4 poster bed that is 34-36 inches off the floor.

Apparently, most Americans today sleep in warm bedrooms with the shoulders uncovered. I prefer to sleep in a room cold enough one could hang meat in it! But I sure need my shoulders covered when I pull up those covers over my ears!

I bought the cream color, which is actually quite nice, like an ivory. I thought they felt a bit thin and funny out of the packaging, and quite wrinkly and crinkly by the time they emerged from washing/drying. I would never consider ironing sheets, so they got folded as is. Then I read about noise. I was a little freaked and decided to put the sheets on my bed so the first night I wouldn't be undone if my sleep were to be impacted by noisy sheets. Noisy sheets?!!!

Verdict: I like them! The wrinkling didn't bother me at all. In fact, by morning the bottom sheet had kinda been ironed by my body heat and weight. As for noise, what noise? They have a crispness, not a soft drape. They did the trick for me, a nice bed sandwich.

I wonder if some of the colors are noisy and others aren't or if some are just hypersensitive to noise. My LL Bean sheet, imo, are unusable except in an emergency because the sound whenever the sheet moves or my body moves is LOUD. Loud enough that if I turn in my sleep it wakens me. I love the crispness of percale and wonder if there are percale sheets that aren't noisy.

Holly-Kay, can you describe the noise? If I'm out of bed and grab handfuls of sheet and bunch it up and generally tussle with it, I'm aware of a soft sound as the sheets meekly protest such treatment. I consider myself very sensitive to sound and am easily irritated by unwelcome noise. But any soft fabric sound is too soft and/or infrequent to disturb this irritable princess.

These sheets have a different weight, texture and feel than any other sheets I've had. And yet, they are curiously pleasant to sleep within. But then I'm not a fan of high thread counts and my favorite set (long worn out) was a cotton/polyester mix.

Linelle, the best description is a screeching sound. It is quite loud and annoying. If I could lay totally still I would be fine but any significant movement sets the sheets to screeching at me. Maybe someone else who thinks they are noisy can give a better description. I will say the sheets are very cool to sleep on and I liked the crisp feel. My ONLY objection was the noise. I love my linen sheets because they are also cool to sleep on and aren't noisy but the Target sheets are a very good value and if I wasn't bothered by the noise I would get some for emergencies like when I pulled my back and couldn't possibly pull a flat sheet tight enough.

Heads up:

I just got a set of these sheets for our guest room bed in Shell. They were on sale for $32.

They are labeled percale sheets and 100% cotton.

The weave is percale like but odd. If these sheets are cotton, they are unlike any others I've ever owned.

First of all, the entire set dried in 15 minutes. A full set of queen sheets in a compact dryer doesn't dry that quickly -- not ever.

Second, they are very noisy -- the way synthetic fabrics are. I have a lot of "techno" clothes and that's how they sound.

The mill is not obliged by law to disclose anything. Draw your own conclusions. I've drawn mine.

These are going back -- even the washed set.

I'm not talking about the "vintage washed" percale. I'm talking about the ones on the label pictured.

Have those that bought these sheets found they got better with washings like the old Wamsutta cotton percale did?

How many inches deep are the pockets? just saying deep pockets does not cut it, when you need at least 18" deep

I bought a set of king size 100% cotton percale sheets from Brooklinen. With multiple coupons I only paid $82 plus free shipping and a generous return policy. They've been laundered at least 8 times and they are still noisy - and they take longer to dry.

I wish I could still buy Wamsutta. Mine are getting really old.

I have the LL Bean sheets mentioned above. Do not love them. They do kind of creak when you use them. Also, the pocket for the fitted sheet is ridiculously large. I have a very thick mattress, box spring and foam topper combo, but the fitted sheet is still not tight on it. It's so loose it looks messy. Also my sheets have decorative folds and embroidery on the edges of the sheets and pillowcases that are irritating when they are against your face. The ones on the pillow cases actually leave marks on my face. I am once again on the hunt for sheets. I slept on some 100 percent cotton sheets from Macy's that I liked a lot. Not sure of they are still available. I loved the heavier weight of them.

I have some of the Target Threshold percales. One set was returned a month later as the fitted split down the middle, another was returned several months later falling apart at the elastic. Some of the print ones are rarely used but are ok...a white fitted that's used all the time is shredding at the elastic corners..Threshold has several makers, some are made in China and some in India. some of the exact sheets feel ok in the package and some feel like parachute fabric. Although with sheets now being treated with different chemicals like insecticide you really can't tell how a sheet will really feel until its had a number of good washes. All in all most of the Threshold sheets are worth buying, they arnt expensive so I guess if you use them regularly and they last a year its all good. Personally I feel sheets should be an investment, buy a few really good quality sheets and your set. I only use vintage percales, 100% long staple cotton....love them.