So funny. I was thinking about the feel of old sheets last night and I decided that they were probably so crisp because our mothers and grandmothers (for you young-uns) hung them to dry rather than using a dryer as most of us do now.

Now I use linen sheets and I don't put them in the dryer-they are wonderfully crisp.

Thanks for the link!

I got lucky and scored some from Peacock Alley on Overstock a while back. Oh, how I love them! Rolling over when they are fresh on the bed reminds me of the sound they made in the wind, drying on my mother's clothesline.

Snowe Percale - I ordered a king set of white percale from Snowe last year, tried them for 2 months and when they asked me to review them on their site - I did. I wrote that they wrinkled - a lot. More than the LLBean percale set that I bought at the same time. I laundered them according to their instructions and even removed them from the dryer while faintly damp - they still wrinkled.

Snowe offered to exchange them for a set of sateen sheets and they have laundered better.

I've finally realized that I will never be able to replace my old Wamsutta 50/50 or 60/40 percale sheets. They were crisp and laundered easily and were only 180 or 200 thread count. But they don't fit my new high profile mattress so I took them to our vacation home.

I have 2 sets of these from Red Land Cotton. I discovered these about a year ago. Waited for a 20% off sale, but I think they usually give a first-time customer sale price too. They are the best, old fashioned cotton sheets ever. Such a wonderful,feel. I’m not sure what shipping costs would be to Canada though.

https://www.redlandcotton.com/

I was able to have Anna with the company speak to our women’s Garden Guild about their cotton growing process and how they stared the company. It was so interesting.

Believe it or not but the price Robo's link state of 198.00 for a full set of queen is really not considered all that pricey in today's world of quality cotton.

I'm not loving the washing directions of gentle cycle and warm water but I think most manufacturers now give about the same...it's to protect them...cotton should hold up just fine to a good old fashioned hot wash. On today's washing machines the warm temperature is not even warm...it's more tepid...the biggest soil in bed sheets is body secretions...sweat, oil, ect..everyone has these types of body secretions regardless if you bath prior to bed, or you think you don't have body oils. It requires a longer wash cycle, and hot water to remove oil.

Only sheets I use are the old, percale, 100% long staple cotton, made in the USA, with thread counts of somewhere around 200. It's really not the thread count...it's the cotton used, weather it's long or short staple cotton threads (short is not good and is the culprit of pilling.

I often hear about people searching for the old wonderful 100% cotton percale sheets like grandma used. Only source I've found, ( but surely some manufacturer makes them) is from estate sales, thrift stores, ect..yes they generally are very dingy and reek to the high heavens, but quite easy to restore into the whitest, smoothest, most lovely sheets you will ever snuggle into. Of course finding the old ones than restoring takes time which not everyone has..LOL.

Robo, I have never heard of the manufacturer you linked to but they may produce a lovely sheet. They are made in Italy where some of the finest bed linens, (cotton and linen) are manufactured. I hope someone here takes a chance and reports back about them.

100% cotton will wrinkle...there's absolutely no way out of it..unless it's a cotton synthetic blend, but than it wouldn't be a 100% cotton sheet. LOL.

I always wash our sheets in hot, permanent press for drying.

When I was little, Mom would hang the laundry outside, and I loved to iron the sheets and pillowcases. Those were different times, LOL.

Sealavender, I have seen Peacock Alley at Tuesday Morning if you have one near you. It doesn't seem to be a one-off thing either...they regularly have them.

I love crispy sheets...And I won't pay 200 something for sheets.

I wish you could buy hotel sheets. I might be mad, but I love how they feel. I have seen them advertised, but I don't think they're the same...I think they're made specifically for retail. I have no proof, it's just a feeling...

gsciencechick - thank you for the reminder about Target percale sheets. Just ordered a much needed set.

This sounds interesting, Robo! Thanks for sharing. (I looked on their site and it says to email them to find out shipping rates and methods outside the US.)

I love the Target vintage percale sheets in white if you please. Wrinkles and all.

Are the target percale sheets "crunchy"? I iron my sheets anyway, which does soften them some, but I still like them to have body..

I also think the crunchy ones are cooler. Pennylogic. :-/

Thank you maire_cate for the direct review!! Might be back to the drawing board...or Target :)

Snowe's customer service was excellent, responding quickly to my comment and offering an exchange. At the moment I only have 3 sets of sheets that fit my new mattress and I've been using their sateen set in regular rotation for about 18 months - so that's about 20 + launderings and they do launder well, much better than their percale and they've softened somewhat too. The sateen are 400 thread count and made in Portugal.

They offer $25 off your purchase with an email sign-up.

Penny, I'm not sure what you mean by crunchy, but the Target vintage percale aren't soft and supple and super bendy. They used to remind me of summer cabin/cottage sheets. I find them irresistible.

Now there is or was a Target *classic* percale that has a rustle to them. I have a set that I don't use because of that. It's almost like a very faint paper sound. The *vintage* percale is silent.

Yes, I think I bought the Target "classic" percale by mistake once and they were super crunchy. Not in a nice, percale way. More of a fake, chemically feeling way. I will have to try the Target vintage percale next time.

Robo, I know what you mean. They have a faint crackle. I used them once, and now they sit on a shelf in my linen closet as "emergency sheets."

I think I have those crackly sheets...not nice and weirdly chemically/plasticy feeling...

I'll take a chance on the regular target vintage percale.

Thanks for the tips! I have ONE set of sheets that I like...enough I guess, but I should have another..

Penny, the vintage percale will be wrinkly. That doesn't bother me, even the visible pillow cases. They kinda smooth out when you sleep on them. The top sheet (queen) is very wide. I've been tempted to take some off along the edge, but I'm too lazy.

Most of if not all of Targets Threshold percale sheets are sourced from China or India. There's a reason for that plasticy, chemical weirdness...the sheets as all imported sheets are heavily treated..pesticides, insecticides, all sorts of treatments. If you ever buy a set of sheets from another country they will be treated. It requires a number of hot washes to remove these chemicals...I've heard 10 washings isn't an unreasonable number and to think I know people that use new sheets out of the package never washed.

However in my opinion Targets sheets are worth the dirt cheap price. They are the better of the low cost sheets in the US...IMO..

Targets percale's are still 100% cotton??? That's why they wrinkle...cotton will always wrinkle..nature of them