Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with linens

Manic Mattresses, Crazy Canopies, and Loony Linens

hellogoodbye — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:13:38 -0800

I'm buying my first bed and first mattress, and I need help understanding mattress height, as well as where/how to find canopy linens. My primary bed for the last 20 years is a twin daybed (which I just realized is the same as Olive’s bed in Little Miss Sunshine). The mattress is that old as well, but I guess I haven’t been too picky about mattresses, because I hadn’t really thought about getting a new one until I thought about getting a new bed.

I already ordered this bed in queen size, but I don't know how to go about putting fabric/curtains/linens/drapery/whatever-you-want-to-call-it on the bed when I set it up. Inspired by HBO's John Adams, I bought the canopy bed specifically so I could create a cozy space for myself (a room within a room). I'd like something very slightly transparent so that I'm not blocking all light, but so that someone peeking couldn't see much of what I'm doing. Also, I'd like the fabric to work like a shower curtain instead of a window curtain; opening the bed up to the outside should be easy, and I don't want to disassemble the canopy part to change/wash the fabric. There are some decent looking shower curtain hooks out there, but how do I purchase fabric with the right top hem/holes to work with those? ..and what dimensions should the fabric be? What else should I consider?

I read this, which has helped me start looking for mattresses, but I wonder how mattress height works with/without a pillowtop when buying sheets. I want a traditional coil mattress and box spring, no foam, latex or what-have-you. I don’t know if I want a pillowtop or not, but it seems that while the height of mattresses varies, the height of fitted sheets doesn’t. I’m not interested in getting into a wrestling match with these items when the time comes.

Another request coming out of my desire for the least hassle possible, I’d be grateful if anyone has any more tips for choosing a mattress. In my ideal world, I’d name a price under $1,000 (and preferably under $800) and someone would name a mattress set that I should buy. I have no idea what I want in terms of comfort, except that I run way hot, so I don’t want anything to make that worse.

I don’t really want to go to mattress stores and take trial naps, but I suppose I will. On that note, are there reputable mattress stores in the Northern VA area?
Thanks for reading my partially informed, sort of picky, bed specifications.

Where can I find sheets that will impress my friends?

lizzicide — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:30:24 -0800

I'm looking for some totally awesome, impressive bedding, featuring either Nintendo or Sanrio characters, or at least interesting designs. Difficulty: Must be King size. I've checked the local Target and Bed Bath and Beyond with no success, so I'm turning to the internet.

First choice: I want a Super Mario Bros bed. Or just a Mario bed in general. Hell, I'll settle for Toad or Yoshi - If it's Nintendo, bring it on! But I can't seem to find anything, save for a few quilts on Etsy that I didn't really care for.

Second choice: Chococat, Hello Kitty, Deery Lou, Sanrio cuteness in spades. Haven't been able to find anything in King size.

Third choice: Roxy, except Roxy doesn't make anything in King size, period. Bold designs, bright colors - Hot pink and lime green are my friends. I'm not going for subtle here.

If you can think of anything I haven't, clue me in. Sheets are more important than duvets/blankets here, but any leads would be fantastic.

Comfort(er) cotton or wool?

Sagres — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:42:00 -0800

Buying a new comforter: cotton or wool? After years with a synthetic comforter from Ikea we are planning to upgrade. Down is not a viable option and it never falls below 45 degrees where we live so we are leaning toward cotton; organic preferably. A friend suggested wool as an option. Any feedback with regard to brand, comfort, wool vs. cotton and maintenance (washing) would be appreciated.

Bonus for suggesting where to purchase online.

Where are the best flannel sheets?

otherwordlyglow — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:36:21 -0800

Help me attain flannel sheet nirvana. Mr OWG adores flannel sheets. I'm not so fond of them but that's mainly because all the flannel sheets I've ever encountered seem to be cheap and get all pilled. I'm a bit of a sheet snob, preferring high thread count, all-cotton sateen. I'm willing to use flannel in the winter and to that end I'd love to find really really super nice luxurious flannel. Soft, pillowy , snuggly flannel. Does it even exist? Why are most flannel sheets so crappy? Recommendations for flannel sheets, online or not would be appreciated. Hopefully under $100 for a full-size set but I'm willing to go higher.

Help me settle down for a long winter's nap with nice sheets.

fedward — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:34:26 -0800

Recommend durable all-cotton or linen bed sheets. No flannel or sateen. I bought a new bed a couple years ago, and the extra-tall mattress (14", which is low compared to the 18" ones you can buy now) necessitated the purchase of some extra-deep pocket sheets. Being a practical guy, I opted for some Lauren T-250 sheets, as higher thread count sheets tend to wear out quickly and I wanted something nice but longer lasting. One of the fitted sheets has suffered what I consider to be a premature demise, and my mom likes to buy practical gifts, so I'd like to direct her to some new sheets for Christmas. Criteria:

Must be all-natural. Cotton is the most likely candidate here. I'm guessing linen is going to be outside mom's gift budget, but I could also decide to pop for those myself if somebody knows a source for linen sheets like Grandma Used To Have.

I sleep hot, so I hate sateen and its ilk. This probably also rules out the Modal sheets that have been recommended here before. "Sexy," as discussed here, isn't all that important either. I think this means I just want "percale", but I don't even know what "percale" means.

Must wear like iron and stand up to being washed in hot water. For that matter, must survive the drier reasonably well, as I generally don't have access to a clothesline. This probably rules out the zillion-count sheets that are all the rage. I thought 250-count would be a good number, but Ralph let me down.

"Wrinkle-free" is not a selling point, since it's my understanding that those treatments shorten the lifespan of cotton fibers, and my goal here is to get something that lasts, not that wears out quickly.

Extra credit for extra wide flat sheets, as there are sheet sharing issues. Details omitted to protect the guilty.

Color's not much of a sticking point, if any. Solids are fine, whites, creams, naturals, etc, are also fine. Probably no black, though. I never had the black sheets phase, and I'm sure my girlfriend would prefer that I never do.

Is the solution to this just Lands End or The Company Store, or is there something at mom's neighborhood Dillard's that fits the bill?

Where to find awesome linens at awesome prices?

Mikey-San — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:52:19 -0800

Just got a new queen bed, and my linens are too small. (Double/full fit.) I need to get some nice, comfy stuff, but really don't want to spend $150+. Do you guys know of (legit) out-of-the-way sites on the Webinet that sell nice sheets for awesome prices?

How can I get my white sheets white again?

autojack — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 23:10:09 -0800

How can I get my white sheets, er, white again? I've never owned white sheets until now; I have two different sets, both fairly pricey. One are Egyptian cotton, from Bed Bath and Beyond, and the other are regular cotton, made by Area. Both sets have yellowed very slightly since I bought them ten months ago, mainly on the pillow cases. Normally I wash the sheets by themselves, and just use regular Tide liquid detergent on them. Tonight I tried washing the Bed and Bath ones with Tide and a little bit of Clorox bleach, but it didn't seem to make any difference at all.

I'm a guy. I work better with things that plug in than with things that are woven. Can anyone suggest what I should do to re-whiten these sheets?