A neat and crisply made bed conveys a sense of peace and inner joy that the simple things in life give. They are not big milestones, but like pretty flowers strewn in your path they bring a smile to your face. If you're shopping for bed linen, you may be amazed at the incredible choices in bed sheets, top sheet, fitted sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers, quilts, comforters, blankets, bedding accessories and more. They all come in a variety of styles, sizes, colors, patterns and types of fabrics as well.



Do not be daunted. Just do it. First, measure your bed. Do not go by the size label, king or queen. Sometimes manufacturers change the size a bit, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Next, measure the mattress thickness. Often people forget about this and end up with fitted sheets that pop off because the sheets were made for a thinner mattress. If the fit looks close, then opt for the next size up, to account for some possible shrinkage. For the best in fitted sheets, look for the ones with elastic all the way around. They will stay on the bed without popping off, rather than choices with elastic only on the sides or corners.

Next, there's thread count, which just means how many threads run up and down through one square inch of fabric. Generally, thread counts range from 80 or so, to up over 1000. You'd assume that the higher the count the better your bed linens would be? Not really. For the more threads that you put into that one square inch, the smaller those threads tend to become. Some bed linen manufacturers split the threads and then weave them in a way that allows them to say the thread count is double. So there is a point at which a higher thread count doesn't guarantee better softness and durability. So, a general rule of thumb to go by: 200 to 220 is respectable thread count and just fine for daily use; 230 to 290 is better and 300 to 400 is the best. Having said that, there are people who just love their 1000 count luxury bed linen and wouldn't have anything else! It is merely a matter of personal preference.

The fabric weave is also important. Sateen (not satin) is stitched with four threads over and one thread under. Most of the threads are on the surface so it is extremely soft. The down side to sateen is that since there are more threads exposed to the surface, it won't be as durable as other types of fabrics. There is also a pinpoint weave. A little more durable than a sateen weave, this weave consists of two threads over and one under. There are not as many threads placed on the surface, so the result is usually not as soft as a true sateen weave.

Finally, you should know the depth of your mattress before purchasing a set of sheets. The pocket size is a measure of the thickness of the mattress that the sheets were made for. You should always purchase a set that has a pocket within 3-5 inches of your mattress depth to avoid slippage of the corners when too small and excess material in the middle of the bed when too large. With today's pillow top mattresses, it's not uncommon to have pockets more than two feet! If a pocket size is not readily available in inches, these sets are usually labeled "deep pocket" or "extra deep pocket".

Now you don't need to get all knotted up about the sheets after all!