Vintage NOS bed linens vs. new

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Just a data point--in 1985-1986 the pricing for twin sheets at LS Ayres (upper-middle department store from Indianapolis) in Cincinnati, OH: 180 count Wamsutta percale 50/50 blend were $5.99, 200 count Wamsutta Supercale 50/50 blend were $9.99 and 240 count Wamsutta Ultracale 100% cotton were $14.99. We were a B-class store and our stock colors were white, navy, light blue and ecru. A class stores had Ralph Lauren or Martex (can't remember which) on the top of their selection at $19.99; they also had an extra color or two. Prints were similarly priced, with Laura Ashley as the top of our selection. We'd have 6-10 different prints in various colorways with full availability (comforters/shams/curtains/etc etc) by either special order or store transfer. The buyers would get in 3-4 promotional stand-alone prints which were in and out (not deeply stocked; occasionally just Q and K sets; sometimes "single priced"...remember one Sunday I was working and the promotional sheet in the sale tab was a Marimekko print. A faithful customer phoned mid afternoon and asked for 6 sets to be charged and sent out to her...made my sales that day!
 
For decades Wamsutta heavily promoted their pure combed cotton percale then Supercale bed linen. Then it all went to heck in handbasket around 1960's or 1970's when Wamsutta began calling 50/50 polyester-cotton blend sheets "Supercale".

Know people love them but cannot abide polyester either 100% or blends. Polyester for a whole range of reasons is not something you want for bed linens, but there you are...

Wamsutta wasn't alone, nearly all bed linen mills in USA had poly/cotton blends by then. Some simply called thing what they were "no iron", others came up with more creative reasons.

Of course one main driver of this was were three main forces; more women entering workforce, and lowering of standards when it came to housekeeping. Final piece of puzzle was was spread adoption of tumble clothes dryers.

Housewives whether they worked outside the home or not simply weren't interested in doing tons of ironing anymore. Cotton bed linen is acceptable "line dried", but percale at least looks and feels far better ironed. Anyway people started tumble drying everything instead of even line drying, and that machine replaced ironing for many households.

It isn't just domestic side of things, hospitality and healthcare often use cotton/poly blend bed linen. In my day sheets and pillow cases were all cotton, but hospitals have had to cut costs...

Poly/cotton bed linen require less ironing (if at all), and those that are ironed go through mangle faster and at lower temperature. Poly/cotton bed linen also cost less than pure cotton, and weigh less as well. Latter again becomes important if things are sent out to commercial laundries because they usually charge by pound.
 
Oh and Wamsutta's "Lustercale" once was a cotton/rayon blend. It then switched over to pure cotton.

"Lustercale, a blend of 60% cotton and 40% high strength Avril rayon. This blend feels like cotton but is somewhat softer. At some point Wamsutta changed the fiber content of Lustercale to 100% cotton. "
 
Vintage Muslin or Percale?

I want pick up some more vintage sheets, should I get all-cotton Muslin, Combed Percale or both?

Currently, I've seen slightly more of a selection in combed Percale and the prices are a little better.
However, I'm really liking the warm, mat feel of the Cannon muslin sheets I got at an estate sale.

Someone in one of the other bed linen threads mentioned percale sheets can have a cool feel to them so maybe they would be a good choice for summer sheets?

Also, they will be mostly washed in a FL machine and tumbled dry.
 
Have good supply of Pequot muslin sheets and pillow slips. All purchased years ago now and were NOS vintage.

Personally have found major complaints about muslin bed linens spot on.

Pequot used higher thread counts for their muslin, that made things long wearing but they are heavy and can be "warm" to sleep under. Worse being cotton if you sweat at night those sheets and pillow slips will get moist and take ages to dry. This comes in if you do (as you should) turn down bed sheets each morning to let things air out.

Laundering wise they're fine in terms of withstanding washing in any of my front loaders. But even with high final spin speed take long time to line dry (don't put bed linens in dryer). Ironing by hand or mangle is a chore again because the darn things hold so much water it is difficult to get them at right residual moisture content for proper ironing.

Have been using my pure linen sheets and pillow slips more and more, so think soon will gift muslin things to new wife of a young family member. As a young wife and mother think she'd like to have the lot.
 
Douglas if I was going to invest in vintage sheets the only ones I’d be interested in would be all cotton percale. They will be the softer, stronger and last longer than muslin.

A couple of years ago I bought a new white all cotton percale set on ebay. I can’t tell you the name of the seller or how much I paid now because its long enough ago that the history has fallen of ebay. They are really nice to sleep on, especially in the summer because they breathe better than new sheets. They remind me of the sheets of the old days.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 2/10/2022-19:09]
 
I had a set of Sears Colormate for my waterbed back in the 80's....they lasted forever.  Now I use a satin bottom sheet and a regular top sheet on the waterbed.  If I don't use satin, they wrap me up like a mummy because they stick to me!  With the satin bottom sheet I can just slide into my spot.
 
 

 

Ah 1980. I wouldn't be caught dead not having designer sheets and clothes. I know, I know. Those were my snooty days. I learned long ago that what was important was quality, not the label.

 

I still have most of my designer sheets, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and my old stand by Fieldcrest. Most were packed up long ago when I moved up from a fullsize mattress to a queen. Recently, I found an NOS Yves Saint Laurent set in queen. Talk about nostalgia. I want to wash them first and use Woolite Dark to help protect them from fading.

 

Those sheets back then had a relatively low thread count, and (Gasp!) were Percale (Cotton/Polyester). They did soften in time with washing. However they could not compare with modern 100% cotton sheets of at least 400TC. My favorite go to brand for the past few years has been California Design Den.

 

 

Top sheets are my original YSL sets in full.



 

 
YSL, Porthault, Christian Dior and few other European designers did licensing agreements with American textile mills. In fact so did quite a few American fashion designers as well.

Have a beautiful set of Porthault (by Dan River) set managed to nab off fleaPay for a very good price. Haven't managed to pull that feat off again since word got out and prices went up.

Sad thing about so much textile production moving off shore is those wonderful "Irregulars" that once were offered up at good prices are not as plentiful.

IIRC most American mills had shops or something in town were located where workers and even often general public could buy over-runs, irregulars, overstock, etc... at good prices. Now close as seem to get nowadays are various outlets.

Cuddledown has an outlet in Maine, but am not going all way that far north just to shop around.
 
licensing agreements with American textile mills.

At the time did Penney's, Sears and others also do licensing agreements with the now defunct American textile mills?

The descriptions on many of their vintage sheets packaging is almost word for word the same as the contemporary Cannon products for example.
 
Of course they had such agreements; nearly everything those companies have sold under their own brands are contracted to various manufacturers of that type of product. Sears did have ownership in varying amounts of many of the companies that made their merchandise, especially in regards to Whirlpool and Roper. They also once had majority ownership of DeSoto, Inc., the manufacturer of their paint, wallcovering, and detergents. They sold the paint business to Sherwin Williams a good number of years ago. As to linens, I don't know if they (or JCP) owned any stock in their suppliers or not.
 
 

 

I just opened the NOS YSL sheet set. Good lord the stench of chemicals! I knew they were going to smell, but I was surprised at the potency. Currently being washed in the Speed Queen, Permanent Press cycle, warm. Using Woolite for Darks and Downy Calm fabric softener. I hope it'll get rid of that bad odor.
 
They are irregulars!

 

 

Imagine my disappointment when I discovered so many defects. The fitted sheet has defective stitching.  The flat sheet was unfinished. Compare to my originals. I am returning them.

 



 



 



 



 

 
Taking a page from our mothers, grandmothers, etc...

If one is handy with needle and thread, and or sewing machine mending bed linen is a great way to extend their life.

Holes can be patched, threadbare areas darned, torn hems replaced or otherwise mended.

http://www.creativesavv.com/2013/12/doing-math-on-bedsheet-repair.html

https://www.afieldguidetoneedlework.com/blog/sides-to-middle-and-other-mending

https://www.supermomnocape.com/how-to-mend-a-torn-sheet/

At low tech or skill level of things you have iron on mending tape and patches.

https://sheetmarket.com/how-to-repair-a-torn-bed-sheet-without-sewing

These method is quite satisfactory for what it is; laundries (that commercial equipment can often be murder on bed/table linens), long have had mending departments. Again low end could mean mending via iron on patch or tape, or a seamstress would mend/darn damage area either by hand, but usually on sewing machine.

In all cases that old adage about one stich in time saves nine holds true. If tender area, rip or hole is attended to before growing larger, job if far easier.

What normally happens is a small tear on bed sheet or pillow slip is ignored. Then it's just a matter of time before a toenail, pet's claw, jewelry, or something catches, then you've got a larger hole or tear to deal with.

Until rather recently way of dealing with a flat sheet that was worn down middle, but otherwise still good was to "turn sides to middle". That is sheet was cut down middle, flipped so outer edges now were at center, then seam sewn down middle creating a new sheet. Not everyone was keen about sleeping on said seam, but never the less there you are.
 
I have a very nice set of sheets I picked up at GW a few years age, the fitted  sheet has a rip much like the 3rd link posted above. I think I paid $20 for the queen set, tracked them down at a retailer and they were sold for over $300 for the set as I recall.

 

I debated on how to fix the sheet, still haven't.  Not sure I like the double patch method from the link.  My plan was/is to get the rip lined up and stitch across the rip with a wide zig zag stitch much like embroidery, not sure that is the optimum method so I have never done it.
 
If material surrounding rip is strong you can either try hand daring tear closed, or sewing rip together via machine using zig-zag stich.

https://makezine.com/2009/03/16/howto_mend_a_bed_sheet/



My Pfaff and Elna (both older machines) have special zig-zag stitching that can be used to mend tears or rips. Pfaff recommends placing bit of matching material underneath rip or tear before lining things up and sewing edges together. This will give repair bit of strength.
 
My plan was/is to get the rip lined up

I have the lady where I get my alterations done do mending like that.

I purchased a new vintage Cannon double bed fitted sheet at an estate sale, she sized it down to twin size for a little leas than $20. Did an amazing job I couldn't tell the difference between her work and the factory hems.
 

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