Would you buy real linen sheets?

[rjohnston]

Do any of you sleep on real linen sheets? Are they better than cotton? Do they last longer? Thanks for any comments!!

[Float On]

I like high count crisp cotton. Can't stand flannel or silk. Is linen crisp or crisp to the point of scratchy? I don't really like wearing linen because of the care needed. My grandmothers may have but I don't ever intend to iron sheets. Don't know that I've ever noticed linen sheets at TJMaxx (where I usually buy my sheets).

[IshbelRobertson]

I have a few sets, as well as a number of tablecloths and napkins. I could never make them look as ironed or as crisp looking as cotton and even after sending them out for laundering, I had to iron the pillowslips!

Now they lie in the back of my walk in linen cupbard, unused, but I can't bear to part with them as they were wedding gifts! One day, which must come soon, I'll take them to my local hospice shop.

[ApatheticNoMore]

It's hard for me to visualize linen as sheets as I mostly associate it with clothing. But I suppose like cotton linen may actually have many different textures. Higher thread count isn't necessarily better for cotton, higher thread count is softer and possible more durable, but it's also warmer, somewhat lower thread count is better if the weather is hot and you want to keep as cool as possible. Little seems more important in summer.

I like linen as clothing as it keeps cool as clothing, but it's not very durable as clothing. Really I think I'd have to try out those linen sheets as they are hard to imagine. Also if anyone wants to buy me some silk sheets, I will be happy to receive them :~) (silk is wonderful though not durable either)

[meri]

We do. I like them just as much as the flannel ones that we use in winter. I have some napkins, dishcloths and tablecloths too. I really do appreciate the aesthetic aspect of them but ... my favourite thing is the ritual of ironing linen - sprinkling them with water, rolling them and then ironing until they are nearly perfect is one of the most calming activities I know.

[rjohnston]

Thanks for the responses! I wanted to get a feel for what frugal people would do. Linen sheets tend to be two to three times as expensive as same thread count cotton; however, the websites say that they last many times longer. Also, you can get just flat sheets, not fitted so they can be turned and used for both top and bottom sheet--lasting longer. So if people on this forum could give feedback that definitely they last longer I would trust it more than the websites selling the linen sheets. Finally, there seem to be only about five to six purveyors of linen sheets, so I'd love a recommendation if someone had one. Ishbel, I am sure that someone will love finding those sheets when you drop them off--maybe give them another try, you may like them now. Thank you, thank you!

[Miss Cellane]

I have some very fine linen tablecloths--linen can indeed be spun and woven into varying textures and thicknesses of cloth.

I'd love linen sheets, especially for the summer, but the cost has prevented that so far.

[Spartana]

I don't own anything linen (clothes-wise either) as I don't iron (don't even own an iron). But I'm not a fan of 100% cotton sheets either so buy a poly-cotton blend with a high thread count. They feel soft and sort of silky, don't wrinkle at all, breathable, and seem to last forever, plus they are very very inexpenseive to buy.

[awakenedsoul]

I love linen. I knit with it. My two favorite summer tank tops I made with a mixture of hand dyed linen and pima cotton. They are so cool and comfortable! No need to iron, and they dry super fast! I've never heard of linen sheets. I'll have to research them. Are they soft enough? I know my 100% linen pants are a little rough...

[iris lilies]

No I wouldn't buy linen sheets. They stain, and using bleach on them would be awful and would break down the fibers. I do like linen napkins and use them occasionally. I love the way they last forever, but they last forever because I don't use them often.

Cotton/poly sheets with a decent thread count are fine for me.

I remember seeing French linen vintage sheets on ebay and they were dreadfully expensive.

But the fabric itself, I love it. I love it's slickness when in a heavy weave.

[awakenedsoul]

Just found this website: www.roughlinen.com. I think I'm going to order the linen placemats as a Christmas present for my parents. The reviews of her products are amazing! She won a Made In America award from Martha Stewart for 2014. I'd like to get a set of sheets for my bedroom...

[thinkgreen]

I have one linen sheet. I inherited it from my Mom. It is a white sheet, likely made for a double bed as it is skimpy in width as a top sheet on our queen size bed. It is over length, probably two to three feet longer than it needs to be for a queen bed. It has an embroidered embellishment along the top edge. This sheet is likely 100 years old. It has a laundry mark showing my grandmother's maiden name and she got married in 1904. I use it for about six weeks a year matched with another odd sheet.

I can't say it is better than a cotton sheet. In fact the lack of width is more inconvenient than the type of fibre used. I have considered cutting it up to make something else, clothing, tea towels, etc. But so far, I just keep rotating it into use along with all the other sheets.

[Blackdog Lin]

Answering the original question:

no. Not something I consider worth the extra bucks. But to each his own.

[Miss Cellane]

I have one linen sheet. I inherited it from my Mom. It is a white sheet, likely made for a double bed as it is skimpy in width as a top sheet on our queen size bed. It is over length, probably two to three feet longer than it needs to be for a queen bed. It has an embroidered embellishment along the top edge. This sheet is likely 100 years old. It has a laundry mark showing my grandmother's maiden name and she got married in 1904. I use it for about six weeks a year matched with another odd sheet.

I can't say it is better than a cotton sheet. In fact the lack of width is more inconvenient than the type of fibre used. I have considered cutting it up to make something else, clothing, tea towels, etc. But so far, I just keep rotating it into use along with all the other sheets.

You could buy some inexpensive muslin and sew a strip down each side, if you want to keep using it as a sheet. It would get tucked in and not seen when the sheet is on the bed, but will increase the usefulness of the sheet immensely. This is what I have done with flat sheets that don't quite fit anymore because I bought a new mattress that is much thicker than my old one.

[catherine]

Answering the original question:

no. Not something I consider worth the extra bucks. But to each his own.

+1 My max budget for sheets is $19.99. Maybe I'll spend more when I have a mattress that doesn't cave in the middle. Sheets are the least of my worries.

[thinkgreen]

Miss Cellane - Thank you! That is a great idea. I think I will do it.

A family elder told me that in the old days they used to re-work old worn out sheets. If the sheet wore out in the middle they would cut it up the center, hem those edges and sew it back together with the outside edges now in the middle. This would result in a sheet that had a seam down the middle but would last awhile longer as the worn out portions were now on the outside edges.

What you are recommending is similar but no seam in the middle of the sheet. I really like it. That would also make it possible to use it as a bottom sheet. In my household those are the sheets that wear out. The top sheets last twice as long as the bottom sheets.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I could be tempted. Sleep is one of my favorite activities! But I'm not sure I actually like any bottom sheets better than just the cotton mattress pad (it has lots of padding, very soft ) on top of the mattress topper. Bottom sheets make me unhappy in comparison it seems. Why mess with perfection? Although that's cold in the coldest part of the year so I'll try my new flannel and see if I even like it when it's cold :~). Top sheets are ok. I'm alright with just blankets as well even there, unless it's hot and a sheet suffices as my blanket.

[Zoe Girl]

How funny Apathetic, I don't use top sheets. Just a bottom sheet and a duvet. I only have 100% cotton, I can feel the difference. That means most of the time I have one sheet, I think I may also have a flannel bottom sheet.

I was wondering about bamboo, I love bamboo fibers in socks and got my mom some for Christmas already. Probably very expensive but I have had bamboo fiber items last a long time

[Molly]

I used to have a cotton-linen sheet set from Lands End. They were pricey but I absolutely loved them and they lasted 7 years. Apparently the manufacturer went out of business and I could not find cotton linen sheets anywhere. I ordered a pure linen sheet set, but it felt scratchy so I sent it back. One area I am not frugal is in bed linens. I spend 1/3 of my life in bed, so I can justify the cost. I currently have a cotton sheet set from nordstrom that I bought 3 years ago and still going strong. I only buy one sheet set at a time. After I wash and dry them, they go right back on the bed. I use them till they are almost threadbare before I get a new set.

If you find good linen sheets that feel great and last for years, its worth it.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Now that its' a little bit cold rather than 10 million degrees hot, I've use the flannel top and bottom sheets I got (neither fitted). OMG flannel sheets for warmth where have you been all my life? Who knew they'd work so well? Yea I'm a Californian and know nothing about fabrics for warmth, and no it's really not that cold, it's just older apartments are often a bit drafty and COMPLETELY non-insulated so that is what I'm contending with. Still prefer no bottom sheet when it's hot, just the mattress pad.

[kib]

ANM, did you use the bottom flannel sheet or only the top? I find bottom flannels get really pilly, I've been looking for a brand that doesn't do that.

For a while, I slept in the in-between weather with a glorious old linen tablecloth. not quite a sheet, not quite a blanket, perfect weight and softness.

I think my enjoyment of a sheet has something to do with the way the fabric is woven. I believe it's a "twill" weave that I really like, it looks like long diagonal rows and is very smooth. Plain over-under weave tends to be rougher, and I got some very high (yet cheap) thread count sheets with some peculiar weave I cannot identify that is just strange, it's almost fuzzy and holds all sorts of lint. So maybe it's the same with linen, that a certain weave might be less coarse or less wrinkly?

ETA: also tried some bamboo/cotton blend sheets that were very nice, extremely lightweight. I hated the color but everything else was spot on for a summer sheet and they have held up nicely.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I bought two flat sheets really (not a set, no pillowcases). Because fitted sheets often don't fit and I didn't want to deal with sheets not fitting, so I'm using two flat sheets one on the bottom and one on the top, bottom can be tucked in to make it stay. It might pill, hard to tell yet, but I think flannel is usually a material that needs to be replaced periodically because of that (which I don't like and didn't realize maybe, but meanwhile it's very soft and warm).

I bought a linen hand towel as an experiment to see if I liked it for towels, it was rather rough. It has become a kitchen towel :) (they can be rough anyway), and I don't plan to buy linen for actual towels I don't think.

[kib]

I think there's linen and there's linen. My table cloth is a gorgeous old damask affair suitable for formal occasions ... or formal sleeping, I guess. Incredibly smooth and soft. The linen clothing I have is totally different, kind of rough and nubby, I would never want that material for sheets or towels. And yes, there's just nothing more snuggly warm than new flannel, I wish it were cold enough to use it here more than 4 weeks a year.