1. Go with natural fibres

Natural fibres such as Egyptian Cotton and Flax Linen are great at offering perfect insulation during the colder months while ensuring your skin is able to “breathe”.

2. Insulate your mattress

Did you know that 30% of the warmth you generate in bed is lost through your mattress? Keep the warmth where it belongs with a luxury mattress topper. Designed like a fitted sheet, they are soft and puffy, warm as toast and double up as a mattress protector.

3. Snuggle at Club Duvet

Duvet inners come in so many varieties it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. Our favourite is down, either goose or duck. Choosing the correct weight or tog is the trick. Autumn weight (10/11 tog) is the one we would recommend for South African winters. Even though a pure down duvet can be pricey, if chosen well you will use it for decades.

Need to rethink your winter bedding? Start browsing at shop.faluccalinen.co.za, get in touch with us at info@faluccalinen.co.za or call 082 548 4703. 

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1. Measure up your mattress

When shopping for fitted sheets, arm yourself with a few key measurements. You will need the width, length and depth of your mattress. Now add 10cm onto the depth measurement and you have the size you will be looking for. While standard sizing might not be your exact measurements, the variation should not be more than 5cm in any direction.

2. Choose fully elasticised sheets

Look for fitted sheets that have a fully elasticised skirt. Elasticised corners only are a manufacturing short cut and should be avoided!

Did you know that Falucca Fine Linen manufactures custom-made fitted sheets to fit all local and international mattress sizes? Contact us at info@faluccalinen.co.za or call 082 548 4703 to find out how we can help you.

Shop luxurious bed decor online at shop.faluccalinen.co.za

Common mistakes to avoid

Is your new fitted sheet suddenly not fitting? Here are some common problems to consider:

Tumble dry blues

If your fitted sheet fitted perfectly a fortnight ago but now getting it over the mattress is a 15-minute training exercise, the culprit will most likely be improper laundering. It’ll be either an extremely hot wash or (and this is far more likely) over drying on a hot cycle in the tumble dryer. Most natural fibres shrink when exposed to extreme heat, but it’s true that quality and shrinkage often go hand in hand as higher quality fabric tends to shrink less.

Most shrinkage can be prevented by laundering on a warm cotton wash and a low heat tumble dry. Better yet, dry it on the washing line and you’ll get the best possible results; your sheets won’t shrink, they’ll feel better and you’ll save some money on your energy bill too.

Mattress evolution

Mattresses have also changed over the years. They have got deeper and many linen brands have not kept up with this trend, with the result being fitted sheets that don’t cover the mattress.

The solution? Get your fitted sheets custom made for you in 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton fabric from our Signature Collection. Contact us at info@faluccalinen.co.za for more information.

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Just as the birds spend time meticulously lining their nests with soft down feathers and other insulating bits and pieces, so we should ensure our beds offer us maximum warmth and comfort.

Down and feather inners

Down is the very light, soft fluff found closest to a bird’s skin which helps to moderate its body temperature, insulating it from the cold air. On the other hand, feathers are heavier, and do not have the same insulating properties as down. Moreover, feather quills tend to push through fabric casing. This is why those in the know opt for inners with a high percentage of down in their inners.

A pure down duvet inner is one of the best investments you can make to improve your sleep experience.

The higher the down content is in a duvet inner, the lighter, more insulating and longer lasting it will be. A pure down duvet inner is one of the best investments you can make to improve your sleeping experience. On the other hand, the higher feather content the lower your insulation and the heavier your duvet will be. 

At Falucca Linen, we have decided to only manufacture pure down duvet inners to ensure you experience the highest quality sleep.

Spot duvet inner quality

Make sure you read the label. It might refer to an inner as a “down” inner when the percentage of down is actually very low in comparison to the feather fill. Look for inners with a down percentage of at least 70% if you truly want to enjoy the benefits of down.

High quality down inners are made using 100% cotton, down-proof fabric and all the seams will have double-edged stitching. Box-stitched inners have become very popular and ensure that the filling remains evenly distributed across the duvet.

What is tog?

Tog is how we measure the “thermal resistance” of a material and is widely used as an indicator of the warmth of down duvet inners. A summer inner should have a tog of between 3 and 4.5, an autumn inner should be around 10, and winter inners can have a tog as high as 20, but these are not appropriate for our Southern Africa climate.

During winter in South Africa, a summer and autumn down inner clipped together is a perfect weight and the two duvet weights on their own give you all the choices you need for a comfortable night’s sleep the year round.

Find the right pillow

Just like Goldilocks was searching for the bed that was neither too hard nor to soft, so you should be basing your search of the perfect pillow on a similar maxim.

Chamber pillows are a great option as they are layered pillows with three different compartments. The outer compartments are filled with pure down and the centre compartment with feathers. The outer layers of down give a luxurious feel and the inner spine of feather offers support when you are sleeping on it. The amount of fill in the centre compartment creates the different pillow densities.

Get a decent pillow protector

A pillow protectors is a small but essential detail that prevents your pillow from yellowing and offers good overall hygiene, ultimately prolonging the life of your pillow. Make sure it’s also made from natural fibre and not polyester, as you would lose the benefits of your natural pillow by placing it inside a synthetic protector. We recommend going for quilted 100% cotton outer and fill pillow protectors.

Falucca Fine Linen offers a collection of pure down inners in goose and duck down with chamber pillow options in soft, medium and firm.

All down is ethically sourced from Europe. It is a byproduct of the meat industry and is not plucked from live birds. High quality down inners are also a sustainable option as they are long-lasting and not likely to end up in a landfill. According to the  International Down and Feather Laboratory and Institute, down and feather fill has the lowest carbon footprint of any fill material, both synthetic and natural.

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#1 Read the packaging

Make sure you read all the information on the packaging, not just the parts the marketers put in bold. Look out for information about the following things:

Fibre

Cotton-polyester blend sheets are wrinkle-resistant, durable, and relatively inexpensive. They are, however, not the best option for comfort. If you’re looking for that cool, soft feel, nothing beats 100 percent cotton. You’ll hardly ever wake up clammy on cotton sheets since the fibre wicks moisture away from your skin. And perhaps lesser known is the fact that cotton sheets are less likely to stain than polyester blends. As a water-loving fibre, cotton releases dirt easily when wet.

All types of cotton share these wonderful traits, but long-staple cotton (like Egyptian Cotton), makes for a noticeably softer sheet, and the surface won’t pill and lint like one woven from shorter fibres. It’s also worth noting that Egyptian Cotton is the most readily available long fibre cotton in South Africa.

Weave

The weave affects the way a sheet feels, the way it looks, its longevity and its price. Basic plain weaves, which are woven from an equal number of vertical and horizontal yarns, are least expensive and may not rate a mention on the label. Percale is an upscale plain weave with a thread count of 180 or higher and is known for its longevity and crisp feel. Sateen weaves have more vertical than horizontal yarns. The higher proportion of vertical threads results in an extremely soft fabric which is why luxury sheets are often woven using a sateen weave.

Thread count

It’s not just about thread count. High thread counts can certainly make for better sheets, but it’s the thread (or fibre) itself that matters most. In fact, a sheet of a better quality fibre with a lower thread count will feel softer and stand up to washing better than a sheet of a lower-quality fibre with a higher thread count.

Dye

Patterns and colours are usually applied to sheets after they’re woven, which means the sheets may feel stiff until you’ve washed them a few times. The softest (and most expensive) are made of yarn-dyed fabrics, woven from already coloured yarns. When the colour is applied makes very little difference to the quality of the product and after a few washes, the only difference will be the cost.

Read on to find out a few practical ways to ensure you buy great quality cotton bedding.

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