semi–OT: ? for cotton mavens

I bought a couple sets of 100% cotton Laura Ashley sheets last week. One
set is 250 thread count; the other 200. After washing in cold water and
drying on medium heat and removing immediately, they look pretty awful.
My questions are:
Is there any way to hasten the break–in period? They are pretty soft but

know that eventually they will not look like accordians when I take them
from the dryer. If I were to invest/waste a bunch of water and

by washing and drying the sheets a bunch of times all at once, will I be
able to speed up the process––or must the sheets also be broken in by

them?
What do people do? I love the idea of all–cotton sheets but I hate the

they look. I even ironed the pillowcases and one of the flat sheets––and
even with the iron on high and generous spritzing with water, the sheets
look less than perfect. Am I asking too much?
The sheets are so pretty. I don't want to return them. And I needed new
sheets because my old Laura Ashley sheets are practicially transparent and
ready to shred.
cofarb

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:6YydnW5bZdPIlkLcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
I
electricity
using
way
Cofarb,
I can't give you the magic answer. Unfortunately, I can contribute this.
Every once in a while I buy a good cotton set of sheets and they
persistently come out of the dryer like this. I've tried lower heat, not
letting them dry as long, and even ironing (which is a luxury I can't
afford
at this point) and I've not been able to remove those sheet wrinkles. I
have not been able to pinpoint exactly which ones will come out this way
before I buy but it has only happened to me about 3 times in the last 10
years.
I'm afraid some sheets are just born to wrinkle.
Jamie
P.S. If I'm going to spend the time to iron sheets, darnit, then I want
them to LOOK live they've been ironed!

What do people do? I love the idea of all–cotton sheets but I hate the way
they look. I even ironed the pillowcases and one of the flat sheets––and
even with the iron on high and generous spritzing with water, the sheets
look less than perfect. Am I asking too much?

My advice: cover with a beautiful comforter and forget it! LOL! the
soft factor far outweighs the wrinkle factor!

"I posted in another post previously"
How redundant–in more ways than one.

"Jamie" <zuschlag–sequ...@tds.net> wrote in message
news:41df13a...@newspeer2.tds.net...
So, did those sheets ever start to look better? Or did you just not use
them?
My mother has a device called a mangle. She's offered (threatened) to

it to me. It is a giant roller ironing device that is mostly used for
tablecloths and sheets. I think it harks back to a time when people had
really, REALLY inexpensive "help" (i.e., basically slaves).
aurghhhhh!
cofarb

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:0KudnYnnAPXNhULcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
give
No, they don't ever get better, and yes, darnit, I still use them.
Sparingly, though. And I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even iron them
right now with the two small ones. One set is Tommy Hilfiger for my DS1's
bed (full size) and cost a pretty penny. I think those are 350 thread
count. And my two are ~350 as well. So that's proof that thread count is
no indicator of how they will be.
When you said mangler, all I could think of was those old wringers on a
wringer washing machine! I can't imagine what this must look like! I
think
I would turn down any offers of hers (your mom's, that is)!!! She sounds
like mine (my mom, that is)! I love mine, BTW.
Jamie

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:0KudnYnnAPXNhULcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
give
No, they don't ever get better, and yes, darnit, I still use them.
Sparingly, though. And I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even iron them
right now with the two small ones. One set is Tommy Hilfiger for my DS1's
bed (full size) and cost a pretty penny. I think those are 350 thread
count. And my two are ~350 as well. So that's proof that thread count is
no indicator of how they will be.
When you said mangler, all I could think of was those old wringers on a
wringer washing machine! I can't imagine what this must look like! I think
I would turn down any offers of hers (your mom's, that is)!!! She sounds
like mine (my mom, that is)! I love mine, BTW.
Jamie

I recently purchased some nice sheets from overstock.com. ONE THOUSAND
thread count, and wow– are they soft, but VERY wrinkly. I tried more
fabric
softener, and different dryer cycles; nothing helped.
My advice: cover with a beautiful comforter and forget it! LOL! the
soft
factor far outweighs the wrinkle factor!
––
–––––
Ruth Berry
Signature Images
http://www.berryimages.com
1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.

I bought some very high thread count sheets last year (over 600, iirc) and
they wrinkle like all get–out. They seem to be getting better. They'll
probably be wrinkle–free just about the same time they are completely worn
out!
I'll just learn to live with it.
Thanks for all the advice.
cofarb

x–no–archive:yes
Is it possible you are overloading the dryer? I have much better luck
with large sheets, tablecloths, etc. if they go through the dryer one at
a time. I commonly prewash huge pieces of fabric (10–12 yards of
upholstery grade canvas) and usually try to even put that through the
dryer in smaller sections, if I know how it's going to be cut up
eventually (or if not, go over and use a triple–load dryer at the
laundromat).
I find that wrinkles of the sort the OP described, are from the fabric
wrapping around itself or around the other sheet, and they do get
'cooked in' and may or may not come out the next time. Putting one
large sheet at a time in the dryer seems to take care of this entirely,
for me.
However, the water temp may make a difference. I have probably only
ever done one or two loads of wash in my entire life in cold water. I
would never do household laundry at less than 'warm'....and if this is
because your sheets are a dark color and you don't want the dye to
run...that's why I don't buy dark colored sheets in the first place.
I would not consider bedding washed in anything less than 100 degrees
water to be *clean*.
You might try ironing with a steam iron, to get the wrinkles out this
time. I know you said you sprayed while ironing, but a steam iron does
a much better job of relaxing the fibers. If I had a place to put it,
I'd be all over a real mangle, it would be a tremendous tool for some of
my upholstery and costuming work!
Celestia

I bought a couple sets of 100% cotton Laura Ashley sheets last week. One
set is 250 thread count; the other 200. After washing in cold water and
drying on medium heat and removing immediately, they look pretty awful.
My questions are:
Is there any way to hasten the break–in period? They are pretty soft but

know that eventually they will not look like accordians when I take them
from the dryer. If I were to invest/waste a bunch of water and

by washing and drying the sheets a bunch of times all at once, will I be
able to speed up the process––or must the sheets also be broken in by

them?
What do people do? I love the idea of all–cotton sheets but I hate the

they look. I even ironed the pillowcases and one of the flat sheets––and
even with the iron on high and generous spritzing with water, the sheets
look less than perfect. Am I asking too much?
The sheets are so pretty. I don't want to return them. And I needed new
sheets because my old Laura Ashley sheets are practicially transparent and
ready to shred.
cofarb

I'm sure you're 1000 TC sheets "pamper your butt" as we say in our house!

bet they're sweet!!
Jamie

I
YES, definately! We still comment on how much we love them! you know,

really are a lot thicker, but they're somehow cooler than the lower TC's

had. well worth the price. I think I paid a little over a hundred for a
king set. Were your 600's wrinkly too?
––
–––––
Ruth Berry
Signature Images
http://www.berryimages.com
1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.

"Celestia Vianello" <CelestiaViane...@att.net> wrote in message
news:41DF2D27.CD7A1...@att.net...
Celestia,
It was a good try but –
No, I'm not overloading the dryer because I find that in my dryer they
wrap
around each other and don't dry inside. But if this were the case, then
the
same sheets probably wouldn't come out wrinkled to the extreme each time.
As for water temp, I wash mine in hot and cold. My DS has skin allergies
that demand the laundry be washed in hot water. Generally, I don't change
the setting very much because I wash ALOT of kids' clothes. I use warm
too
for darks. And just use one of those Shout laundry cloths to catch the
loose dye.
And finally, a steam iron. That is what I use on the highest setting and
these wrinkles are smoothed over but still firmly set in. I'm always so
disappointed when I take time I don't have to make these look nice and
they
still don't.
Cofarb, I'm still with you. We need the mangle! And tell your mom she
can
teach us how to use it (preferably by demonstrating it herself)!
Jamie

"Ruth Berry" <ruthbe...@comcast.netremovethis> wrote in
news:–dWdnfPHRNbZcELcRVn–...@comcast.com:
Amen! What's a wrinkle or two compared to the feelng of sleeping on 100%
cotton?
––
use...@yahoo.com
www.rpcc.org

"Jamie" <zuschlag–sequ...@tds.net> wrote in news:41e14a6e$1_2
...@newspeer2.tds.net:
You can say that again!
––
use...@yahoo.com
www.rpcc.org

My mother has a device called a mangle. She's offered (threatened) to

it to me. It is a giant roller ironing device that is mostly used for
tablecloths and sheets.

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:0KudnYnnAPXNhULcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
give
My mother had a mangle, too, when I was growing up. It is long gone now,
but I really would love to own a mangle now for linens and even pants. I
would take your mom up on her offer if I were you! (But then again, I'm
one
of those weirdos who really enjoys ironing.)
I'd try adding some fabric softener to the wash to help break in your
sheets.
–– Madolyn

"Jamie" <zuschlag–sequ...@tds.net> wrote in message
news:41df307...@newspeer2.tds.net...
I probably do overload the dryer sometimes––and I'm not a "remove

person all the time, but I was being very observant with these

usually dry everything on high heat unless it is really delicate.

using the steam iron, too. It just didn't have enough oomph to get

all the wrinkles. Still, the sheet and cases did look a hell of a

better after ironing, just not great. And I will try the warm water

to see if it makes any difference. Maybe even grab one of the fabric

softeners that's supposed to reduce wrinkles (it probably causes

right?).
When I was a kid, my mother used to "send out" linens. The advent of

polyester changed all that... As I said to begin with, I love the

100% cotton sheets. I would probably look or part poly sheets next

but with two new sets of 100% cotton sheets and a couple other sets

closet, I probably won't be buying new sheets for a long time. And

Laura Ashley sheets are so pretty, damnit!
cofarb, who is leaving the mangle with mom––and the idea of "sending

linens in the 1960s.

I recently purchased some nice sheets from overstock.com. ONE THOUSAND
thread count, and wow– are they soft, but VERY wrinkly. I tried more

softener, and different dryer cycles; nothing helped.
My advice: cover with a beautiful comforter and forget it! LOL! the

factor far outweighs the wrinkle factor!
––
–––––
Ruth Berry
Signature Images
http://www.berryimages.com
1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith
should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.

"Userb3" <use...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns95D96E40C7882Elvisisal...@207.14.113.17...
But you really *are* the cotton maven, and I looked for your response
to my original question. There must be reasons and predictability, if
not solutions. Nu?

"Ruth Berry" <ruthbe...@comcast.netremovethis> wrote in message
news:–dWdnfPHRNbZcELcRVn–...@comcast.com...
I bought some very high thread count sheets last year (over 600, iirc) and
they wrinkle like all get–out. They seem to be getting better. They'll
probably be wrinkle–free just about the same time they are completely worn
out!
I'll just learn to live with it.
Thanks for all the advice.

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005, cofarb wrote:
You guys are making me feel weird. It reminds me of a conversation w/ my
sister's mother in law. Said MIL mentioned as a household tip that sheets
were much easier to deal with if you put them on the bed and ironed them
there. My sister and I both nodded as if this were a great tip and the
conversation turned to something else. Only later did we turn to each
other and ask, "do you ever iron your sheets?" "No."
I only ever use all cotton (or linen, for preference) sheets and I have to
admit I've never worried about how wrinkled they are. I mean, they're
under your bedcover (bedspread, comforter, strategically placed cat,
other) right?
In any case, poly–blend sheets make me sweat, so I'd rather take the risk
of being outed for having wrinkly sheets than the certainty of a poor
night's sleep.
Martha
––
"ALPO is 99 cents a can. That's over SEVEN dog dollars!!"
Revek – ASDLC

When I was a kid, my mother used to "send out" linens. The advent of
polyester changed all that... As I said to begin with, I love the *idea*

100% cotton sheets. I would probably look or part poly sheets next time,
but with two new sets of 100% cotton sheets and a couple other sets in the
closet, I probably won't be buying new sheets for a long time. And the
Laura Ashley sheets are so pretty, damnit!
cofarb, who is leaving the mangle with mom––and the idea of "sending out"
linens in the 1960s.