I've no experience with PB sheets because I'm a Ralph Lauren fan too. I buy the slightly irregulars at TJ Maxx for about $8. Some sheets never achieve the same feeling, but with repeated washes and use, you might notice a difference. Try a vinegar rinse the next several times. I don't recall the ratio.

(I'd be tempted to cut my losses and send them back else you wait a year for them to feel good.)

It's not just thread count, but the type of cotton used. PB probably uses a lower quality cotton.

I think it also has to do with the length of the cotton fibers used. I seem to recall reading that the nicest feeling sheets are made from Egyptian long staple cotton.

Quality of fibers as mentioned, finishing process and whether it's "really" that high a thread count. Many mfgs twist several threads together to double the thread count but it doesn't improve the softness or quality.

Oh, dear, that sounds terrible, "scratchy." I cannot wear pajamas because "something itch me" all night if I do, regardless of the fabric, etc. Has always done that since I was a small child. I think I would feel like I was in an ant bed. Did you per chance wash them before using them? Just could not figure out what to do otherwise, save returning them for a refund. I do love percale sheets and I am learning to sleep on Egyptian cotton, but I love the old percale sheets.

Yes -- I agree with Patricia -- if anything itches (sheets, clothing etc.) -- then I'm so uncomfortable -- I can't stand it!

Try washing the sheets in hot water with lots of fabric softener -- and then in a warm dryer. Our sheets (from O stock.com) are wonderful (1,000 thread) but took awhile and lots of washing to be the way we love them -- very soft and silky.

This I have learned : 1.)If they are deeply dyed and all cotton they will not be as soft as light shades. 2.) If they are embossed they will not feel as soft. I would return them if after several washings they're still "scratchy"...ugh!

Same thing happened to me. It was my first and last set. I can pay less for Sferra, which is pretty much all I'm buying now, on ebay.

The reason is because the PB sheets are 400 ct percale but they are not made with fine quality cotton or beautifully finished. The scratchiness comes from the lesser quality of the cotton fiber and the shorter fibers produce more slubs or bumps.

Mine didn't change much after repeated washings. I put them in back and only use them for emergencies. I also didn't care for the way the welting was stitched on the flat sheet -- impossible to get it looking good.

The RL sheets DD had all pilled (a sign of some poly in the blend) so I didn't go for those. I had some of his towels and don't care for the way they hold up at all.

If you like super soft, go for sateen. Any percale 400 ct sheets that's any good should be smooth and silky right away.

Rococogurl - is there a particular ebay place you like to buy Sferra sheets?

I always look for Turkish or Pima 100% cotton sheets with at least an honest 200 thread count - either percale or sateen. I'd love to try Sferra.

I've heard people in the past here complain about PB sheets not fitting their bed - are you having that problem also?

sky

sky -- no particular place for the Sferras. It mostly goes by color, style, and of course size.

Turkish and Pima cotton are nice for towels but I haven't seen those very often in sheets (though perhaps I haven't been looking). I like Egyptian cotton (one of the longest fibers) and sheets made in Italy, where the finishing is lovely.

The PB sheets fit my bed, no problem.

Oops, I meant Egyptian, not Turkish - don't know what I was thinking.

Well, I washed them on hot water and rinsed with salt and then rinsed with vinegar and put in the dryer with a softener sheet. No difference at all, scratchy scratchy.

I think they are going to the Salvation Army. I can't return them because I bought them over a year ago and have no idea where the reciept is now that we have moved. I got them at a really great price, too. Ha! Now I know why!

I am so bummed because they were the perfect color. I guess I'll stop and look at Ralph Lauren sheets tomorrow.

rococo, I didn't know RL even made poly blend sheets.

Oh, the PB sheets fit my bed just fine. They are made to fit beds 18" deep, which mine is not, so I had room to spare!

Thanks for all of your feedback. Sweet dreams!

Nicole

I found some sheets a JCP that are super soft and work well w/my deep mattress. They are made by Serta.

I got some nice 400 thread count at bed bath and beyond sateen, pretty inexpensive with their 20% coupon. Super soft too.

For sleepwear--I can only wear cotton modal now. If you haven't tried it, do, it's fabulous.

Pills up, must have polyester, almost all the sheets I have bought save for some very expensive ones I got a Dillard's and the Sferra sheets do that, even those that claim to be 100% cotton.

I have two sets of Pottery Barn sheets, one that I like and one that I love. The first set I bought is wonderful - really perfect feeling sheets. I liked them so much that I bought another set about six months later, and while they are good sheets, they are not as nice as the first set. I have been looking at the new PB Organic sheets in the stores, but couldn't bring myself to pay the price for them - now I'm glad I waited.

100% cotton can contain up to 5% of another fiber. It's permitted. If there is pilling there is polyester even though it's a small amount. I haven't experienced pilling on the Sferras I buy (not the sub lines) or the PB sheets. But DD's RLs pilled like crazy. I think it can vary from set to set even within a brand.

I learned the hard way that it's not just the TC, it's also the type of cotton used. I bought a gorgeous 1000TC sheet set (online). I was very disappointed that they weren't very soft at all. If they are Pima or Egyptian cotton you will get a much softer sheet with a lower TC. Live & learn!

eandhl, I remember the old Wamsutta sheets, they were soft but crisp at the same time, hard to explain. My last set was peach and pale grey, which dates this back to the early 80's.

Mitchdesj, yep, soft, smooth and crisp. I think I was able to buy them up to maybe 2000. So far nothing I have tried can compare. Have you found anything similiar?

eandhl -- another Wamsutta girl here! I grew up on those sheets. I can remember the box with the Indian from when I was a little girl -- my mom bought them. Then I used them for years until they went to poly.

They were percale sheets but made of very good cotton and beautifully finished. My memory of those is what drove me to the Sferras -- the set I have on right now is hemstitched percale and has the smooth crispness. But it comes from the weave, the cotton quality and ironing.

Wamsutta changed when folks wanted "wash n wear" sheets, if you recall. The last set of those I found was more than 10 years ago and they had gone to sateen.

I grew up on the Wamsutta sheets and Fieldcrest, all I owned for many years. Like I said before, I grew up in a small town and when that happens, you get enough linens to last for years and we had plenty until we went from a standard, full bed to a queen-size bed and by that time, everything was polyester, wash-n-wear, no one wanted to iron any longer and that is unfortunate, because I love ironed sheets. My husband does not care, just so he can go to bed. I think he could sleep in a haystack.

I agree with others that it's the quality of the cotton causing the problem. Also while "Egyptian cotton" is generally a good thing to look for, not all Egyptian cotton is extra-long staple (ELS). Like anything else, there are good and bad Egyptian cottons. But usually if a manufacturer is proud enough to say "Egyptian cotton" on the packaging, then they used the ELS quality.

ELS cotton is also grown in the US and is generally called "Pima cotton". "Supima" is an organization that promotes ELS Pima cotton. So Pima and Supima are both good things to look for on packaging.

You can probably tell that I have a hangup about nice sheets! I've bought and returned or tossed many sets. Currently I'm really liking the 600TC Macy's Hotel brand sheets. They have a crisp but smooth and heavy feel, but took a lot of washings and several months to break in nicely.

Okay, I went and bought and set of Sferra sheets yesterday - 100% Egyptian cotton, 300 TC. I found them at Tuesday Morning. They also had a set of Guy Laroche sheets, 500 TC, Egyptian cotton made in Portugal. They were incredibly soft, softer than the Sferra, even unwashed. I decided against them because they were a light taupe, which would have been boring although it would have worked.

The Sferra I ended up buying are a rich deep red (I look good in red!). Any advice on how to keep them that way? I thought I read something about rinsing them first in vinegar. So I would rinse first in vinegar for colorfastness, then wash with detergent, then rinse again with vinegar to aid rinsing? Is that right?

Nicole

I would not use acid on the sheets as it's not great for the cotton and who knows about the dye.

Just wash them with a tablespoon of very mild soap (I most often use Forever New lingerie wash on my sheets) in cold to lukewarm water to preserve the color. I'd do them in their own load.

What do you think of the Restoration Hardware Sateen sheets? I opened a package tonight and they feel quite soft. It looks like I may go a RH scheme for the bedding-- we like their simple framed look. Do their sheets hold up?

To eandhl:

I too am looking for Wamsutta Supercale Elite Supima Cotton, 250 count, sheets. I called Wansutta and am waiting for a return call now. They are the best sheets I have ever had. Let me know if you have any luck. thanks

Wamsutta 100% cotton supercale were by far the best sheets ever made - lasted for years and weren't real expensive either. The sheets they are producing right now are horrific - like sleeping on splinters! You can wash them a hundred times in gallons of softener and they stay the same. One thing I think you consumers don't know - you can return them and get your money back. If more people would do this, maybe the manufacturers would get a clue. Costco sheets were amazing up until about two years ago. I bought the EXACT same sheet set (checked the tags) and they were splintery from the start. I bought another set, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke - no, it wasn't. They were horrible. The first ones I bought were perfect... cool, smooth, soft, luxurious. Now, I don't know what to buy. They all seem to be those scratchy, itchy fabrics. I absolutely can't sleep on these things!

Back to the PB sheets: my grandson and daughter have PB sheets on their beds. All the PB kids' sheets seem to be 200 thread count. Those sheets are very cute, but they just aren't comfy. Grand daughter (age 3) doesn't want the top sheet to touch her. She pushes it down and covers up with her soft baby blanket. Kind of defeats the purpose of having an upper and a lower sheet. I wouldn't look to PB for sheets.

Agree! I grew up with Wamsutta 300 TC percale sheets and they were great! I continued to buy them through my young adulthood and then the brand disappeared from department store shelves. The brand ended up at Bed Bath and Beyond and are no where near the quality they used to be. Then I discovered Ralph Lauren (RL) sheets who for many years offered 300 TC sheets which were great, but now I can't find those. I heard he moved his bedding operations from wherever they were before to India and the quality went down. I'm hanging onto my current batch of 300 TC Italian fabric RL sheets which I bought at Macy's for a reasonable price and which are almost 9 years old. I recently bought Matouk Sierra sheets and was disappointed mostly because the bottom fitted sheet has too much slack in it. They are pretty wrinkled too. BTW, the Matouk sheets don't come close to the smooth crisp feeling of the old Wamsutta or RL sheets. What has happened to the sheet industry? Are countries not growing enough cotton anymore? Is there a shortage of textile manufacturers?

I just bought the worst Ralph Lauren sheets I have ever had. Dark blue with white small flowers. They are stiff as a board and I've washed them repeatedly. This last wash I used a recommended cup of baking soda as a last resort, they are still stiff. This was probably my worst sheet disappointment ever. I've had several soft brands but they don't last more than a few years. These will last forever probably mostly because they won't get used. Maybe I'll just use them to cover plants in the winter.

I have always been a Peacock Alley fan but saw some PB Christmas sheets that I just had to have despite the 200tc. Well they’re so scratchy and rough I just about can’t bring myself to put them on the bed. I’ve washed and dried them 4 times and they’re still just horrible. You would think for the price PB charges their quality would be better. They may have been getting away with it by producing kids sheets but adults are not going to be ok with sheets not even suited for a dog bed. I will never buy any sheets from PB again, I don’t care what design they put on them!