April 30, 1998
Dear Everyone:
Question:
What's the difference between a pillowcase and a European sham?
Answer:
About 50 bucks.
They're both pillowcases.
One opens at one end, while the other opens in the middle in the
back. So why does the second
one cost so much more?
Because it has the word "European" tacked onto it.
I've been using the same bed linens for many, many
years now. I believe I had
them when “Jeannie”'s cat was staying with me while “Jeannie” went up to
Oregon to collect her
belongings after moving back down to
California.
Certainly there is a well-mended tear in the
duvet cover courtesy of
said cat. Bottom line:
After so many years that I've forgotten how many, I need new bed
linens. So, last weekend,
“Jeannie” took me shopping.
Back in the Good Old Days, as in the last time I
seriously shopped for sheets and pillowcases, you had two choices:
White or pastel;
cotton or Percale.
Maybe a few prints.
And you went for the "high quality" 180 thread count because the higher
the thread count, the better the fabric.
Things have changed.
These days, you might not even find 180 thread count in a
department store. You might
have to try the
Salvation Army for that.
And forget about Percale.
Now you have to choose between 250 and 310 counts.
And you need to know the difference between Egyptian and American
cottons. And between
different species of American cotton.
And “Jeannie” does know.
She can spot a particular designer from across the room.
She knows which designers are affiliated with which
manufacturers. She can pick
up a sheet encased in plastic and pronounce that it's
Egyptian
cotton, but the sheet itself was actually made in
Italy.
And she knows which discount outlets carry what.
"You can get that for $10 in
Vacaville,"
she tells me. Mind you,
we're talking about a pair of pillowcases.
$10 for pillowcases?
And that's the discount price?
I can remember a time when you could dress the whole bed for $10.
Not anymore.
Bottom line:
“Jeannie” knows entirely too much about bed linens.
And she has an impressive collection of her own.
She has loaned me a few styles to help me decide on thread count
and manufacturer.
In the end, we didn't buy anything.
Not so much because of "sticker shock" as because I didn't see
any particular color or pattern that I fell instantly in love with.
I'm capable of over-indulging myself as well as the next person,
but I have to really like it to spend that much money.
We'll keep looking.
And the trip wasn't a total loss.
At one discount linen place, we found some dark blue drapes for
the west bedroom, the one that gets the sun all afternoon long.
They're a casual style, which means installing the curtain rod
was easy and they've worked out so well that I'm going back next weekend
and getting something similar for the east bedroom.
We also finally got around to "repotting" my fake
ficus trees, which the
winter winds kept blowing over until I decided to leave them down until
the weather cleared up.
They're now in nice, heavy terra cotta pots with lots of gravel to keep
them in place.
We're still looking for a way to shade the patio.
But homeowner-wise, things are looking good.
Love, as always,
Pete
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