We have too many sheets.

[cimorene]

waxjism and I have a weakness for bright and bold print duvet covers, and for a while couldn't really stop ourselves from buying sets when we found really cute ones, so we have 5 cotton sets from Ikea (which don't even have top hand holes, ugh, but they have great prints)(and none of them are even similar to each other in terms of color scheme...) and then the tartan flannel ones I made last winter and a cotton sateen set that were a gift. (And a few odds and ends. Whatever, this wouldn't exactly be too many, except we don't often have overnight guests so it's unnecessary, and they don't all quite fit comfortably in the closet space, which is at a premium here.)

The problem is I was snuggling under a sateen one the other day and suddenly realized there's a significant difference in how they feel on the skin. They're not just a little harsher, like a couple of the Ikea sets that have a bit of poly in the blend, they're like... so silky and nice feeling that they actually warm up against the skin better, like they feel as much nicer as flannel even though they're the opposite, smoother instead of fluffier.

Preferring flannel in the winter is just plain natural, but preferring sateen to regular cotton is like a permanent thing and it's the worst when you significantly prefer one of something when you have five of the other kind. Not to mention the temptation to buy more, which is a horrible idea in terms of our already-overburdened storage space. (Actually getting sateen sets in appropriately bold prints isn't tough because Finnish textile design is unparalleled - Marimekko, Finlayson, and Vallila are all on the case - but they cost like five to ten times as much as the Ikea ones probably, if you don't catch them on sale.)

Comments

[james]

There is a lady on etsy who makes duvet covers (entire bedding sets really) with custom printed designs and I so very badly want the octopus ones. And sugar skull ones. But we don't even own duvets. (We have blankets and quilts, instead.)

and galaxies

[cimorene]

Switching from American flat and fitted sheets to a fitted sheet and a duvet cover - and Finnish duvet covers are even better, because they have hand holes at the top that make them a lot easier to turn and put on like this - was probably the nicest thing that ever happened to my bedding life OR my laundry life.

You can get the inside duvets from Ikea cheaply, and other places more expensively, if you really want to try them.

[jain]

Slowly replace the regular cotton ones with sateen? That's what I'd do. You may have friends or family members who'd be happy to take the regular cotton ones, or you could donate them to a charity shop.

[anatsuno]

or! you can use them as fabric to make dresses or pj pants from :D (or anything else really. I bought several ikea covers on sale just for this purpose)

[phosfate]

Totally! Or if the colors go with the duvet, awesome custom pillowcases or curtains. Basically pretend you're Maria Von Trapp.

Or or or my Mom did a thing where she'd sew two sheets (matching or contrast) together, stuff 'em with batting, then tie them together with strategically placed bits of yarn -- boom, lovely fat custom quilt. She made them in the seventies and I'm still using them.