Irish Bed Linen Facts I'll Bet You Never Knew

by: Patricia Bowlin

When you think about finer bed linens, you naturally think of Italian and French brand names, but did you know that Irish bed linens are some of the finest available?

Crafted through a complex process requiring a great deal of skill at every step of the process, this bed linen is made from only the finest natural fibers.

You might not have heard of Thomas Ferguson Linen, but it's a company known for crafting some of the finest bed linens. It's the main marketer of true Irish bedding in the United States. Few companies offer this fine quality, elegant, and luxurious bedroom linen.

Each of their items is designed to be perfect for the hot, humid nights of summer, so common to Ireland. But anyone, anywhere, can enjoy this luxurious bedding which is soft and sensuous. The crisp, white linen sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers are sold separately, with the sheets sold in pairs.

Each item is hemstitched or available in two row cord hems. The two row cord is stronger than most types of hemstitching, making it perfect for tough wear and tear or even commercial purposes. The two flat sheets packaged together are meant to be rotated so that each sheet experiences even wear over the years.

This linen begins with cultivating flax which provides the fibers for weaving. The flax seeds are sewn in April, and in June they produce beautiful, delicate blue flowers. The seeds are harvested in August from these exceptional violet blue flowering flax plants. The fibers are then processed and spun into top-quality fabric for making Irish linen.

It should be noted that the thread count of Irish linen has no relationship to the thread count of cotton fabric. The linen, by its very nature, will have a lower thread count since each thread is heavier and more loosely woven.

The superior quality Irish bedding selection created by world master weavers at Thomas Ferguson have 112 thread count per inch. While this number sounds small if you are used to thinking in high thread count cotton sheets, the fabric is actually four times as durable as fine quality cotton.

When it comes time to add to your fine bedding collection, maybe you'll give the Irish a try.