Guest Bronwyn Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Please humour me Mara/anyone else with a bed 'thing'/, but I'm going to ask another 'bed question' anyway:-We are not taking our mattresses because they are old anyway & we heard they don't travel well, and they take up too much space in the container, blah, blah. Safe to say they are gone.But I want to buy linen here, as I can probably get the whole shebang with fitted sheet, 2 x pillowcases, & duvet cover for around R400 in Woollies or R350 in Mr. Price. The packs include a fitted sheet which will be TOO SHORT, DAMMIT!Should I buy everything in Kingsize and then buy a Kingsize mattress there? Will the stuff fit? Did I mention my husband is 6 ft 4" and his feet stick out of the bed here? I don't want to be knitting bedsocks in Winter....I know it's a silly question but give me some tips, please. I'm dying to spend on linen but I don't want to end up with everything in a cupboard. Should I buy a new kingsize duvet too??? Will it fit the Kingsize beds there?Bronwyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Hi BronwynI did do a post about it yesterday, to somebody, but here is my tuppence worth. I have seen it said often that linen is so expensive here, yes it is, if you insist on shopping at Myers and David Jones or the specialised linen shops. If you go to Target or Kmart, you will pick up linen sets from $50 up. You need to look at the thread count, anything above 300 is good, the higher the count, the better the quality. Aldi have specials from time to time and they have been known to sell queensize 500 thread count for $60 a set. The variety is quite huge. On the sales I have bought duvet covers for as little as $10, they often have end of line, very beautiful, ones on sale.Here is a table of the official Australian sizesSingle Bed 92cm x 187cmKing Single 106cm x 203cmDouble Bed 137cm x 187cmQueen Bed 153cm x 203cmKing Bed 183cm x 203cmAs you will see from the above, they have moved the queensize up to the length of the king bed, but in SA the queensize is the length of the double bed.The other thing you definitely have to watch for is the depth of the fitted sheets. For instance our queensize mattress has a 35cm depth, but, most fitted sheets are only 27cm depth. So that is something you must check before you buy. Of course you get mattresses in different thicknesses, so it is up to you what you buy.Here is some more info that may be useful to you and other.High-quality bed sheets may last you up to 15 years. Whether you require king size sheets, queen size sheets, double bed sheets or single bed sheets, look at the thread count and fabric when you buy.Judge thread countThread count, indicated commonly in the number of threads per square inch, determines the quality of a sheet. Generally, sheets that have higher thread counts (around 300 and above) have a durable, lustrous, and soft fabric that gets softer over time. They are also less prone to shrinkage than lower thread count sheets (ie. thread counts less than 120). Low thread count sheets, though less expensive, have a rougher feel and are more likely to wear through. Select sheet fabricEach fabric commonly used to make sheets has its own merits. Combed cotton sheets : Combed cotton sheets undergo a cleaning process to eliminate any impurities and short, less desirable fibres. The process results in a soft, smooth fabric.Percale sheets: Percale sheets offer a smooth, flat, and closely-woven fabric, finer than muslin and are usually found in sheets with a thread count of 180 to 220. Percale sheets can be found in 100% cotton or 50/50 cotton/polyester blends.Pima sheets and Supima sheets: Pima sheets and Supima sheets, made from high-quality cotton, are soft and found in bed sheets in the 200 to 300 thread count range.Egyptian cotton sheets: Egyptian cotton sheets are highly durable, lustrous, and silky, and usually have a thread count above 200. Egyptian cotton is the most highly desired bedding fabric and is made of extra-long fibre staples grown along the Nile River.Flannel or flanelette sheets: Flannel or flanelette sheets, a wool textile, are very warm and insulating, and may be blended with either a synthetic fabric or cotton.Muslin sheets: Muslin sheets have a rough and tough feel and are at the low end of the cotton spectrum with a thread count between 128 and 140. They are commonly used in children's character-themed bedding. Synthetic fabric sheets: Although synthetic fibres like modal, lyocell and polyester have strength and durability, they aren't the most “breathable” fabrics. However they can resist wrinkles, and they wash and dry easily. The extra-thick dye used for printed sheets can make fabrics feel a bit rough at first, however, they do tend to soften up after only a few washings. Take your sheets out of the dryer immediately to avoid wrinkling and ensure your sheets look as nice as possible.Buy fitted sheetsWhen shopping for fitted sheets, consider the pocket depth and elasticity. To find pocket depth, measure from the highest point on the mattress, including the mattress protector and any additional bedding you may use under your sheets, to the bottom edge of the mattress. Fitted sheets should also have elastic all the way around the sheet. Sheets with elastic only at the head and foot are more likely to slip off the bed.Now that you have the sizes you can decide for yourself. If I remember correctly you are arriving in Adelaide in December, please remember that in Australia the biggest annual sales start on the 26th December!Good LuckMara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Bron! as Mara has mentioned, THE time to do any shopping is immediately AFTER Christmasand up to New Year when all the sales will come to an end.Prices in December are high, except for after Christmas when the famous Aussies "Christmas / New Year" sales are on. Prices are usually 50% off as the stores invariably need to clear any left over stock from the "festive" season. In January, stocks usually don't move much and sit on the shelves until February, as loads of offices and factories, building sites, etc. just go on annual leave (holidays) for four to five weeks, coming back to send the kids off to school in last week of Jan / first week of Feb for the school year. So . . . . . . it looks as if you are a shrewd buyer, you'll sit on orange boxes eating the cardboard box that the Corn Flakes come in, not spending until late December. Be prepared to find out what your fav cardboard is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bronwyn Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Bob I'm not that bad!! Counting on your barbie to fill us up then.. If you are serving a Rice Bubbles box I'm there like a bear.. No, really, I look forward to the sales then. Actually Stephen is more of a shopping fiend than I am, and he loves kitchenware. His eyes glaze over as he runs from Stainless Steel coffee machine, to blender, to spatula sets in excitement...I have to be very strict on him. On Sunday we chose a new pot set (Gordon Ramsey) which was long overdue (the handles on our old one had all melted), and I went to pay for parking and take the kids to the car. He was supposed to pay for the pots and then join us, but he also ended up buying a gorgeous red cast iron casserole that will last 50 years as well as a very expensive and unnecessary cutlery set !! I can't leave him alone in a shop like Boardmann's, I should have known better. He only got to the car over half an hour later, laden with packages.Mara, you are truly a bed expert! I actually asked my question at the other end of that (misplaced) post yesterday, but when no-one came back to me I moved it to it's own topic. Unfotunately you were too late and the bug had already bitten me. I went to the shops and bought a Kingsize duvet (also long overdue, ours is over 8 years old ) and found 2 x duvet sets on sale at Mr Price I have to tell you...they were R99 each for the duvet cover & 2 x pillow cases (no thread count mentioned at that price!). One is a creamy colour with a slight burnt orange & greenish stripe on the bottom, and one is chocolate colour with some type of Aztec pattern. Not exactly what I would have chosen if I was paying R500 but what bargains! I also got 10 handpainted plates for R15.99 each. And a big potjie pot.I had second thoughts on the pot because, how are you supposed to make a fire under it if open fires are banned? But I took it in the end anyway.Couldn't resist the shopping and at least I got BARGAINS. Shoppping Barbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Well Shopping BarbieYou now have the information and so does everybody else. It is not that I intended to become a bed expert, but once bitten twice shy. Unfortunately for us we really had to do the move the hard way, no internet, no websites, no saaustralia, worse luck!Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Posted November 10, 2006 Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 Mara, that is truly fantastic information! Wow, remind me to ask you next time I need to know something... Bronwyn, there's a place called Designer Direct here which has really great bargains on excellent quality bedding. Also, the Harbour Town shopping village has good bargains as does Harris Scarfe in the January sales.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Could somebody please let me know eher I can find Mara's input on the bring/leave the beds issue? I have done a search but have been unable to come up with anything!Thanks,Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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