Glossary

Terms of Glossary

Sateen: A manufacturing process which provides an extra soft sheet by smoothing the yarn. Usually made of a higher that average thread count fabric for extra softness and durability.
Combed Cotton: Cotton which has had all short fibers and impurities removed from long cotton fibers that have been carded.
Egyptian Cotton: A fine, lustrous, long staple cotton grown in Egypt. Long staple cottons are more expensive than the commonly available cottons. The consumer identifies Egyptian cotton with quality.
Percale: A fine, lustrous, smooth cloth with a thread count of 180 and above.
Thread Count: The actual number of threads used per inch in a woven cloth.
Pima Cotton: An extra long staple domestic cotton grown in the Southwest United States. The consumer identifies Pima cotton with quality.
Woven Fabric: The process of forming a fabric by interlacing vertical and horizontal yarns.
Jacquard: A loom which makes it possible to control each warp thread so that each and every warp end can be raised or lowered at will to form an intricate design. Orginally controlled by a punched card system sometimes called the first computer, today the loom is fed by computer generated information that eliminates the cards,making design changes faster and more efficient.
Down: Nature's own best insulating material. It consists of light fluffy clusters from the underplumage of waterfowl. The filaments of each cluster contain tiny air pockets of warm still air which expand as the body generates heat. Down also has the wonderful ability to breathe thereby forming a blanket of warmth and comfort while lifting away perspiration. You feel none of the clamminess that often occurs with synthetics. An ounce of down will keep you warmer than any synthetic fiber and is a natural choice for luxurious comfort.
Loft, or Fill Power: The standard measurement of down quality. Measurements and Fill Power is determined by placing an ounce of down in a container. This is done to measure the volume it acquires. The volume is calculated in cubic inches. You would often see numbers such as 500 Loft specified on our products. This specifies that the Fill Power is 500 cubic inches. An ounce of down that occupies more space is better than an equivalent amount occupying less volume. Therefore the higher the Fill Power, the higher the quality of down.