Percale Fabrics

Percale

Percale fabric begins its life as two sets of undyed, interwoven threads, known as a "greycloth" that will later have its color and pattern "sprayed" on. Since the threads are woven at a 1:1 ratio, the same number of threads will be found along one inch of the length, and one inch of the width. The number of threads along one inch (in each direction) makes up the fabric's "thread count."

The thread count of the fabric determines its density, and that generally gives you a good gauge of its softness, although there are other factors that impact the softness of the fabric even more than its thread count. One such factor is "content."

The content of percale can vary widely. Though many people assume that "percale" means a polyester-cotton blend, this is untrue. A percale can be made of 100% cotton, 100% polyester, or any combination in between. Even a high thread count 60/40 percale blend won't be as soft or luxuriant as a lower thread count 100% cotton. Also, a dark colored cotton percale will feel stiffer than a lighter colored percale with the same thread count.

Even within cotton itself, there are many differences in grade. Just as grapes grown in certain regions are favored by wine connoisseurs over grapes grown in others, the quality of cotton can be estimated by its origin. Our own domestic cotton is an excellent breed called "pima" cotton. This is a long-staple cotton, and is relatively inexpensive, considering its high quality. The fertile Nile valley which also produces the same breed of Pima Cotton as the United States, calls their more luxuriant textile "Egyptian Cotton." With its longer, silkier, and thicker fibers, this cotton is woven into the absolute best percales. Unfortunately, since it must be imported from Egypt, it carries with it a heavy price tag.

At the other end of the spectrum, some imported percales are very inexpensive, and for good reasons. A combination of low thread count and high ratios of polyester to cotton causes these percales to rip easily and feel rough to the touch.

All of London Bridge Linens percales are domestically produced, have thread counts of at least two hundred, and contain no more than 50% Polyester. 50/50 Polyester/Cotton percales of this quality can stand up to a great deal of abuse. They resist wrinkling and can be washed frequently, in whatever conditions desired (hot or cold water, line or machine dry).

100% Cotton Percales and Sateens, on the other hand, are more difficult to maintain. They should be washed in cold water, and line or tumble dried. They do tend to wrinkle, and can be expected to shrink 1-2% the first time they are washed. This shrinkage is taken into account when the sheets are manufactured. For this reason, they may fit loosely before laundering, and provide a snug fit afterwards.

Percale fabrics are generally available in widths great enough to provide a sleeping surface without any add-ons or seams. Extremely large or thick mattresses may make add-ons necessary.

The images below reflect our current stock of percale fabrics. You may wish to bookmark this page to keep up-to-date on current fabrics. This page is updated whenever the fabric stock changes.

200-TC 50/50 Poly Cotton Percales


Mocha	UPS Brown	Light Blue	Burgundy

Sage	Ecru	Hunter Green	Navy Blue

Black	Royal Blue	White	Salisa Red

Teal	Purple	Aquamarine	Periwinkle

Seamist	Yellow

T-200 Patterns

Africa

T-200 Poly Cotton

Mesa

T-200 Poly Cotton

Sue

T-200 Poly Cotton

Tribal

T-200 Poly Cotton

Vanessa

T-200 Poly Cotton

Cotton Solids T-300

Celery T-300 Sateen White T-300 Ecru T-300 Sateen

Silver T-300 Sateen
Out of Stock until approx. March 8th
Light Blue T-300 Sateen Carmel T-300 Sateen

Certified Organic Cotton

Certified Organic Cotton has been grown, harvested, and processed according to Earth-friendly standards. These include:

•Avoidance of most synthetic chemicals in fertilizers, pesticides, and dyes.

•No genetically modified or enhanced seed

•Use of farmland that has been free of chemicals for a number of years

•Careful audit and supply trails, combined with annual inspections to ensure compliance to these standards.

Organic T-300 Celery Sateen

Organic T-300 Ivory Sateen

Organic T-300 Sky Blue Sateen

Organic T-300 White Sateen

Cotton Solids T-400

Burgundy T-400 Sateen	White T-400 Sateen	Eggshell T-400 Sateen
Eucalyptus T-400 Sateen *Wrinkle Free	Cypress T-400 Sateen	Wedgewood T-400 Sateen *Wrinkle Free
Honey T-400 Sateen	Hunter T-400 Sateen	Navy T-400 Sateen
	"Dark Chocolate" Or "Charcoal"

Tone-on-Tone Stripes T-400

These stripe patterns are woven, not printed. Stripes will go horizontally (left to right) across the bed in most sheet sizes.

(Pricing is the same as T-400 Solids)


T-400 Butterscotch 1 cm. Stripe	T-400 Ivory 1 cm. Stripe Out of Stock	T-400 Twilight Blue 1 cm. Stripe	T-400 White 1 cm Stripe

T-400 Carmel Random Stripe	T-400 Cocoa Random Stripe	T-400 Midnight Blue Random Stripe	T-400 Wine Random Stripe

	T-400 Latte 1 cm Stripe

Bamboo (70%) /Cotton (30%) Blends T-300

	Bamboo Taupe T-300 Out of Stock until approx April 1st	Bamboo White T-300
	Bamboo Natural T-300 Out of Stock until approx April 1st

Cotton Solids T-600


Honey T-600 Sateen *Wrinkle Free	Natural T-600 Sateen Out of Stock until about April 1st *Wrinkle Free	White T-600 Sateen *Wrinkle Free

	Sage T-600 Out of Stock until about April 1st *Wrinkle Free	Cloud Blue T-600 Sateen *Wrinkle Free

*Wrinkle Free cotton fabrics are treated with a solution that bonds with the cotton fibers, cross-linking them to provide elasticity and stability, making them resist wrinkles without changing the cotton's natural breathability, or soft feel.