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DESCRIPTIONS OF COLORS
Almond - light brown - the nutlike kernel of the fruit of either of two trees, sweet almond or bitter almond, which grow in warm temperate regions.
Aloe – green - any of a large genus of succulent chiefly southern African plants of the lily family with basal leaves and spicate flowers.
Amethyst - purple - a clear purple or bluish violet variety of crystallized quartz that is much used as a jeweler's stone.
Azalea – pink - any of a subgenus of rhododendrons with funnel-shaped corollas and usually deciduous leaves including many species and hybrid forms cultivated as ornamentals.
Basil - green - any of several aromatic herbs of the mint family.
Berry - pinkish red - any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves.
Blossom – pink - the flower of a seed plant.
Blush - pink - a reddening of the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion.
Bordeaux - dark red - wine from the Bordeaux region of France.
Boysenberry - almost black - the edible, dark wine-red to nearly black fruit of this plant, having a taste suggestive of raspberries or blackberries.
Bracken - green - a widespread, often weedy fern having large, triangular, pinnately compound fronds and often forming dense thickets.
Brass - yellowish gold – an alloy of copper and zinc and sometimes small amounts of other metals.
Bronze - yellowish to olive brown - an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements.
Buckskin - grayish yellow -A soft leather usually having a suede finish, once made from deerskins, but now generally made from sheepskins.
Butter - yellow - a solid emulsion of fat globules, air, and water made by churning milk or cream and used as food.
Cadet – blue - a student in a national service academy or private military school or on a training ship.
Camel - light yellowish brown - either of two large ruminant mammals used as draft and saddle animals in desert regions.
Canyon - reddish orange - a narrow chasm with steep cliff walls, cut into the earth by running water; a gorge.
Chambray - light blue - a fine cloth of cotton, silk, or linen, commonly of plain weave with a colored warp and white weft.
Champagne - pale grayish-yellow - white sparkling wine made in the old province of Champagne, France.
Charcoal - dark gray - a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances.
Chestnut – grayish to reddish brown - any of the several deciduous trees constituting the genus of the beech family, having toothed, oblong leaves and bearing edible nuts enclosed in a prickly bur.
Chocolate - deep brown - fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.
Cinnabar - reddish orange - a heavy mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury.
Citron – green - a citrus fruit resembling a lemon but larger with little pulp and a very thick rind.
Claret - dark purplish red - the red table wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France.
Clay - reddish orange - a sedimentary material; moist sticky earth; mud.
Cocoa – medium brown - a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao from which much of the fat has been removed.
Cognac – brown - A brandy distilled from white wine and produced in the vicinity of Cognac, France.
Copper - reddish brown - a common metallic element that is ductile and malleable and one of the best conductors of heat and electricity.
Cranberry – dark red - the red acid berry produced by some plants of the heath family.
Cream - yellowish white - the fatty component of unhomogenized milk that tends to accumulate at the surface.
Crimson - deep red - any of several deep purplish reds.
Curry - yellowish orange - a heavily spiced sauce or relish made with curry powder and eaten with rice, meat, fish, or other food.
Daffodil – yellow - a bulbous plant of the amaryllis family, having solitary, yellow, nodding flowers that bloom in the spring.
Ecru - beige - French for unbleached or raw.
Fawn - yellowish brown - a young deer, especially one less than a year old.
Fennel - light green - a Eurasian plant having pinnate leaves, clusters of small flowers grouped in umbels, and aromatic seeds used as flavoring.
Garnet - dark red - a group of hard glassy minerals (silicates of various metals) used as gemstones and as an abrasive.
Gold - dark yellow - a soft, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, used as an international monetary standard.
Graphite - dark gray - a soft form of carbon that conducts electricity and is used in lead pencils and electrolytic anodes, as a lubricant, and as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
Grass - green - narrow-leaved green herbage, grown as lawns and used as pasture for grazing animals.
Honey - yellow - a sweet viscid material elaborated out of the nectar of flowers in the honey sac of various bees.
Ivory - off-white - the hard creamy-white modified dentine that composes the tusks of a tusked mammal.
Jojoba - light yellow - a dioecious shrub having leathery leaves and edible seeds that contain a valuable oil used in cosmetics and as a lubricant.
Khaki - olive/brown or yellowish brown - a sturdy, twilled cloth of a yellowish brown color used especially for military uniforms.
Kiwi - light green – a climbing vine with fuzzy, edible fruit.
Lake – blue - a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
Lavender - light purple - an aromatic Old World plant having clusters of small flowers that yield an oil used in perfumery.
Leaf – green - a lateral outgrowth from a plant stem that is typically a flattened expanded variably shaped greenish organ.
Lemongrass – yellow - A tropical grass native to southern India and Sri Lanka, yielding an aromatic oil used as flavoring and in perfumery and medicine.
Lilac – pale reddish purple - widely cultivated European shrub of the olive family that has cordate ovate leaves and large panicles of fragrant pinkish-purple or white flowers.
Marine – greenish blue - of or relating to the sea.
Meadow – green - land in or predominantly in grass; especially a tract of moist low-lying usually level grassland.
Midnight - dark blue - the middle of the night; deep or extended darkness.
Moss - green - tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants.
Mushroom - light brown - an enlarged complex above ground fleshy fruiting body of a fungus that consists typically of a stem bearing a pileus.
Navy – dark blue - the complete body of such warships together with their officers and enlisted personnel, equipment, yards, etc., constituting the sea power of a nation.
Ochre - orange - an earthy and often impure iron ore used as a pigment.
Olive - green - a Mediterranean evergreen tree cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil.
Oyster - light gray - any of various marine bivalve mollusks that have a rough irregular shell closed by a single adductor muscle.
Paprika – red - a usually mild red condiment consisting of the dried finely ground pods of various cultivated sweet peppers.
Parchment - yellowish white - the skin of a sheep or goat prepared as a material on which to write or paint.
Pastel - light, pale tint of color.
Peacock – green - the male of the peafowl distinguished by its long, erectile, greenish, iridescent tail coverts that are brilliantly marked with ocellated spots and that can be spread in a fan.
Pistachio – green - the nut of a Eurasian tree of the cashew family, containing an edible, greenish kernel.
Periwinkle - purplish blue - any of several trailing or woody evergreen herbs, especially a European creeper widely cultivated as a ground cover and for its blue or white flowers.
Persimmon - redish orange - a tropical tree having hard wood and fruit that is edible only when completely ripe.
Plum - dark purple - a shrubs or small tree bearing smooth-skinned, fleshy, edible fruit with a single hard-shelled stone that encloses the seed.
Primrose - light orange - a plant having well-developed basal leaves and tubular, variously colored flowers.
Pumpkin - orange - a large pulpy round fruit, having a thick rind and numerous seeds.
Rosa - pink - Spanish for rose, any of a family of usually prickly shrubs with pinnate leaves and showy flowers having five petals.
Sage - grayish green - a mint with aromatic leaves used especially in flavoring meats.
Sand - grayish yellow - small loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock.
Sapphire - deep blue - a precious transparent stone of rich blue corundum valued as a gemstone.
Scarlet - deep red - a strong to vivid red or reddish orange.
Sea Mist - light greenish blue - fine drops of a ocean water sprayed into the air by crashing waves.
Sky - light blue - the upper atmosphere or expanse of space that constitutes an apparent great vault or arch over the earth.
Slate - bluish gray - a fine-grained metamorphic rock that splits into thin, smooth-surfaced layers.
Smoke - dark gray - the visible vapor and gases given off by a burning or smoldering substance.
Spice – red - any of a class of pungent or aromatic substances of vegetable origin, as pepper, cinnamon, or cloves, used as seasoning, preservatives, etc.
Taupe - brownish gray.
Terracotta - brownish orange - a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction.
Thistle – bluish purple - any of various prickly, composite plants having showy, purple flower heads.
Titanium – silvery-gray - a lustrous, very hard, light, corrosion-resistant, metallic element, occurring combined in various minerals.
Truffle - brown - a candy made of chocolate, butter, sugar, and sometimes liqueur shaped into balls and often coated with cocoa.
Wheat - light brown - an annual cereal grass cultivated for its commercially important edible grain.
Willow - green - any of a family of trees and shrubs bearing catkins of apetalous flowers.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Alencon Lace - needlepoint lace with a fine net ground. The pattern is outlined with heavy cordonnet.
Alpaca - the silky wool of the Alpaca, a domesticated South American mammal, related to the llama and having fine, long wool.
Appliqué - a design fashioned from pieces of fabric that are cut out and sewn or embroidered onto a base fabric.
Baby Pillow - small pillow measuring 12”x16”, also known as a boudoir or breakfast pillow.
Bedding Ensembles - either custom or ready-made, sheets / spread / comforter / shams / bed skirts.
Bed Skirt - bed trim that covers the box spring and hangs to the floor. Bed skirts can be ruffled, tailored, pleated, lace-trimmed, etc.
Blanket cover - unlike a bedspread a blanket cover does not extend to the floor, but ends just below the mattress. It is often made of a matelassé, diamond piqué or jacquard fabric, and may serve as a lightweight bedcover or coverlet. Traditionally, a 'covering' for the blanket giving a more formal look, blanket covers may also be used underneath a duvet cover.
Boudoir Pillow - small pillow measuring 12”x16”, also known as a baby or breakfast pillow.
Brushed or brushing - a finishing process for cotton or other fabrics, where the fibers are brushed or abraded to create a raised nap and a very soft texture, for example, in cotton flannel.
Carding - a process in the manufacture of cotton where the fibers are separated, cleaned, aligned and formed into a continuous strand. This process removes most of the impurities and short, broken or immature fibers.
Cashmere - fine wool from the undercoat of the Cashmere goat. Considered one of the most precious of wools, cashmere comes from the Cashmere goat, which lives mainly in the high mountains of Tibet and China.
Combed Cotton - cotton fibers obtained from the seed of the cotton plant. Combing separates the long, desirable fibers from the short, immature fibers, to create a stronger, smoother yarn.
Cotton - soft fiber obtained from the seedpod of the cotton plant. It is spun into yarn and thread and woven into fabric.
Cross stitch - stitch used to decorate motifs, made by carrying one yarn over another to form a cross (x).
Damask - firm, glossy jacquard-patterned fabric, similar to brocade, but flatter and reversible; it can be made from linen, cotton, rayon or silk, or a combination of fabrics.
Duvet Cover - simple pillowcase-type cover for a comforter. Covers with a high thread count are the softest and most durable, and keep feathers from poking through the comforter.
Egyptian Cotton - cotton consisting of some of the longest fibers in the world, resulting in a more durable, lustrous, and soft fabric.
Embroidery - the art or the process of forming decorative designs with hand or machine needlework.
Extra Deep Pocket Fitted Sheet - fitted sheet with 10 ½-inch fitted corners, rather than the standard 8 ½-inch. These sheets better fit today's thicker mattresses and allow for extra bedding that you might add for comfort or back support.
Faggoting - effect in fabric produced by drawing out a number of yarns and tying small bunches of the remaining yarns in the center. Also, a similar effect produced by knotting.
Flange - a flat cuff or border along the edge of a pillow sham or duvet cover, usually several inches wide that forms a "frame" around the sham or cover to add dimension and a crisp finishing touch.
Friction Towel - terry cloth with linen pile. Sometimes made into a mitt that is used for skin exfoliation during bathing.
Gigluccio - a type of hemstitching created by drawing out the weft yarns and then wrapping the warp yarns with a finishing stitch creating an "X" shape.
Hemstitch - a decorative stitch, usually along a border or hem, that creates an openwork pattern by drawing out several weft yarns, and then sewing the warp yarns together in a uniform pattern, often in a ladder-like grid.
Herringbone - a broken twill weave that creates a zigzag or chevron pattern in the fabric.
Huck - toweling fabric woven with huckaback weave on a dobby loom in a honeycomb effect. The filling yams are slack twisted to aid absorption.
Jacquard - fabric of intricate variegated weave, with different colors and textures woven into the pattern by individually adjusting the warp threads.
Linen - fabric woven from Flax. Linen is considered to be the finest material for table linens, and to many people for sheets as well. Linen is extremely durable, yet soft and lustrous, and it only gets better with age and washing. Linen's ability to "breathe" and absorb moisture, and its cool, smooth finish makes it particularly appealing in summer. It is non-allergenic and non-static, and because of its great absorbency, makes an ideal tea towel or dish towel, as well.
Loops - a measure of a towel's absorbency. The more loops, the greater the absorbency.
Matelasse - jacquard-woven to create a raised pattern with a quilted or sculpted effect. (pronounced, mat-luh-say')
Mercerized - a treatment of cotton yarn or fabric that increases its strength, luster, and affinity for dyes. The material is immersed in special bath which causes the fibers to swell, giving the fabric greater sheen.
Merino - classic blankets made from the wool of the Merino sheep. Raised mainly in Australia, their wool is far more lustrous and the fiber is longer and softer that other breeds. Merino lambswool is finer still, coming from the animal's first shearings.
Mohair - the wool from the angora goat, known for its silkiness and luster, as well as its durability and resilience.
Percale - fine closely woven cotton cloth variously finished for clothing, sheeting, and industrial uses.
Petit Point - needle tapestry work.
Pima Cotton - a very strong, high-grade cotton of medium staple developed from selected Egyptian cottons.
Piqué - a medium to heavyweight cotton fabric with a recessed or embossed pattern produced by a double warp thread.
Plain Weave - along with satin and twill, one of the three basic weaves. A plain weave describes a simple under-and-over pattern of weaving with individual warp and weft yarns.
Punto Ombra Stitching - a satin stitch done on the reverse side of the fabric, creating a raised border on the front, for a subtly finished hem. This special Italian hem treatment is done on many of our bed ensembles for a clean-lined, durable, elegant finish.
Ring Sprung - ring spinning to produce stronger yarns than open-end spinning.
Rose Scalloping - an embroidered scallop border with a series of smaller scallops within the first, resembling the edge of a rose petal.
Sanforized - a mechanical treatment that preshrinks fabric. Fabrics bearing this trademark are generally accepted not to shrink more than 1%.
Sateen - cotton made with a satin weave. Rather than a one-over-one weave like percale, the warp or weft threads "float" or are passed over several filling threads, creating a fabric with a silken feel and a very smooth and lustrous surface. Sateens can be produced in both light and heavy weights. It is not as durable a weave as percale, and it should ideally be ironed to restore its luster after washing.
Satin Stitch - a simple straight stitch, done back and forth in a narrow line, often used to create a border or monogram.
Scallop stitching - a scalloped border, with a series of curves, circle segments or angular projections, that is finished with satin stitching.
Shadow Work - an elegant, subtle decorative treatment where stitching is done on the reverse side of the fabric, with only the outline stitching showing on the front, revealing the 'shadow' of the pattern underneath on the front face.
Sham - ornamental covering for a pillow. Sizes include Standard, King, Continental (European) or Boudoir.
Shrinkage - widthwise or lengthwise contraction of a fiber, yarn or fabric after drying. All products made of natural fibers have a tendency to shrink 4 - 7%.
Silk - the only natural fiber that comes in a filament form, reeled from the cocoon, cultivated or wild.
Swiss Organdy - staple cotton muslin finished in such a way that it can be washed and needs minimal ironing to restore its crisp finish.
Terry - absorbent fabric with loops forming the pile in uncut pile fabrics, called also terry cloth.
Thermal - waffle-knit fabric of cotton, wool, or manufactured fiber that provides good thermal insulation.
Thread Count - number of threads per inch in a fabric. Higher quality linens have 200 or more thread count -- the higher the thread count, the softer and more durable the fabric.
Tick or Ticking - the shell or cover of a duvet, pillow or mattress. It should be made of the highest quality cotton, tightly woven to prevent the down from escaping.
Twill Weave - one of three basic weaves (the others are plain and satin), characterized by a diagonal rib in the fabric. It produces a strong, durable, firm fabric.
Twill Weave - one of three basic weaves (the others are plain and satin), characterized by a diagonal rib in the fabric. It produces a strong, durable, firm fabric. Denim is an example of a twill weave.
Warp Thread - the lengthwise yarns in a fabric that are parallel to the selvage and are interwoven with the filling, or weft.
Weft - the crosswise threads in a fabric.
Yarn-dyed - a process where yarn is dyed before the fabric is woven, for greater color retention and durability. Used to create patterns such as gingham, plaids and woven stripes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is thread count?
Thread count has become a term used to describe the quality of cotton fabrics used for sheets and pillowcases. You can actually count the number of threads per square inch of a cotton fabric using a magnifying “pick glass” which measures 1” square. You can physically count the number of threads in warp (vertical yarns), and the weft (horizontal yarns). The quality of silk and linen sheets is judged differently.
Generally speaking, the higher the thread count, the smoother and finer the sheet. However, a high thread count can be very misleading. It is only one of the features that describe the quality of fine bed sheets and pillowcases. The base fiber and the size and quality of the yarns, are far more important.
Too Confusing? A good rule of thumb, trust your hand! If the product comes from a reputable manufacturer -- and feels good -- buy it!
Why do sheets lose their shine and their silky smoothness after they are washed?
Sateen sheets will at first washing loose their shine and silkiness due to construction of sateen weaves. Ironing will smooth the fibers and regain the luster and the sheen of the fabric.
Why don't my sheets fit my bed any longer?
Due to the biological makeup of all natural fibers, there will be shrinkage. We anticipate this at the production level by increasing our size specifications to anticipate a (3-5%) shrinkage factor for cotton sheeting.
We also weave a number of our bed linen styles on looms that measure 120” wide. This allows us wider widths and makes deeper fitted, or contoured sheets to fit the larger mattresses being made in the United States particularly.
Why linen sheets instead of cotton sheets?
Literally the oldest luxury fiber, linen textiles have been used in households for more than ten thousand years. Today, a special secret shared by guests of world class hotels, pure linen sheets not only become softer and more lustrous with every use, but wicks away moisture from the body, keeping you cool and dry. Due to the biological makeup of linen, it is often more desirable than cotton in hot and humid climates. Linen sheets are also a wonderful suggestion for people with special skin concerns.
What is the difference between jacquard and damask?
Both jacquards and damasks are woven textile designs. Woven jacquard designs are created on a jacquard loom and are generally used for sheeting weight fabrics for bed linens. Woven damasks are generally created with heavier yarns to create table linen fabrics, wall coverings, and furniture fabrics.
Why do we offer so many different sizes of napkins?
In keeping with the traditions of classic European and formal American dining, we offer pure linen napkins in luncheon and dessert sizes of 13”, standard dinner napkins of 18, 20, 22, & 24”, up to a standard buffet style of 27”. If you are still in doubt as to what size is best for you, our best selling dinner napkin size is 20”.
How do I know what size tablecloth I will need?
Don’t panic! Keep in mind that a traditional drop of a tablecloth should be between 8" and 18". Simply measure the width and length of your table. Then add between 16" and 36" to each measurement.
Why don't you offer an Egyptian cotton towel?
We encourage people to sleep on Egyptian cotton! The long staple Egyptian cotton is not as absorbent as other cottons and will not dry as quickly. We presently offer a Turkish terry towel named, IZMIR which is made with a long staple fiber, Izmir cotton. Grown for centuries in the province of Antioch, Izmir cotton has a soft wonderful hand and is 20% more absorbent than Egyptian cotton.
There are so many matelasse coverlets on the market, at so many different prices, how do I know what is best?
Before they became so popular, matelassé coverlets have long been a traditional item within our collection. Used originally to cover blankets and provide a more formal bed covering, we offer matelassé coverlets to coordinate with our bed linens.
We have developed two distinct types of matelassé coverlets; those from Portugal are preshrunk for easy care, and those made in Italy, which we recommend dry cleaning.
How long should my bed sheets last?
With proper care, fine bed linens can last for many years. In order to assure the long life of your bed linens it is best to alternate use of each set on a weekly basis. Three sets of sheets for each bed is a good guideline to follow. In between each use launder and store your linens in a well-ventilated space. For best results when laundering, use a non-chlorine bleach, liquid detergent. Wash on a gentle cycle with warm water. Line dry or tumble dry until still slightly damp. Over-drying is the single biggest problem in reducing the life cycle of your sheets.
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