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Sleeping linen

Types of bed linen

According to the size (size), bed linen is divided into several types. Depending on the configuration and purpose of the bed linen, based on the size of the mattress, blankets and pillows, there are:

• single;
• one and a half;
• double.

Single bed linen was popular in the 20th century, when the problem of housing space was acute (after the revolution and the Great Patriotic War) and preference was given to small-sized housing (due to the shortage of such in general) and small-sized furniture. Today, types of bed linen of one and a half, double, as well as family types and double bed linen of European standard are widespread. Special bed linen of children’s sizes is made for children’s beds.

The size of one and a half sets of bed linen:
duvet cover – 150*210 cm, 150*215 cm, 160*220 cm,
sheet – 160*210 cm, 150*215 cm, 180*260 cm,
pillowcases – 70*70 cm, 60*60 cm, 50*70 cm.

The size of a double set of bed linen:
duvet cover – 180*210 cm, 180*215 cm, 200*220 cm,
sheet – 175*210 cm, 175*215 cm, 210*230 cm, 220*215 cm, 240*260 cm,
pillowcases – 70*70 cm, 60*60 cm, 50*70 cm.

The size of a set of double bed linen of European standard:
duvet cover – 205*225 cm, 225*245 cm,
sheet – 240*280 cm,
pillowcases – 70* 70 cm, 50*70 cm.

The size of the set of so-called family bed linen:
duvet covers (2 pcs.) – 150*210 cm,
bed sheet – 240*280 cm,
pillowcases – 70*70 cm, 50*70 cm.

According to the density of the fabric (weaving threads), bed linen is also divided into several types. The density of the weave (the number of threads per square centimeter), as a rule, is necessarily indicated on sets of high-quality bed linen, on the basis of which bed linen is:

• very high weaving density (130-280 threads per 1 square centimeter);
• high-density weaving (85-120 threads per 1 square centimeter);
• weaving densities are above average (65- 80 threads per 1 square centimeter);
• medium weave density (50-65 threads per 1 square centimeter);
• netting densities are below average (35-40 threads per 1 square centimeter);
• low-density weaving (20-30 threads per 1 square centimeter).

Cambric bed linen has a low density; below average and medium density – linen and cotton bed linen; above average density – bed linen made on the basis of Turkish silk, artificial fabrics; percale, Chinese silk, satin bed linen has a high density; very high density has bed linen made of gloss-satin and Japanese silk. It should be remembered that the denser the bed linen, the longer its service life.

History

The history of the origin of bed linen goes back far into the past and dates back to the 15th century: during the Renaissance in Italy, white sheets were first introduced into fashion, along with towels, tablecloths and napkins. Bed linen belonged to the luxury category: from the 15th to the 18th century, it belonged exclusively to the nobility class. Only after the 18th century, bed linen became available to representatives of the middle class. So, in the 16th century in Holland, it was customary to lay 3 sheets and 6 pillowcases for each bed (for pillows of various sizes). First there was a hair mattress, then, as bed linen, there was a canvas sheet made of fine linen with trim. In the decoration of the bedrooms of merchants, burghers and wealthy peasants, the end of the bed, and often its headboard, was covered with a curtain – valance, which was richly decorated with embroidery and lace. Then another sheet was necessarily placed under the blanket. Among the bed linen, pillowcases, capes, bedspreads used special attention. Often it was they who became real works of art. In the 17th century, Holland was considered the “queen” of lace underwear – the Amsterdam area at that time became the European center for the production of linen and silk damask. Lace by Dutch masters is still appreciated today. In the 18th century, Saxony became such a center. Since that time, lace and embroidery have long been included in the category of mandatory attributes of bed linen: there is a growing trend to decorate linen (table linen, night linen and bed linen) with Dresden lace – refined and delicate white embroidery in the Rococo style. In Russia, linen and damask began to be produced only in the 19th century. This fact is preceded by the story that in the 18th century, at the behest of Peter I, 30 nuns were specially sent to the Novodevichy Monastery from Flemish monasteries to teach orphans the skill of Brabant lace weaving. By the middle of the 18th century, hundreds of lace makers were already working at Protasova’s manufactories. Then every self-respecting landowner began to keep the so-called “maiden” (workshops for the manufacture of linen, for the performance of white and lace work), where local craftsmen produced table and bed linen for the needs of the owners. Then monograms and monograms became widely fashionable – special marks on tablecloths, napkins and linen, which testified to the ownership of table or bed linen to one or another landowner. This lasted until the abolition of serfdom. As history shows, after that nobles, wealthy merchants and burghers became regulars of large stores of famous manufactory factories, where they bought table and bed linen. In the 20th century, bed linen becomes an affordable attribute for almost all categories of the population. The middle of the 20th century is also an important milestone in the history of bed linen – after the Second World War, the usual “envelopes”-duvet covers appeared