We are very proud to present our latest linen collection, Chelsey Damask. It is a great example of how you can take a traditional pattern like a damask, but give it a current look by using on-trend colors and comfortable fabric. We’d love to hear your feedback, so let us know what you think??

The Chelsey Damask collection is a 220 threadcount percale, available in duvet covers, shams, sheeting and skirts. It is available at LIV by Au Lit and Au Lit Fine Linens.

“We’re asking you to trust in the Well-being. In optimism there is magic. In pessimism there is nothing. In positive expectation there is thrill and success. In pessimism or awareness of what is not wanted, there is nothing. What you’re wanting to do is redefine your relationship with the Stream. We do not ask you to look at something that is black and call it white. We do not ask you to see something that is not as you want it to be and pretend that it is. What we ask you to do is practice moving your gaze. Practice changing your perspective. Practice talking to different people. Practice going to new places. Practice sifting through the data for the things that feel like you want to feel and using those things to cause you to feel a familiar place. In other words, we want you to feel familiar in your joy. Familiar in your positive expectation, familiar in your knowing that all is well, because this Universe will knock itself out giving you evidence of that Well-being once you find that place.”

- Abraham-Hicks

Customers are always asking us about thread-count and how to recognize quality when purchasing their bed linens. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.

Thread-count has become a popular buzz-word over the years, but very few people know that there are other more important components that make a sheet luxurious and long-lasting.

First, a basic definition: thread-count is the number of threads woven into one square inch of fabric. Any cotton fabric with a thread-count lower than 150 is considered muslin; decent quality sheets start at 180 thread-count;and anything higher than 200 is called percale. Nowadays, Italian mills are weaving up to 1000 thread-count cotton.

Thread-count is important, but equally significant is where the cotton is grown and where and how it has been woven. Egyptian cotton is acknowledged to be the finest cotton in the world, just as the Italians are renowned for their long-standing tradition of weaving. The softness of your sheets depends more on the quality of the fiber, which is why a 220 thread-count sheet can feel softer than a 500 thread-count sheet that uses an inferior grade of cotton or a twisted thread. (A lower thread-count sheet using Egyptian cotton and woven in Italy will also last longer than a higher thread-count sheet woven from inferior cotton.) Discerning consumers should always look for Egyptian cotton sheets. But be forewarned: labels can be misleading. While numerous brands claim to use Egyptian cotton, their linens may contain as little as one percent. Look for packaging that says 100% or pure Egyptian cotton.

The way in which fabric is woven also has an effect on its feel. Cotton satin sheets, for example, are technically softer than percale sheets. A satin weave has a silky touch and sheen. But that doesn’t mean satin is better than percale. Although high thread-counts have become something of a status symbol, the hand of the fabric – as determined by the finish and the type of weave – is entirely personal.

Peggy Byron, owner of Au Lit Fine Linens, favors her 220 thread-count percale sheets over the best 1000 thread-count cotton satin sheets money can buy. Why? Because she happens to love the crisp, linen-feel of percale, and not the finer feel of a higher thread-count satin.

Though most consumers think thread-count is the way to choose quality bed linens, the truth is, it is the quality of the cotton and where and how it is woven, that matters most.