Cy DeVries of Bloomington stood bemused in the bedding department at Bed, Bath & Beyond. "Higher thread count is better, right?" he asked.

Sorry, Cy, but there's no black-and-white answer. It depends on the sheet, said Missy Bye from the Design Department at the University of Minnesota. The same is true for softness, wrinkles, wearability and pilling -- every sheet is different and you can't tell until you launder and sleep on it.

Buying sheets has become so complicated that retailers such as Linens N Things and Bed, Bath & Beyond have put up signs explaining different weaves, cottons and sheet depth. The primers "educate our customers and help them make the best decision," said Catherine Gentile, a spokeswoman for Bed, Bath & Beyond. The company also has information at BedBathandBeyond.com under "product guides."

Weave, thread count and cotton type prompt the most questions, said Diane Hilbert of Euro AM luxury bedding store in Edina. How good are you at differentiating various types of sheets? Are you a sheet snob or a sheet slob? With textile expertise from Bye and Hilbert and shopping smarts from Dollars & Sense, let the quiz begin.

1. What is a sateen finish?
2. What is percale?
3. Which cotton is best: Pima, Supima or Egyptian?
4. I've heard about thread count inflation. How can I tell if I'm being short-sheeted?
5. Name two ways to reduce wrinkling: A. Use fabric softener. B. Choose percale. C. Remove damp sheets from the dryer, smooth and hang dry. D. Buy cotton-poly blends.
6. Name two local retailers that sell organic sheets.
7. True or false: Some of the best sheets for quality and price can be found at Target.
8. Who sells extra-long dorm sheets year-round?
9. Which is harder to find: sheets with standard or extra-deep pockets?
10. Name three outlets where you can find a steal on a sheet set.
11. Name some luxurious sheets that say "I'm worth it."

12. Which stores won't give dirty looks at the returns desk if sheets don't pass muster?
Answers:
1 Sateen is a weaving technique that gives the cotton surface a smoother, silkier, soft feel, almost like satin. Some consumers say that sateen wrinkles easily, but it depends on the brand.

2 Percale is also a fabric weave, usually medium weight with low- to medium thread count. Popular again, today's percale is usually 100 percent cotton. Its fans like the stiffer, crisper feel that tends to wrinkle less than sateen.

3 Egyptian cotton, grown in the Nile River Valley, is traditionally thought to be the best cotton because of its long, strong fiber. Pima or Supima cotton is often domestically grown. Most buyers probably cannot tell the difference.

4 Price is the best test. Thread count exaggeration is rampant, according to a Good Housekeeping report in 2006. It depends on whether the manufacturer is using single- or double-ply threads. Thread count is the number of horizontal and vertical threads in 1 square inch of fabric. If a sheet has 100 threads running each way, that's a 200 thread count, but some manufacturers count 400 threads per inch because they use double-ply, not single-ply threads. Target recently had its 1,000-thread-count sheets on clearance for $30, regularly $40 for a king set. A top-quality set could easily sell for $700.

5 All of these, with some caveats. Fabric softener will reduce breathability. Percale usually wrinkles less but not always. Lands' End sells 100 percent cotton no-iron bedding with a lifetime guarantee in both percale and sateen.

6 Linden Hills Natural Home in Minneapolis and Target. Color palettes are generally limited, but Target will add more colors in February. Organic sheets are made of cotton grown without pesticides and eco-friendly dyes.

7 True. I've had Target's bamboo/cotton-blend sheets for almost a year now. They're as soft as sateen, but wrinkle less. The quality has held up well, too. Prices range from $30 to $60 from twin to king sets.

8 Try Bed, Bath & Beyond, Bloomingdale's, J.C. Penney catalog, Landsend.com, Linens N Things, Macy's and Pottery Barn PB Teen (pbteen.com). Target is now selling them year-round, too.

9 Standard pockets. Sheets with 15- to 18-inch depths that were difficult to find seven years ago are now on shelves everywhere. It's the standard 12-inch-thick mattress that is more difficult to fit. Sheet depth should be about 3 inches more than the thickness of the mattress. A fully elasticized fitted sheet 14 inches deep or less might help. Garnet Hill (1-800-870-3513, www.garnethill.com) offers a 12-inch depth on its dot-to-dot pattern (Item No. 8739).

10 The Sleepy Willow Bedding Outlet (Wayzata Bay Center, 821 E. Lake St., Wayzata, 952-473-2546) is a temporary location selling high-quality bedding from Sleepy Willow of Steamboat Springs, Colo., discounted 50 to 80 percent. All cotton percale sheets are $25 to $55 for twin to king sheet sets. Flannel sheets are also discounted.

Tuesday Morning (10 metro locations) often sells high-quality sheet sets from Italy (Sferra) and other brands such as Peacock Alley at deep discounts.

The Real Deal (8028 Brooklyn Blvd., Brooklyn Park, 763-315-2775) normally stocks about 100 sets from twin to king, mostly from a local discounter. At Real Deal, they're reduced by 50 percent or more.

Costco and Sam's Club offer good deals. If you included the Westpoint Home or Springmaid outlet in Albertville, no points for you. Both closed last month.

11 Try the Thomas Lee 500 thread count "PerfectCale" (1-877-866-5331, www.thomasleeltd.com) or the Company Store's 250 thread count Company cotton percale (1-800-285-3696, www.thecompanystore.com).

12 Bed, Bath & Beyond, Bloomingdale's, Costco, Herberger's, Kohl's, Lands' End, and Restoration Hardware.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. His articles are online at www.startribune.com/dollars.