Flannel Sheets

Flannel sheets for extra warmth

Fabric experts say cotton flannel bedding is an especially good choice in cold weather or for extra softness and warmth, but that inexpensive flannel is prone to pilling and roughness after a few washings. L.L.Bean's Warm Feelings Flannel line was Good Housekeeping's top pick for the coziest bed sheets, but this line has been discontinued. L.L.Bean now offers a new line of flannel that promises even higher quality. L.L.Bean Premium Supima Flannel sheets (*Est. $145 for a queen set) still have all the characteristics that won praise for the Warm Feelings Flannel. Unlike the 5.3-ounce Warm Feelings Flannel, Premium Supima Flannel is made of 6-ounce fabric, making the sheets even more durable and heavy. Although no expert reviews are available for this relatively new product, customers at L.L.Bean.com rave about Premium Supima Flannel, praising the soft, snuggly texture and extreme durability. Premium Supima Flannel is machine- washable and comes in five colors.

The well-reviewed Garnet Hill Paintbrush Flannel sheets have also been discontinued, but owners at Apartment Therapy report that they also like Garnet Hill Signature Flannel Bedding (*Est. $140 for a queen set). The sheets are made in Germany and come in eight colors. More than 50 owners on the Garnet Hill website give these sheets a near-perfect score, saying these sheets are soft, warm and last forever. Only two owners disagree. One feels that an older style Garnet Hill sheet was softer. The other gives the sheets only four stars out of five but says nothing bad about them. Owners note that the fitted sheet is elasticized all the way around which helps it fit better.

Alternatively, Pinzon's flannel sheets -- both the 190-Gram Velvet and the 200-Gram Supima Velvet Flannel (*Est. $85 for a king set) -- are the top-rated sheets on Amazon.com, earning more than 175 five-star reviews along with a handful of threes and fours. Customers post that these sheets are comfortable, soft and warm. Other positives are ease of machine washing, durability and the fact that they fit well even on extra-thick mattresses. The only negatives mentioned involve the poster says these sheets fade too quickly, and another adds that there's not enough selection.

Pinzon's 160-Gram Solid Flannel Sheets (*Est. $80 for a queen set) get similar reviews on Amazon.com, but with a few more negatives. While most users mention the same positives for these sheets as they do for the 190-Gram and 200-Gram versions, some complain of color bleeding, pilling and lint-shedding. Pinzon is an exclusive Amazon.com brand. All Pinzon flannel sheets have limited availability, and the stock seems to fluctuate frequently on the site.