Plus, some fabrics don’t even use thread count as a measure, such as silk, jersey, or flannel.
Silk:Silk is a natural protein fiber, produced by insects to form their cocoons. Silk can be produced by a number of different insects, but the most commonly used is silk from the mulberry silkworm. The fiber produced by these insects is harvested, unwound, and twisted together to form yarn, which can beused to make fabric.
It was during the Renaissance Period when bedding as we know it today was designed. Whilst the poor continued to sleep on hay-covered platforms, the wealthy owned mattresses stuffed with down and wrapped in luxurious materials. Their four-poster beds were covered in embroidered canopies and contained pull-out trundles for maids and personal valets to sleep on. Mattresses were suspended from the bedframes using ropes or straps. They were covered by smart linen sheets and wool blankets. The beds grew more and more lavish for the most wealthy. They became so expensive they were passed down through the family for generations. Reported to spend most of his day in bed, Louis XIV became so obsessed with bedding that he bought 413 beds for the Palace of Versailles. It is understood that he held court daily from his bed.