Kitelinens luxury bed sheets solve a natural problem that many people have: Your sheets (both fitted and top sheet) pop off your bed when you sleep every night and you have to re-tuck those sheets every morning.
But how did these hybrid sheets go from an idea in the mind of Kitelinens Founder and inventor Sierra Wallizer to a polished product you can order online as cotton sateen sheets queen, full, twin and king? Sierra shares the story behind her award-winning sheets that don’t slip off in four parts – read and watch below to find out how Kitelinens premium cotton bed sheets went from an idea to the best cotton bed sheets that don’t slip off the bed. You don’t want to miss it!
Part 1 – Coming up with the idea for Kitelinens sheets that don't slip off in full, twin, queen and king.
Watch Our Story: Part 1 here.
About a year ago I came up with the idea for Kitelinens sateen sheets full while making my bed on a Saturday morning. I find it pretty annoying to have to re-tuck the top sheet when making the bed. I thought, “why isn’t this easier!?” We’ve made so many things that are a degree or two better than what they previously were. I thought the same could be true for the top sheet. It was time for it to evolve.
I remember calling my mom and saying, “I have this idea I need to show it to you.” I sent her the spec that I drew and I proceeded to make the top sheets with my own sheets that I found in my closet. I made my first design that Saturday and slept with it that night and woke up Sunday and it did not work – at all.
So I spent the rest of Sunday re-making the design that I had in mind and…it worked! The sheet never came untucked from underneath the bed. I also designed it to not cause tension on my toes while I slept. Because of the sheet being tucked in, naturally you think you’re going to have that tension, but Kitelinens premium cotton bed sheets are designed to not create any tension on your toes all while staying tucked. I also created Kitelinens in a way that allows me – a person who sleeps with their feet out for temperature control – to sneak those feet out while still not having the sheets come untucked.
Part 2 – The first step in creating Kitelinens luxury king size bed sheets and other sizes
Watch Our Story: Part 2 here.
About a year ago I came up with the idea for Kitelinens sateen sheets while making my bed on a Saturday morning. I find it pretty annoying to have to re-tuck the top sheet when making the bed. I thought, “why isn’t this easier!?” We’ve made so many things that are a degree or two better than what they previously were. I thought the same could be true for top sheets. It was time for it to evolve.
I wanted to rethink the design of top sheets altogether (the ones that lay between you and the duvet/comforter), and at the same time keep in mind that fitted sheets slip off beds too. But the real magic and ingenuity is in my design for the top sheets.
I remember calling my mom and saying, “I have this idea I need to show it to you.” I sent her the spec that I drew of these semi fitted top sheets and I proceeded to make the sheets with my own sheets that I found in my closet. I made my first design that Saturday and slept with it that night; I woke up Sunday and it did not work – at all. I don’t exactly know what I was thinking but the original design of the sheets had some pretty funky streamer-like flaps that were never going to fly (see what I did there?...kite...fly. Okay, let’s continue).
So, I spent the rest of Sunday re-making the sheets design that I had in mind and…it worked! The sheets never came untucked from underneath the bed. What some people don’t realize is that I also designed the semi fitted top sheets to not cause tension on your toes while you sleep. Because of the sheet being tucked in (due to it’s half fitted design at the bottom), naturally you think you’re going to have that tension, but Kitelinens premium cotton bed sheets are designed so they don’t create any tension on your toes all while staying tucked. I also created Kitelinens in a way that allows me – a person who sleeps with their feet out for temperature control – to sneak those feet out while still not having the sheets come untucked. Although the fitted portion of the top sheets keep the sheets on the mattress, it incorporates dual-side slits in the same fitted region to free your feet. These sheets are the best of both worlds - they don’t slip off the mattress, there's no tension on your toes (despite staying tucked in), you can free your feet/legs when you want, and best of all, there’s no re-tucking them in the morning. Sheets that stay put are sheets that I’ve only ever dreamed of (again with my bad jokes ;) ).
Part 3 – Finding a manufacturer for organic cotton sateen sheets king, queen, full and twin.
Watch Our Story: Part 3 here.
Finding a manufacturer was the next step in the process of making my new type of premium cotton bed sheets, and the hardest. I really wanted to produce my bed sheets in the US, but as we all know that can be a bit expensive. Not only that, but I heard a lot of “no’s” (about 10!) before I heard my first “yes.”
The no’s were because the design of my semi fitted top sheets required manufacturers to either buy another part for their machinery or do a lot of hand sewing...and they don’t want to do that. If you think about it, any machines that produce a rectangular piece of material - a traditional top sheet – are designed to simply roll out fabrics. But my sheets had seams, cuts, splits and elastic elements. There’s nothing out there that can produce this type of fitted yet roomy bed set easily. So, I heard a lot of no’s.
I didn’t give up that easily though. I continued my search through Googling and calling manufacturers all over the world. Most times I wouldn’t get a response. Other times I would but they didn’t speak English (or maybe better said, I didn’t speak their language). But when I did reach someone who could understand me and vice versa, I quickly went into my pitch, “Hi, I’m looking for a partner to help me create a new design for sheets that won’t slip off the mattress. The top sheets are the most unique part of the set with a semi fitted pocket region at the foot of the sheets, including these side slits that allow you to free your feet. Are you open to exploring these sheets together?”
Ultimately, I ended up landing on a manufacturer in Portugal which I’m super excited about because they value sustainability so much. They were willing to experiment with me and were successful. It took some time - insert Covid and it took even more time! – but we ended up with a really nice product and I’m really excited for everyone to try it. If there were a moral to this story, it would be don’t give up!
Part 4 – Coming up with the name for these sheets that don't slip off.
Watch Our Story: Part 4 here.
Coming up with the name for Kitelinens cotton sateen sheets was a really fun exercise. Naming is a fun exercise because it’s creative, you get to sit down and not worry about logistics or paperwork and just brainstorm. But it can be a little frustrating at the beginning just because when you come up with a good name or you think you have the one, chances are someone else thought of it before you and it’s trademarked. Well, that happened - multiple times. I kept trying to incorporate words that described my sheets - “No Slip Sheets,” “Fitted but Free,” “Free Feets, Fitted Sheets.” (nothing impressive, I know!)
I couldn’t find something that was available for my sheets. So, while keeping in mind that a name should be short, easy to pronounce, easy to remember and easy to spell, I thought, OK let me think about the brand I would want to be behind and the feelings that it would evoke, rather than a descriptive name about just sheets.
I began to vividly remember running in the backyard of my grandma and granddad’s house where my grandma hung every piece of laundry she owned, including the sheets. I would run through the sheets and smell their freshness and feel them on my skin and face while I ran through them. They were soft and I felt as if I were running through these giant kites and flying! It was at that moment that I thought, yes, this feeling of nostalgia and family and warmth and freshness – that’s what I want. So, “kite” was the word that I landed on. Thus, Kitelinens sheets was born! I’m thrilled that the Kitelinens sheets is live with worldwide shipping and ready for you to shop.
What to know what's in store for our sheets in the future?
As a reminder, our sheets come in a variety of sizes, including King, Queen, Full & Twin (dimensions below) and in Spring 2022, we’ll be introducing three additional sizes to our sheets: California King sheets, Split King sheets and Twin XL sheets.
We’ll also be introducing 3 new colors for our sheets in the Winter of 2021. These sheets will include dark grey sheets, light grey sheets, and navy blue sheets (we don’t slack off on new ideas and our sheet’s definitely don’t slip off!)
Dimensions for your sheets that don’t come off your mattress include:
King Sheets:
Fitted Sheet: 78” W x 80” L (17" pockets)
Top Sheet (Stay-Tucked Design): 105” W x 115” L
King Pillowcases: 20” W x 38” L
Queen Sheets:
Fitted Sheet: 60” W x 80” L (17" pockets)
Top Sheet (Stay-Tucked Design): 91” W x 115” L
Standard Pillowcases: 20” W x 31” L
Full/Double Sheets:
Fitted Sheet: 54” W x 75” L (17" pockets)
Top Sheet (Stay-Tucked Design): 84” W x 110.5” L
Standard Pillowcases: 20” W x 31” L
Twin Sheets:
Fitted Sheet: 39” W x 75” L (17" pockets)
Top Sheet (Stay-Tucked Design): 69” W x 110.5” L
Standard Pillowcases: 20” W x 31” L