You would think that at my age I'd know what kind of bedsheets to buy. But I'm constantly buying the wrong ones. Grrr. I just bought a beautiful-looking set for the spare bedroom. 300-thread count, 100% cotton, labeled "wrinkle-resistant", felt wonderfully soft to the touch in the store and a lovely shade of blue. I just washed them, according to the instructions. They came out rough, a different shade of blue, and so wrinkled that I will be embarrassed to put them on the bed. But I have no choice. Now that I've washed them, I can't take them back to the store. And with more houseguests coming, I have to use them - I tried to iron the pillow cases but even that didn't make them look much better.

I had cheap sheets on that bed and the other spare bed - both sets WERE wrinkle-free and much softer, despite also being 100% cotton and a lower thread count than these new ones. We do have Egyption cotton on our own bed - they're luxuriously soft, but too expensive to get for this spare bed. When I touched these new ones in the store I thought they felt close enough.

So what do you recommend? What blend of materials and thread count makes for the softest, most carefree sheets? I want my houseguests to sink into softness without the hassle.