Don't worry, you're not alone. Many people use these terms interchangeably, but the truth is that they refer to two different types of bedding that serve different purposes.

Bed skirts used to be just one large piece with “decking,” meaning the skirt is attached to a mattress-size rectangle of fabric that rests between the mattress and box spring. It is now more common to have three separate sections of skirt that are easily tucked between the box spring and mattress and fixed in place with special pins.

The most common constructions are muslin, percale, sateen, flannel, and knitted jersey.[4] In a plain weave the warp and weft cross each other one at a time. Sateen has multiple (usually 3–4) over threads and one under.[5]


Pillow Types


Bed sheets come in two main varieties: flat and fitted. A flat sheet is simply a rectangular sheet of cloth, while a fitted sheet has four corners, and sometimes two or four sides, fitted with elastic, to be used only as a bottom sheet. The fitted sheet may also be secured using a drawstring instead of elastic. The purpose of a fitted bottom sheet is to keep it from slipping off the mattress while the bed is in use. A particular way of folding and tucking while making the bed, known as hospital corners, is sometimes used when the bottom sheet is flat rather than fitted.
