Jersey Knit

Jersey is a single-knit cotton fabric that’s known for its stretch and softness. Because of how jersey is knit, there is a natural elasticity without using stretch fibers like elastane. You’ll recognize jersey as the fabric used to make your favorite cotton tee-shirts, but did you know jersey is also sometimes used to make bedding and sheets? Sheets made from jersey are stretchy, soft, and release wrinkles more easily than percale, another cotton fabric typically used to make sheets.

Jersey fabric is thus named because it was first produced on the Channel Island of Jersey during the medieval era. In the twentieth century, it was primarily associated with underwear.

Jersey is a low-maintenance fabric. You can machine wash it rather than have it dry-cleaned. While jersey does have a tendency to shrink, shrinkage can be avoided by washing in cold water or washing by hand, and air-drying or tumble drying on the low setting.

Jersey fabric does not wrinkle easily because its characteristic stretch lets it keep its shape.