Half cotton, half fleece sheets make a comfy bed for two

Fall is when many households begin the inevitable marital tussle over the sheets. Those who like warm and cozy layers of bedding must figure out how to coexist with partners who sweat at the merest mention of flannel sheets.

The chaste tradition of separate beds can start to sound good in the middle of the night.

But a Tacoma-based company has come up with a solution to soothe the nightly struggle. Split the Sheets offers a bed linen that is divided down the middle: half soothing cotton, half snuggly fleece. Pillow cases are also cotton on one side, fleece on the other.

The spouse who shivers uncontrollably without extra blankets can stay toasty under the fleece half, while the other partner can sleep under a thin cotton sheet.

"It's one of those things where people have had this problem forever," said president and co-founder David Haggerty. "We just did something about it."

Where to get them

Split the Sheets: www.splitthesheets.com, $74.95 to $79.95

Target: www.target.com, currently on sale for $67.48 to $71.98

Haggerty said his wife liked "fuzzy" sheets, or flannel, but he preferred cotton. He asked around and discovered that many couples have the same problem. He formed the company in January. Since then, Split the Sheets has garnered mentions on ABC's "Good Morning America," and in USA Today, The Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, among others. Split the Sheets are now sold online through Target.

The sheet sets come with a flat and fitted sheet and pillowcases that are fleece on one side, cotton on the other. (See box for prices.)

"We figure it's a new twist on an age-old product," he said.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com