Thursday Tip with Hali - What is LINEN?
Thursday Tip // What is LINEN?
It’s no secret, we love linen! From its temperature regulating, antimicrobial properties to its crisp hand and soft drape, we think linen is a great place to start on your natural fibre journey!
ID: A loosely piled white linen fabric is laying on a white table. The fabric is WS Yarn Dyed Linen Stripe Gauze in Silver. The fabric is lightweight, has a crinkle texture and looks puffy because of the amount of air held between the yarns.
Linen production dates back more than 2000 years and some have said even as many as 30,000 years ago. The oldest documented Egyptian linen fragments have been dated to 4,500 BC. Linen production is labour intensive and therefore more expensive to produce in comparison to cotton.
Linen is made using fibres harvested from flax. In order to harvest the longest possible fibres the flax stem must be cut as close to the ground as possible, often being pulled by hand rather than machine. After drying the harvested stock, the seeds are removed and then the fibres are loosened from the stalk through a process called retting. There are both natural and chemical retting processes and while chemical methods are faster they have a more negative environmental impact and can be damaging to the fibres themselves. After retting, the woody portion of the stalk is removed leaving soft fibres which are separated to isolate the longest fibres for linen production. Throughout these processes, other parts of the flax plant are harvested for a variety of other uses. Flaxseeds, paper, varnish, linseed oil, medicines and animal fodder are some of the products that can be made from flax, making it an extremely versatile and valuable commodity.
ID: A brightly lit field of flax with very green stalks, purplish blue flowers and blue sky blurred in the background.
The flax crop is able to thrive on less water making it easier to grow in drier climates. As a result of it’s eco-friendly production process and biodegradable properties, linen is prized for its lower environmental impact, however, because of the labour intensive manufacturing process the price for production can be much higher than other natural, cellulosic fibres such as cotton or hemp.
Linen has a natural lustre and absorbing qualities that make it great for home textiles and garments alike. It softens and smoothes with wear making it very suitable for a variety of garments. Flax fibres are hollow which makes them highly absorbent giving linen its quick drying abilities, airiness and cool feel on the body. Because of its lengthy fibres, linen does not lint and is strong when dry but even stronger when wet. 100% woven linen wrinkles easily because it has no elasticity and loses some crispness with laundering but we say, embrace the wrinkles and enjoy wearing clothes that actually breathe!
Typical garment weight linens we carry are lightweight (up to 5oz) and medium/midweight (6-9oz). Linen can also be made into a knit fabric (like our Organic Linen Jersey) or blended with other natural (Linen/Organic Cotton) or synthetic fibres quite easily.
Linen fibres can break or lose color in places where the fabric is creased. This gives garments that “worn in” look that is often desired but care should be taken when storing linen fabric as leaving it folded may cause breakage or loss of color as well. Consider storing it rolled or hanging rather than folded. Other things to note: mildew, perspiration, and bleach can damage linen fabric but it is not susceptible to moths or carpet beetles. Linen can be composted and will degrade in just a few weeks, which is much quicker than cotton.
When sewing with linen use high heat for pressing, press when damp or with lots of steam and use a press cloth when pressing on the right side (or press on the wrong side) to avoid scorching or shininess on the surface of the fabric. Linen resists stains, can be machine-washed, and shrinkage can range from 5-15% so pre-washing is recommended. Hand or machine wash on a cold, delicate cycle or as you would wash your final garment. Lay flat to dry or set a timer to dry in a machine until just slightly damp and then lay flat until fully dry to avoid stiffness.
ID: a very close up image of fabric folded and laying on a white surface. The fabric is WS Yarn Dyed Antique Washed Linen in Copper.
Interestingly, flax is grown in many countries around the world but top quality flax for linen production is mainly grown in Western Europe and the Ukraine. The Canadian prairies are known for growing a range of flax crops as well but they are mainly focused on seed production and not for use in textiles.
Winnipeg Sews is located in the Canadian prairies on Treaty 1 Territory and the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. We are also located within the boundaries of the Pembina Fibreshed and are excited about the future possibilities for linen production within this area.
The Pembina Fibreshed is an ever growing fibre community whose goal is to “support local farmers, dyers, spinners, and designers to produce more local textiles, AND to get that in the hands of local knitters, spinners, weavers and sewists” (quote from the Pembina Fibreshed website).
One of their current projects is the “Flax to Linen'' project where they hope to explore the potential for linen production right here in Manitoba! With help from individual community members and the main growing site at Ferme Fiola Farm in Ste Genevieve, MB, Canada they hope to create enthusiasm and increasing discussion on establishing full scale linen production, from seed to cloth, right here in the Canadian prairies.
Visit their website: Pembina Fibreshed or @pembinafibreshed on Instagram for more information or to find out how you can get involved!