Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, it is predominantly used for home ware applications. Garments made of linen are desirable in hot and humid climates. Unlike cotton, which tends to retain moisture for a significant period of time, linen dries quickly, which helps reduce heat retention in overly warm conditions. Linen is very strong and absorbent and these characteristics make it comfortable to wear in hot weather.

Often people use the terms ‘linen’ and ‘linens’ interchangeably but there is a difference between them. While linen is used to refer to the flax-based fiber that is commonly used in homewares and certain forms of apparel, linens is a phrase that people use to refer to certain kinds of household items and apparel but may be made from fibers other than flax fiber.

Linen clothes are appreciated so much because of the comfort they provide. This is especially evident during warm seasons when linen clothing allows doing your activities without worrying about sweating or dampening your clothes. Linen fabric easily absorbs perspiration, while leaving a very cool and dry feeling to the skin. Linen fabric feels cool to touch, a phenomenon which indicates its higher conductivity. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint-free, and gets softer the more it is washed.

One of it’s important characteristics is that it is the least environmentally damaging textiles. Unlike synthetic textiles, natural fabrics like linen are biodegradable, which means that their constituent molecules reabsorb into the surrounding environment within a matter of years instead of centuries. Natural fibers also don’t contribute to the ongoing microfiber pollution crisis in the hydrosphere, which threatens aquatic and human life. If linen is cultivated in accordance with proper stewardship of the land, it is not environmentally harmful.

HISTORY OF LINEN:

Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world, their history goes back many thousands of years. While evidence is scant from prehistoric times, it appears that Neolithic peoples in Europe were making textiles from linen as long as 36,000 years ago. Dyed flax fibers found in a cave in Southeastern Europe (present-day Georgia) suggest the use of woven linen fabrics from wild flax may date back over 30,000 years. One of the historical evidence of linen use comes from ancient dwellings that were built on Switzerland’s lakefronts around 10,000 years ago. Linen was used in ancient civilizations including Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, and linen is mentioned in the Bible.

While the use of linen for garments in Mesopotamia was mainly reserved for the ruling class, the use of linen in Ancient Egypt was much more widespread.

Due to the Egyptian climate, it was necessary to devise apparel that resisted the sun’s rays and allowed rapid sweat cooling. Since linen is naturally white, this fabric was an obvious choice, and its breathability and lack of moisture retention rapidly caused it to become the most popular and valuable textile in Egypt. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians sometimes used linen as a bonafide type of currency. This fabric was also used to make the burial shrouds and wrappings for mummies.

The Ancient Greeks used linen to make garments and homewares, and the Phoenicians later introduced linen production to Western Europe.

Later, Ireland became the center of European linen production, and by the 18th century, the town of Belfast became known as “Linenopolis” because of its thriving linen trade. Linen remained popular throughout the colonial era, but as cotton production became cheaper and easier, the central role that linen used to hold within Europe’s textile economy gradually diminished.

Despite its rich history, linen is no longer in vogue due to the laborious and time-intensive processes used to make this fabric.

Nowadays, Flax is grown in many parts of the world, but top quality flax is primarily grown in Western European countries and Ukraine. In recent years bulk linen production has moved to Eastern Europe and China, but high quality fabrics are still confined to niche producers in Ireland, Italy and Belgium, and also in countries including Poland, Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Britain and Kochi in India.

PRODUCTION OF LINEN:

To prepare for linen production, manufacturers of this fiber start by separating flax fibers from the woody interior of flax stems. Traditionally, this step has been accomplished by soaking raw flax stalks, but these days, manufacturers may use chemicals to achieve the same effect. Before flax fibers are spun into yarn, these chemicals are washed away.

Steps of producing Linen are as follows:

1. Planting-

Flax plants are ready for harvesting after about 100 days of growth. Since flax plants do not tolerate heat, they must be planted in the cooler part of the year to avoid crop death.

2. Growth-

These days, flax seeds are usually sown with machines. Since flax plants don’t effectively prevent the incursion of weeds, herbicides and tilling are generally used to prevent reduced yields in flax crops.

3. Harvesting-

Once flax stems are yellow and their seeds are brown, these plants are ready to be harvested. While it’s possible to harvest flax by hand, machines are usually used for this process.

4. Fiber Separation-

After flax stalks are harvested, they are processed through a machine that removes leaves and seeds. Then, manufacturers separate flax’s fibrous outer stalk from its soft, woody interior. This process is called retting, and unless it is expertly accomplished, the delicate flax fibers used for textile production could be damaged.

5. Breaking-

Next, the decomposed stalks are broken up, which separates the unusable outer fibers of flax stalks from their usable inner fibers. To accomplish this step, the flax stalks are sent through rollers that crush them, and then rotating paddles remove the outer fibers from the stalks.

6. Combing-

Now that the inner fibers are separated from the other fibers, they can be combed into thin strands. Once the fibers have been combed, they will be ready for spinning.

7. Spinning-

Spinning of flax yarn used to be accomplished with a foot-powered flax wheel, but these days, flax producers use industrial machines for this process. To spin flax fibers, these short, combed fibers are connected with devices called spreaders, and the resulting strings, called rovings, are then ready to be spun.

8. Reeling-

After being spun on a spinning frame, the resulting yarn is reeled onto a bobbin. To ensure that flax yarn won’t fall apart, it’s necessary to perform this reeling process in wet, humid conditions, and the spun yarn is run through a hot water bath to further ensure yarn cohesion.

9. Drying-

Finally, flax manufacturers dry the finished yarn and reel it onto bobbins. The yarn is then ready to be dyed, treated, and made into apparel, homewares, or other types of textile products.

USES OF LINEN:

Many products can be made with linen, aprons, bags, towels (swimming, bath, beach, body and wash towels), napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and men's and women's wear.

Linen uses range across bed and bath fabrics (tablecloths, bath towels, dish towels, bed sheets); home and commercial furnishing items (wallpaper/wall coverings, upholstery, window treatments); apparel items (suits, dresses, skirts, shirts); and industrial products (luggage, canvases, sewing thread).

Linen fabric is one of the preferred traditional supports for oil painting. In Europe, linen is usually the only fabric support available in art shops. Linen is preferred for its strength, durability and archival integrity.

Linen is also used extensively by artisan bakers. Known as a couche, the flax cloth is used to hold the dough into shape while in the final rise, just before baking. The couche is heavily dusted with flour which is rubbed into the pores of the fabric. Then the shaped dough is placed on the couche. The floured couche makes a "non stick" surface to hold the dough. Then ridges are formed in the couche to keep the dough from spreading.

In the past, linen was also used for books (the only surviving example of which is the Liber Linteus). Due to its strength, in the Middle Ages linen was used for shields, gambesons, and bowstrings. In classical antiquity it was used to make a type of body armour, referred to as a linothorax.

Because of its strength when wet, Irish linen is a very popular wrap of pool/billiard cues, due to its absorption of sweat from hands.In the United States, currency paper is made from 25% linen and 75% cotton.

TYPES OF LINEN FABRIC:

While all types of linen fabric are derived from processed and spun flax fiber, there are four main variations in weaving techniques that result in different types of linen fabric:

1. Damask linen-

This type of linen is ornate and delicate, and it is formed on a jacquard loom, using a mix of plain and satin weaves to produce an end result that’s similar to embroidery. The fibers are usually flat and reversible, which gives damask fabric a smooth texture with a reversible pattern. To make the design and pattern stand out, damask usually comes in one color and is often used for linen napkins, linen tablecloths, linen table runners and other home textiles. A variation of damask is a Venise linen fabric. It is very finely textured and characterized by large floral patterns.

Damask linen isn’t designed for everyday use, and it’s more common in decorative items.

2. Plain-woven linen-

Plain-woven linen is commonly used to make dish towels, cotton towels, and hand towels. is also called ‘glass toweling’ because of its most common use – wiping glassware. This fabric typically has a checkered or striped pattern of red or blue or both on a white background. This type of linen fabric has a loose weave that makes it more absorbent and better suited for cleaning purposes. Another variation of plain-woven fabric is Holland linen, which is treated with oil and starch, making it opaque and hard for the sunlight to penetrate. It is used to make window shades and lamp shades because of its light-blocking properties. Cambric linen is also a type of plain-woven linen fabric and is probably the thinnest, finest variety of linen fabrics. It gets its name from Cambria, France, where it was first produced. Typically it’s used to make delicate garments like handkerchiefs and lingerie. Butcher’s linen is a type of strong plain-weave linen which is stiff, coarse and commonly used for heavy-duty clothing such as aprons.

3. Loosely-woven linen-

Loosely-woven linen are designed to be highly absorbent, but it is the least-durable type of linen fabric. It is commonly used to make reusable diapers and sanitary napkins. One of the varieties of loosely woven fabrics is Bird’s Eye linen, which is characterized by small geometric patterns that are reminiscent of a bird’s eye. Another variety is called huckaback linen fabric and is often produced from a pure linen or blend of cotton and linen. It is usually woven in towel lengths, making it perfect for highly absorbent yet lightweight bathroom linens. Loosely woven Art linen is produced from hand-twisted yarns and is very smooth.

4. Sheeting linen-

Linen apparel is usually made from sheeting linen due to its untextured, soft surface and close weave. This type of linen usually has a higher thread count than other forms of linen fabric.

HOW LINEN IS DIFFERENT FROM COTTON:

• Cotton and linen are two similar products, yet they are quite different in their look, feel and properties. Cotton can be quite soft and silky straight out its packaging, whereas linen tends to be stiffer.
• Linen is made from fibers derived from the stems of the flax plant instead of the balls that grow around cotton seeds.
• When washed and cared for correctly cotton sheets will last around 3–5 years, before showing signs of wear. Linen fabric, however, is really only starting to shine after 3 years of usage. It becomes softer with every wash and doesn’t break down as fast which is due to the higher moisture absorbency rate of the linen fibres. It is also naturally hypoallergenic which means sweat is less likely to break down the linen fibres, as it would in cotton. Unlike cotton, linen when cared for correctly has the potential to last up to 2–3 decades before needing to be replaced.
• Garments made of linen are two to three times stronger than cotton and dries at a much faster rate. Because of its porous nature, linen has natural heat and moisture-wicking properties that make it a good conductor of warmth and a popular fabric to use for clothing or bedding in the summer.
• Linen is more biodegradable than cotton, it can degrade in a few weeks when buried in soil.

These days, linen is primarily a niche product that remains in production to manufacture a handful of textile products. Manufacturers can use linen to make practically anything commonly made from cotton or wool. The shapes, cuts, lengths and colors change but the linen fabric itself is always popular because of the comfort they provide. This is especially evident during warm seasons.

Linen is notorious for being wrinkly, As a fabric, it has little elasticity so it can wrinkle quite a bit. It's also more expensive than cotton. But despite these drawbacks, linen remains every bit as popular and smart a choice for home decorating accessories as it was when it was first discovered centuries ago.