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Why I love linen

Why do we love linen?
  • Linen is very durable (30% stronger than cotton)
  • High-moisture absorbency (why it is better than cotton for tea towels)
  • Highly breathable (why it makes great clothing and sheeting)
  • Structurally sound so fibres keep their shape (great for cushions and upholstery)
  • No static, pilling or lint problems
  • Withstands high temperatures
  • Gets stronger when wet
  • Becomes softer and more pliable the more it is washed (tea towels! Yay yes!)
  • Less water and chemicals in production than any other fibres (except maybe hemp)
  • The production of linen uses 5-20 times less water than cotton and synthetics
  • The growing and processing of flax can be done without added chemicals however to speed up the retting process (part of fibre processing) chemicals might be added.  Still, this is significantly less than for standard cotton production.
  • When linen is un-dyed it is fully biodegradable.  So the natural colours like ivory, ecru, tan and grey will likely mean the fabric is in its natural state.
  • Bleaching is required to create pure white linen so this is not as environmentally friendly.
  • Nothing from the plant is wasted; think linseed oil and flax seeds.
  • In summary, the growing, processing, spinning and weaving of linen has very little impact on the environment.

History

Linen is one of the most ancient agricultural crops, discovery of linen threads date back to the Neolithic age. Mummies wrapped in linen shrouds were found in the Pyramids dating from more than 5000 B.C. The earliest mention of flax cultivation in ancient Greek and Roman literary records goes back to the 6th century B.C.

What is linen?

Linen is grown from the flax plant and is grown extensively in Western Europe. The growing cycle of the plant is short with only 100 days between sewing in March and Harvesting in July. Each fax flower only blooms for one day. Flax is never cut, but must be uprooted, the fibres are in both the stem and the roots. Once pulled the flax is rettered, exposing it to the elements giving it its natural colour and texture. The raw flax fibres are combed into very fine threads and sorted into short and long fibres. 
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