As a Lithuanian, it's so wild to hear that somebody from a whole different continent not only knows the name of my tiny and seemingly insignificant country, but also where it is, and can even name a cool thing about Lithuania, i.e. its linen! In all seriousness, it was a lovely video, keep doing what you're doing ❤
I get exicited when I hear people from other countries Talk about Spain, but, i get we where un the middle of everything for centuries... But what i wanted to tell you is, your country os cool! Not insignificant at all! (My english is a bit rusty and muy autocorrect is a troll, sorry!)
Lithuania has some cool history! There was a very large and very beautiful synagogue in Vilnius from the 1600s until the 1950s, when it was torn down and replaced by a primary school after being badly damaged during WWII. There's currently an effort to restore a portion of the site and create an exhibit. Volozhin was the site of an important yeshiva (Jewish religious school) in the 18th and 19th centuries, and it's also where my great-grandfather was born.
My family has history in Lithuania - I am American, I am so excited anytime Lithuania comes up. I was so excited to visit for work one time.. I bought knitted socks but should have bought some linen besides a scarf!
I'm not very keen to nationalisms. This being said, just now a package from Lithuania with a linen dress taylored for me just arrived. It was increadibly afforable and the linen is delicious. I wish Spanish dictatorship didn't have destroy linen here. Such a crime 🤦.
Linen is an incredible fibre! In the European an Egyptian bronze age they used entirely different processing techniques for linen, called "splicing". Instead of retting the pectin, they manually stripped fibre bundles from the stalk, and connected them by twisting the ends together. Because the pectin was still intact, it helped the ends stick to each other. The Egyptians created incredibly fine textiles using this technique. During my studies I've encountered linens with over 100 warps/cm! The Egyptians also created naturally pleated textiles by cramming and spacing the warp. There's so much history in linen...
@@flannerypedley840 my research is not yet published, but I would recommend Gleba & Harris 2018: The first plant bast fibre technology, which should be freely accessible through Springer. They have a very good overview of splicing
That reminds me of how lotus silk is harvested. I only saw a few videos on it. Pineapple fiber for Piña cloth is still harvested by hand in the Philippines as well. I’m over here with my first world problems like “ How did they even figure it out?”
Now *that* sounds like a nice linen. The usual mail-order online linen place that a lot of rennies and SCAdians rave about has absolute *crap* for those types of garments (40 x 40 threads per *inch* in a very loose weave, regardless of the weight and what you really want out of a linen).
Indeed - inen is a short growing cycle crop (100 days) and grows in cooler months on natural rainfall only PLUS you use most of the plant! Cotton is a Summer crop that mostly needs irrigation water from somewhere unless you're lucky enough to get lots of summer rain!
It's also easier to grow in more climates. I live in Canada. Cotton doesn't really work here. And while the West Coast of Canada has been great for growing short bamboo used for clothing (Tonic Active uses Canadian bamboo mixed with spandex for things like leggings), and it's so comfortable, but also needs a specific climate. Where hemp and flax can grow many more areas, and a historic site near me uses flax to make a lot of their stuff, showing the whole process.
Actually that's not as daft as it sounds- unpicked hemp rope were smoked by sailors etc- because it does have many of the same features of THAT hemp, the reason they will now let you grow it because it is now genetically modified to remove the psychotropic properties.
@@lauraholland347 You are so right - the hemp plant is the same, no matter if you want to make textiles from the fibres or drugs from the flowers. And it is no coincidence that the words "cannabis" and "canvas" are related.
@@lauraholland347 I might be not understanding your comment. As a person who smoked weed for many years I find it very hard to believe that smoking rope or fabric would give any effect at all. The most potent part of the plant is the flower - not the cellulose fiber that the textile is made from. Also the type of hemp that was grown for textile was specifically grown and bred for - textiles - therefore not very potent in the first place. Different varieties are used for smoking. Could you give me a source for that sailor smoking rope story? I would be interested to read about that. Greetings
@@Izik8890 They are not different plants, there was not a hemp plant grown just for textiles and rope- that is completely false- the ones grown for textiles are now genetically modified. The same as with marijuana the flower is more potent but the leaves and other parts of the plant are also used. Generally with plants the chemicals are in the whole plant- but in different concentrations.
Yes! I asked about linen at a local fabric store and asked if it was cotton or flax linen, the person at the store said they'd never heard of linen made of flax. I wasn't angry with the individual, but I was so frustrated with the lack of education. Fabric employees should at least know that linen is flax.
My great-grandmother gave each of her four children a set of bed sheets as a wedding present, made from linen she had grown, treated, spun and woven herself - which sounds like an amazing present, but according to my grandmother it wasn't... We all know home-made stuff can at times be a bit more "rustic" than commercially produced fabric, and my grandmother thought the sheets were way to coarse to sleep in. So my grandmother turned them into tablecloths; waste not, want not - and a linen table cloth is always nice to have.
I live in subtrobical Queensland, Australia. Seconding the amazingness of linen for this type of climate! It is my favourite fabric, and it’s good for year round wear here. And it’s the only actually comfortable fabric for our summers. Cotton isn’t awful like polyester, but it’s also nowhere near as comfy as linen is.
Linen.Pants. "I DON'T CARE IF THEY LOOK LIKE PYJAMAS TO YOU!" Ultimate summer comfort. I need some more, but they have gotten somewhat hard to find in true linen anymore...
Fun fact: the botanical garden in Oslo has a "viking garden", which includes a hemp plant. This plant has to be inside a cage, so that people don't steal it, thinking it was ~that kind~ of hemp
Ooh this is so fun! The botanical garden in Visby, Sweden has a monk garden with some medicinal plants and herbs. I like "themed" gardens, they're so funky
Even though the cotton industry tried to destroy the hemp industry they always had one grower because the Navy won’t use any other fiber for their ropes. It doesn’t stretch.
Hemp is naturally saltwater resistant in ways that no other fiber is. The U.S.S. Constitution was once re-rigged with nylon rigging lines. In very short order this was discovered to be a grave mistake and the entire ship had to be re-rigged again with hemp lines. These had to be purchased from another country because the U.S.A. bans production of hemp crops and products. (The original reason for the nylon lines which were "Made in the U.S.A.")!
@@adrianburrell6217 Actually the US Navy has alway maintained hemp fields to produce rope for Navy ships. Until recent legislation repealing laws against hemp being grown, it was the only legal hemp grown in the USA and its sole purpose was to provide hemp fiber for ropes.
@@adrianburrell6217 My father was in the Navy. Joe D Etheridge ETCS (dec). They did try that with the USS Constitution. That story is true but all ships in the Navy use ropes.
I am a dressmaking/tailoring apprentice and our teacher got sick so she gave us the task to learn about linen and because I’ve already watched this video, i’ve suggested to put it on in class and everyone loved it! It has been a better lesson than our teacher would have done and she was impressed about our knowledge when she came back. So huge thanks from my whole class to you for being so helpful! ❤️
The lumber industry also really fought against hemp, doing everything in its power to vilify it. Such a shame, since hemp is so useful in a variety of forms.
@@elsa_g I’m not sure if it was talking about the cotton or the lumber industry, but I read an article in The Atlantic a few years ago reporting on this subject. Whoever it was felt threatened by the relative low cost and versatility of hemp as used in textiles and paper (a huge industry!) and wanted to do everything they could do to nip the competition in the bud. Which honestly sucks, there’s been such a profound impact on the environment for the sake of capitalism.
@@elsa_g Paper production. Hemp is significantly cheaper and and easier to maintain a steady, quickly renewable crop for the purposes of paper production than hardwood trees.
@@elsa_g "Hempcrete" is a material adapted to building construction. In Hempcrete the crushed inner core of the "industrial hemp" plant is utilized. This type of hemp grows quite taller than the recreational kind and has a much lower content of THCC.
A tip that has worked for me to reduce wrinkles: if you wash something that is not very easy to iron you can take you garment out of the washing machine and lay it flat on clean towels (while it is still completely wet) and smooth out all of the wrinkles with your hands (make sure to straighten it out on the back as well!) and then leave it to dry. When I do this it usually ends up being completely wereable without any ironing!
My nana did that to every piece of clothing she owned because she loathed ironing and hated wrinkles. We had dollar store clothes that looked brand new and would last a lot longer than intended.
I've done that with my hair oddly enough, to reduce frizz and have less waves, but didn't really think of it with fabric. Recently I've been into pants that have wrinkles down the length as a design choice though. I used cotton voile for them, but maybe I should look for linen instead. It's just a neat scrunched up look, and very cool for summer. I think it's a modified paper bag pant, based on some pants my dad found in Jamaica, but I made the pattern more my style.
I have rolled a wet linen garment in a towel to get it damp and (if it's cut on the grain) hang it to dry. Gently tug or pull the lengths straight and leave the weight of the draining water pull the fabric straight.
I learned how to keep my linen clothes smooth without much effort - from an Italian. With my own tweak. After washing, I tumble it on cold for just a few minutes to shake out big wrinkles. Then I follow his tip of hanging it up to dry, and hanging something heavy from the bottom to pull the wrinkles out. Basically, I have a hanger at the top and at the bottom, some sort of clip on affair, that adds just enough weight to pull out most of the wrinkles. There are multiple reasons why I don't dry my clothing outdoors, so I compensate for that with a small table fan sitting on an ironing board nearby the hanging space in my little laundry room. The gentle breeze also helps keep the wrinkles from forming in any significant way. I love the simplicity of this method, and I don't expect it to look pressed when it's done, just tidy and relatively wrinkle free… Knowing full well that I'm going to get more wrinkles shortly.
My first linen fabric came from the Fabric Store. It was unbleached, unwashed and smelled divine, like being in a freshly mowed field of grass. Amazing how many of our common words come from the production of linen fabric! Clever ancestors! Thank you! Love, love, love linen!
@@MossyMozart I haven't bought linen in years. The best I had I'd bought at Paron Fabrics when they were still on 57th St in NYC, or from SCA vendors at local Lions renfaires.
@@webwarren what weight did you get? Because the lighter weights will be thinner. And I can only assume you're not using the open weave fabric, which is intentionally loosely woven...
@@SpiderboyN2Jesus Got the lightweight sample cards, got the medium weight sample cards, Mom bought the garment weight fabric. All were way too coarse for my liking, compared to linen I've purchased elsewhere.
As someone who lives in an area where the only fabric store is a JoAnn’s an hour away, and a good quality fabric store with more than just cotton, polyester and fleece is 8 hours away, I want to thank you for these fabric videos. It helps so much when I go to thrift stores to purchase old suits and table linens to sew outfits.
I have the same problem except that our thrift stores only have 80s and 90s polyester rejects. The only affordable way I could find to get linen was through the local online auction. They get products from big box stores like Target and Target has been selling bedsheets that are 100% linen ($150 for a twin bed). Every once and a while these sheets end up on the local auction and I managed to snatch up 2 sets for $20 each! Now I just need the courage to cut into them.
@@SuperMrsMar remember to wash first. Go for it. I found this when I first worked with silk. Keep telling yourself what you paid for it. Trust me you will probably enjoy it much more as a garment than in your stash. Good luck
You put my distance in perspective, 20 minutes 7 mile drive to a small fabric shop, rude lady and I wouldn't go there again or 1 hour 50 mile trip to a fantastic fabric shop with super lovely staff, more choice of fabrics and notions than I could ever imagine, spread over 2 floors. I shall never grumble about the distance again! Happy sewing my friend, from a pretty new stitchling😊
I have Fabricland/Fabricville, and then two small local stores. Most of them cater to cosplayers, dancers, and drag queens, more than people who want linen. I saw some organic cotton at one place (but the prints were not my style), and I got some recycled cotton jersey to make my boyfriend some loungewear, but if it's not cotton or bamboo, then it's not a plant in these stores. I do love bamboo spandex, as it fixed a lot of problems I have with spandex, but it's not the same as some vintage items I found.
I live in Emmental, Switzerland. Linen was traditionally grown in that area and processed into linen. There is even a festival each year, "Brächete", on the last Wednesday of September where they celebrate and demonstrate the production like they used to do it back in the 19. century. So I have been quite fascinated with this fabric since I was a little girl.
@@MrsYasha1984 oh hi there! 😊 It really is a cool event - of course there is now a whole "Chiubi" built around it with marketstands and entertainment, but the traditional part with the people working in national costume holds a special place in my heart. It takes place in Zäziwil, Bern.
I find this so relaxing. Soft, not repetitive music. No annoying voice distortion, sound effects, or lo-fi beats in the background. Just classy, straightforward information. Keep up the amazing work, Nicole!
Wow. My great grandmother wove fabric and even made her own thread. I have several quilts made with flower bags for the patterned fabric and the backing as well as the thread were her own unbleached linen she'd grown and made. I do remember as a very little girl helping with scrunching and heckling. Though I didn't know that was what it was called. This was in the very late 60s or early 70s because my great grandmother wanted 'good thread' for her now more modern fabric quilts. Her loom having burned in a house fire in the 1950 she and she never got another one and her father was long gone to make her one as he had for her first one. Any way I a kid of the 70s helped make linen thread with my great grandmother. I remember having Jiffy-Pop popcorn and watching Wizard of Oz while she spun her thread. Just had to share the memories that came racing back during your video. Oh she did try to teach me to quilt (She did all of her by hand) but no matter how hard I tried she'd always say my stitches were too big and you'd catch a toe in them. LOL
I'm Polish. When I was in primary school, we read and analised a whole legend about the origin of linen, which was no more or less a mithologised instraction manual of how to make linen, all the way from sowing the seeds to weaving the fabric. I forgot the title forever ago, but I still remember the steps of making the fabric.
In my old hometown in Belgium, linnen was big industry in the past! The industry is gone now but you can still find tons of ponds that were used for processing in the past. I've allways had an interest in the whole proces that went into creating the fabric, and am glad it's becoming more popular again!
The same happenen with northwest Iberian linen. Dictatorship destroyed. Now it only is seen in museums and the seeds live in Portugal linen (tiny) industry.
Linen is my favorite fabric, and I have made many articles of clothing from it . Most recently, I did in fact make a gown from the sheerest, and most delicate gold linen, with a lining from a medium weight plain woven linen to give it support and structure. As this was going to be worn to a high-society wedding in Rome, where it is very hot in the summer, the gown had to be able to breathe, and provide cooling to my client. I made the back godet with a fan of pleats, supported by a horsehair braid band across the hips sewn into the lower lining, and it was quite beautiful when it was all done. The sheer back (unlined) I inset handmade Italian lace panels to look like leaf-shaped wings. Overall, it was gorgeous. So you absolutely can make a ball-gown from linen, you just need a reason, and someone who loves to work with the textile. Thanks so much for your video, as I found it informative about the linen making process. Here in Italy we have a lot of different types of linen we produce, so I wanted more information on it, and enjoyed your video very much.
About it looking like blonde hair - in Sweden we still use the word "lin" about hair (pronounced 'leen' like you did). "Lintott" is a young child with fair blonde hair, "lingult" is an adjective for blonde hair. Interesting to know where it came from! 😄
My autonomic nervous system is a bit weird which causes me to overheat easily so linen is my favourite fibre. I finally made enough pieces of my wardrobe that I pretty much only wear linen now and I have felt so much better. I feel like this summer is going to be much nicer thanks to linen.
I have the same problem. Living in Texas means I’m indoors from May to September. Just this year I bought 4 linen blouses and 2 pairs of linen slacks. Looked into purchasing a linen bra on Etsy but can’t decide yet.
Love it that you covered the environmental impact topic! Many times I find it kind of hard to really get good information on that subject when it comes to any fiber.
I’ve been purchasing linen for the past year but been so scared to cut into it because it’s expensive. I started this video so fast when I saw the title. I need help to gain confidence.
@@cherisseepp5332 I have heard also that William Randolph Hearst also had a major hand in hemp being banned in the US. He was a paper magnate, and didn’t want hemp interfering with his profits. He’s also one of the people who really pushed the racist anti-cannabis propaganda, because of how cannabis and hemp were linked. Ban one, get people to hate it, and it’s much easier to ban the other. It’s kinda surprising (and also not) to see just how many issues or problems have come directly from capitalists wanting to maintain or grow their profits. Decisions are made not because they are beneficial, but because someone very powerful wants to make more money. It’s disheartening, to say the least.
@@katherinemorelle7115 it is sad, really. Now we are finding how beneficial things like hemp and it’s related species are but there’s so much misunderstanding and pushback.
@Cherisse Epp - I hope you have overcome your reticence to cut into your fabric by now, but if not, you can make a mock-up of your project using old bedsheets, super cheap sale fabric from the local Joann's, or that sew-able Swedish tracing paper. It will help you achieve a better fit in your finished garment and will give you confidence in the cutting and sewing procedure.
if you are using a pattern that you know fits, USE YOUR GOOD FABRICS. What are you saving it for? Use the linen, use your good China, wear your good jewelry.
Dear Miss Rudolph, I have learned so much in this video (and so many others you’ve made). I had no idea linen had so many types and uses. I’ve not been a fan of linen. Many years ago I bought a white linen blouse for work. After it’s first wash it looked wrinkled and tired, not the thing for secretarial work at the time. I tried ironing it on different settings. I watched the fabric return to its crinkled state as it cooled. I tried many times to wash and iron what was an expensive blouse at the time. After that I refused to ever buy anything with linen in it. I lived a couple hours north of Sydney where they had real seasons. I no longer work. I live in a subtropical part of Australia (Brisbane suburb) and have begun my journey into fabrics that breathe and keep the body cool. As if by magic, here you are with the information I need. I don’t particularly care if I wear a sack so long as I’m not stuck to it in the humidity as I usually am to the clothes I wear. Oddly enough I can’t stand to wear white anymore either. I must watch this video again. I kept interrupting you with “oh I didn’t know that “ or “isn’t that gorgeous fabric I’d love to feel it” or “no wonder I didn’t like that” or simply “wow”. Thank you for all that you do and share with this mere mortal. Ms Narelle Works 💜💚💙
My first experience with linen was in1967. One of the more “fashionable” dress shops in my area had a very good sale, and there I found a minty green linen sheath dress. 100% linen and was so well fitted and comfortable that I snatched it up. The wrinkling did bother me, so even though I loved it the ironing was very difficult, so I didn’t wear it much, so I began getting it dry cleaned, and the dress was much less wrinkled, but it smelled like dry cleaning. The good news is that I wore that dress on and off for over 20 years, and it still looked like new except perhaps a little faded from all the laundry it suffered, and made me look for more items of linen, but I never saw another linen dress that was 100% linen again.
Here in Queensland Australia we rarely use a dryer for our clothes. It’s much more normal for us to hang our clothes on a clothes line so if you are careful how you hang it, it is easy to iron.
@@theyarnalist6416 Not where I live, but it would be excellent for attracting crows. Not necessarily a negative, but I'd rather not around clean laundry
@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken then on days like today or rather this week when it’s wet, you dry inside, in front of radiators, over stair bannisters, in airing cupboards. Where do you think people dried their clothes for millennia before hand.
I've been a hobby sewer for nearly 10 years, I have amassed books on textiles, but this series of 'textile 101' is already single-handedly the most concise, useful and interesting guide on textiles, thank you so much, love your channel 🥳
I worked with an archaeological project in Tel Dor (Dora), Israel on a 1st century site to identify flax seeds. We determined that the flax seeds were being NOT ONLY dyed, but dyed PHOENICAN purple! It was such cool research and so neat to see a trade route being established at that time. I've been wanting to work with the linen fabric since, but had no idea where to start! Thanks so much for the 101 class
Thanks! I so hear you on the linen-lite/linen-look issue... I wish online fabric stores would have pure linen and linen blends as separate sections. Suppose one way to do it would be to sort as most expensive first!
@catherinerw1 - In spite of the negative reviews poster Brenda Bell has given it in the comments, the Fabrics-Store sells linen and linen-cotton blends and has them in separate sections on their website.
So your keeping drafts of these for an eventual book, yes? The book that is a collection of your peer reviewed research papers? You're hopping between plant physiology to history to anthropology and then tying it all together through a collection of fibers. Well done. Absolutely fascinating talk. Thank you. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
So I have a linen trauma, I used to own some terrible "linen" trousers as a child that were super scratchy. Eventually I had to hide them so I would not have to wear them anymore. I've never touched linen since but all the love the costuming community shows towards this type of fabric really makes me wanting to experiment with it. This video was super helpful!!
Thank you! I’ve always been a little overwhelmed by the different types of linen. I’ve also recently become a little obsessed with the idea of a fully linen wardrobe for summer. Southern Idaho’s climate is very similar to Nevada...high desert, and HOT in the summer months. I knew hemp and flax were both miracle plants, but I had no idea they were that similar! This video was extremely helpful. Definitely looking forward to wool!
ooo, note to not move to southern Idaho! I live in southern Iowa, and summers are...too much. Which is why i need to figure out linen undershirts, to go with the cotton stuff I wanna make. thankfully I'm so tolerant of the cold I wear summery clothes in winter, within reason, so i only need one wardrobe if i use the right materials. Polyester is kinda cold in the winter wind...
I always feel several I.Q. points higher after these videos ! And, terribly relaxed. Your voice, the background music, fluffy little pupster ! Lovely relaxing, educational Sunday fare !
In sweden we have this event organized by the national association of swedish craft, ”hemslöjden”, going on right now that kind of translates to ”one square meter of linen”. Ordinary people have signed up and gotten enough linen seeds to grow just that amount of linen on their own. Linen is magic ❤️
Come on Ireland 🇮🇪 I was raised in a part of Ireland that used to grow a lot of flax for linen production. Just down the road there was an old spinning wheel found in an area locally known as Weavers Street (although it's actually a back country lane)
Me too! My father’s grandfather came to my home town as spinning master in the linen mill. My grandmother sold fine linens and bespoke hand embroidered table linens - she did the fine embroidery herself. They were a great hit with American soldiers who wanted to send gifts home to their families. In WWII farmers in Northern Ireland had to grow a certain amount of flax, so my mother’s family were involved on the growing side of the industry. I love that Irish linen still has this lovely reputation.
I'm a Brazilian living in Ireland and I've just started fashion school this year. Linen was already my favourite fibre, but now it has an bigger piece of my heart. Which areas of Ireland are known for their linen production?
Our national handicraft society has a project this year called "1 Square meter of linen" where they just. Sent out seeds for 1 Square meter of growing your own linen as a way to revive the craft. Just need to find a spot to grow the stuff now... got a little less than a month
It’s so neat just how versatile flax and hemp are. You can take flax and wear it, eat it, paint with it, glaze a window, protect wood, etc. so cool to be reminded of the materials that we have available growing around us!
I’ve just started crocheting with linen yarn. It’s really just a bit thicker than thread as I lace knit and crochet. In my community, most people don’t like it. I looove it. It doesn’t stretch which can be challenging but the difference before and after washing is amazing. It turns from this very stiff lace to soft and the stitches relax. Ya gotta trust the process because it looks a bit like crocheted wire at first. 😊 with every gentle hand wash it gets softer.
I knit a lace shawl out of a silk/wool/linen blend yarn and it has a really nice drape and stitch definition. Warm and toasty as a scarf in winter and just warm enough as a cover up on summer nights. Highly recommend knitting with linen blends!
I bet that would be super handy as when one goes to restaurants (post covid!) they sometimes have the a/c blowing to sub-artic levels ! Frustrating trying to dress for that !
I love the finished look and feel of crocheting items made with linen yarns and dislike crocheting with it because it is scratchy and unlovely to work with. That being said, willing to take the hit every time because the finished product is so wonderful!
I was hoping for this comment. I’ve started crocheting with linens despite warnings from other crafters but find it so fun. It looks wiry and uneven at first and then I wash it and the stitches relax and now that I can trust the process it’s fun. Unlike wool, the more I gently wash, the better it looks. It gets a bad rap sometimes.
I love linen. Im in pero menopause, which means hot flashes and smelly sweat and all that nice stuff. Linen underdresses (with!) Sleeves, have been an absolute heaven! Linen underdress, and a dirndl style overgarment out of lightweight wool or linen are my favorites atm 🙂
Being new to coming into the Historical Clothing community, you just taught me about the fact that linen doesn't hold on to body odors. This is yet another reason I'm going to start sewing my husband's shirts with linen. He's a logger. I think linen is the best choice to keep him cool, and now, sweet smelling during the summer. This was a fascinating video! Thank you!
My MIL dedicated her life to preserving old plant species and understanding their use within different cultures. She actively traded seeds with people, and once received a 5 kilo bag of hemp seeds. As in hemp, not the illegal substance. Needless to say she had difficulty getting a taxi. I mean, jeez, people wanted to call the cops on her.
Somenthing that I love done with linen it's what we called in spanish "deshilado" (sorry I don't know how it translates to english, unweaving? unthreading?). It's basicly like a "lace" that is done in a linen fabric by pulling out some of the threads (and more things, of course, it's a complex technic). There are some incredibly beautiful designs done using this traditional technic.
There are several traditional techniques for drawn thread work from several countries. Hardanger embroidery is one. Linen was ideal for such “counted thread” techniques because it can be woven into a regular, even count weave fabric, allowing the threads to be counted (in surface work) and cut and pulled(in drawn thread)
Excellent video! The trouble here in the uk is that a) so many shops are stocked with end-of-line stuff, whose origins they know nothing about and b) yes, the 'linen-look problem. (And the silk look and the wool look... }
The fiber content is listed on labels and/or tags on the interior of ready-made garments. A brief description re: the proper manner of cleaning is included, especially in higher end clothing -- though in cheaper items the cleaning instructions may be condensed to a mere phrase. It is highly advisable to make a practice of inspecting all labels and tags before purchasing.
Im a quilter i love linen for my quilt backing’s that I’m dong extensive detailed quilting stitches. Ill iron out the linen to open up the weaves do the quilting then when i wash it afterwards it make my stitches pop snd shows extreme details of my work, I’ve blown the minds of old 80’s to late 90 year old quilters in my guild, which is of high honor when recognized by them as their art of quilting is so beautiful snd techniques are slowly being lost!
12:30 - "So linen is the ideal textile for any place that you are dealing with difficult hot weather". *Brazilian suffering intensifies* Now I really want a linen dress. I know you guys up there in USA are about to get into winter territory, but down here I'm just ever so slowly starting to melt as we get closer and closer to summer. I'm gonna need something better than my knit 58% cotton 38% polyester spaghetti strap shirt to get me through profuse sweating while the weather feels like 50ºC (the converter says it's about 122 F). I'm gonna have to spend some money on linen this summer, I just know this and have accepted this truth in my heart.
Ramie is yet another bast fiber and that needs microscopic inspection to differentiate. It’s sometimes called Chinese linen. Linen knit cardigans and sweaters were a big fashion deal this past year, I bought a couple from Marshall’s this past autumn and I’m loving them!
Thank you. Super informative. I've always loved linen and in 1992 purchased my 'holy grail' of linen - a queen-sized set of bedsheets and pillow cases in fine irish linen with hand-tatted lace trim. Lying down in them the day they are washed & ironed and put back on the bed is, for me, like heaven on earth - I float into sleep. I feel like royalty. Yes, 30 years later and they are still fully intact and being used. So my outrageously indulgent spend was actually a wise frugality as it works out around $20 per year so far. I've told my hubs that I want to be buried in them :D
I can remember watching Dad walking into the clothing section of Walmart when I was a kid and getting excited to see Lee brand drill pants and shirts on the shelf lol always wondered why he liked them after seeing how fast he could burn through them while working on equipment (or attempting to smoke himself out using the torch or a welder or side-grinder and not paying attention to the direction of spark travel lol)
Linens are definitely my favorite fabric, because I live in a place with no actual winter. Thank you for putting so much efforts making this video, I really enjoy this series.
Same. Linen is fantastic all year round here (subtropical Australia), and the only fibre that is anywhere near comfortable for our actual summer. Cotton is not as awful as polyester, but it just can’t compete with linen in terms of wearability- especially as I don’t use air conditioning often (too expensive), and because I’m stuck in bed a lot. And I swear my bed soaks up all my heat and radiates it back at me x100! Linen sheets and linen nighties are the only way to be even remotely comfortable without air conditioning. If only it weren’t so expensive.
I'm a wilderness survival instructor and linen is a wildly underrated outdoor material. I found about this after watching ur lovely videos and using it extensively in the woods, so thank you! Now instead of synthetic base layers I wear exclusively linen shirts.
Great video! One thing I love about "linen" is how the meaning of the word has changed over the centuries. In medieval times, most stem bast fibres are called linen, including nettles and flax. Hemp was almost always not referred to linen in the texts that survived. In England in the first half of the 20th C. Linen was always bast from flax, but wasn't called linen until it was processed into yarn or thread. Nowadays, the word linen is in flux. It can mean anything from household cloth to cloth made from bast fibres. What it means seems to depend on the craft more than the origin of the fibre. Textiles are living crafts and when the words stop changing, we know that we are in danger of losing vital skills. Something to note, in modern times, many countries have strict laws on how textiles are labelled. For example, if the yarn, cloth, or clothing is sold in Canada as "linen" it must be from the bast fibres of the Linum usitatissimum plant (as opposed to reconstituted cellulose like rayon). Love your videos as always! Thanks for sharing the love of linen!
Technically, "bourre" applies to wool, and by extention silk (it's originally short hair brushed off of horses or cattle, and used for padding or stuffing). The french word for the short linen fibers is "étoupe", while the long fibers are called "filasse", both also used to describe hair. I believe those words are cognates of *tow* and *flax*.
My foremothers who had survived the plague of 1635 left their farm to their children around 1660. They had it included in the contract of transfer that their children had to give them enough food, drink, wool and linen every year until their death.
Bought a linen duvet cover set in February and I will never go back to cotton bedding. Linen sheets are next on the list. The cooling effect of amazing for summer.
I just started working as an archaeologist. I don't do well in heat. I bought linen for work because of the wonderful qualities mentioned here, and I can attest that it's amazing. I was able to keep digging at the beginning of the heatwave without getting overheated to the extent my cotton wearing co-workers did. I
🙏🏼Thank you for these educational textile videos. I don’t sew (yet) but I’ve been obsessed with fabric since childhood. I used to love going to stores with my mother just so I could feel all the material of the clothes. To this day I still get overly enthusiastic when I come across garments made of high quality material.
A language side note: linen is linho, in Portuguese, and flax is... linho as well. Apparently, hemp linen not a thing in Portugal, at least historically 😂
@@SuperShiningDawn I was really confused when she said this bit about flax and hemp, I only started to understand "hemp" is chanvre when she talked about ropes and was sure she ment this when she told about "this hemp" ^^"
I’m in the UK, and I’ve never heard of ‘hemp linen.’ Manufacturers here are proud of hemp mixes (hemp/cotton and hemp/linen are both very common). Great video, btw, really useful and informative.
Linen is by far my favorite fabric to work with, I absolutely love everything about it. I made my sister in law's wedding dress from linen and silk organza ❤️
I love ironing linen. Other non natural fibers I find it difficult because you can't use as much heat or steam. With linen you can just go all in and get it done quick and easy. And it looks so fabulous when you're done. Flax & Hemp, more brothers then close cousins. My Irish linen is my favorite, just after that is my small bit up Polish linen
I watched my grandmother iron her linen decades ago ... she always dampend the fabric and used an old non steam iron. Her linen was always so smooth and wrinkel free For the future I plan to change my bedsheets and cloths to linnen ... expecialy undergarments and Summerdresses
I once talked to a craft spinner and weaver. She showed me some flax from several different harvest years. The difference in softness and fineness was amazing.
How you break down fabric and garment construction is a breath of fresh air. I do the same thing when finding and dating really old clothes. Also, though wool is my fav super fabric Lenin is coming in a hot second these days. Thanks a lot for your vids!
thank you for the very informative rundown on this often misunderstood textile. i learned a lot more than i thought i would. I found my way here via a history bounding and sewing video and am very happy to have found your channel.
My modern wardrobe significantly features linen, and has done for several years now. I think I spend 70% of my time with at least one linen item on, even in winter. I overheat easily and it is so lovely to not worry about becoming a frazzled mess because of my clothes. If you find linen clothes you like that fit you (or could be tweaked to fit you) in charity shops/second-hand stores, you have full permission to do a happy little dance because JACKPOT!
am watching this twice, so I just love this type of information, thank you. I am not a sewer, due to rather horrible home ec. in high school and bullies, but I now want to really get into sewing, I am looking into beginner classes after covid. and I LOVE you american duchess shoes...
I have a linen/cotton blend that's 80% linen and it's wonderful. It was all I could afford at the time but I've found that it suits my needs perfectly! Especially since the Texas heat sucks butt.
I learned somewhere (I think through Ruth Goodman) that ticking was especially made to hold horsehair, feathers and down, which with such sharp ends would come through other weaves and deplete the upholstery over time. So that's why it's very important to get the right fabric when working with natural stuffing.
I went to a historical reenactment town before where someone showed the process of turning flax into blankets, potato sacks and other stuff. Flax can grow in most parts of Canada, so that's what they showed. From raw flax, to getting it into those fibres, to brushing it and removing rough spots, then spinning it, and weaving it. Just fantastic to see! But that was more of a canvas or burlap type cloth as it was thicker than linen. Still very cool to see, and I wish it was easier to find in stores.
My all time favorite fabric is a silk and linen blend. I have never in my 62 years given AF about wrinkles, well not on my clothing. I appreciate seersucker weave because it stands up off the skin. I'm back in my native state of Georgia after 40 years living in Boston MA. It got very hot and sticky in Boston in the summers and I love my wool, linen, silk and cotton clothes to regulate body temperature. I also love that I don't need to own a snow shovel here!
I always enjoy your videos. You present things in an easy to learn format, which includes everything I might need to know. Often on other channels I am responding with "What is that?" but you answer the questions before I can ask them. Your pacing and presentation are beautiful. I never feel "hurried through" your videos. I think your music helps with that, too.
Though linen is wiggly, it is so worth it. I love making shifts with linen. Thank you so much for this wonderfully informative and comprehensive guide on linen.
Thank you for this video! I have fibromyalgia and I have this one linen shirt that I love and now it makes sense! I sweat a lot in summer because my body cannot stand warmth at all (over 20 celsius is too much 😂) and that shirt is all I want to wear in summer. Now I need to sew more linen shirts.
When I was learning rigging, Linen and Cotton were presented as hand lines as they are soft. Linen was held slightly superior as the stretch was so little. Things like sisal and jute were for strong lines, but were considered hard on the hands. Sisal makes a great rope, but you can get these nasty splinters off it so it's not for hand lines. You tie the handlines to the sisal for best rigging situation. Interesting, Rigging as a trade in Theatre came from sailors. Who communicated using whistles. Hence why it is bad luck to whistle in the theatre. If you whistled the wrong whistle, you could accidentally send a drop down on someone's head and they would be dead.
Love Linen! As a fiber artist, it's a bit of work to spin and weave it (as it has to be done wet), but the results are fabulous. For those interested, search YT for Hemp for War., I found that video for my own research into the history of spinning...very interesting video. The linen found in the cave in Georgia (Russia, not US) was dyed too btw, pink and teal were the colors if I recall correctly.
Another plus side is that the knitting requiring tension, they have to use a high quality wet spun thread. So you know that you won't have any of these plushy tow threads like some low quality woven linen have.
Living in the subtropics I've found linen very easy to care for. The wrinkles are there, but much softer in a hot humid climate. And if you smooth out your fabric after washing and before hanging it to dry, that minimises wrinkles too.
The discussion about the sail/tent canvas creating channels for extra capillary action is fascinating and makes sense. I've sometimes used rags as "towel siphons" to deal with drips (move them to a bucket or something), and it sounds like some canvases would do that better.
As a Lithuanian, it's so wild to hear that somebody from a whole different continent not only knows the name of my tiny and seemingly insignificant country, but also where it is, and can even name a cool thing about Lithuania, i.e. its linen! In all seriousness, it was a lovely video, keep doing what you're doing ❤
My cousin's birth mother was from Lithuania. I would love to go one day when we are allowed to leave our street again
I get exicited when I hear people from other countries Talk about Spain, but, i get we where un the middle of everything for centuries... But what i wanted to tell you is, your country os cool! Not insignificant at all!
(My english is a bit rusty and muy autocorrect is a troll, sorry!)
Lithuania has some cool history! There was a very large and very beautiful synagogue in Vilnius from the 1600s until the 1950s, when it was torn down and replaced by a primary school after being badly damaged during WWII. There's currently an effort to restore a portion of the site and create an exhibit. Volozhin was the site of an important yeshiva (Jewish religious school) in the 18th and 19th centuries, and it's also where my great-grandfather was born.
My family has history in Lithuania - I am American, I am so excited anytime Lithuania comes up. I was so excited to visit for work one time.. I bought knitted socks but should have bought some linen besides a scarf!
I'm not very keen to nationalisms. This being said, just now a package from Lithuania with a linen dress taylored for me just arrived. It was increadibly afforable and the linen is delicious. I wish Spanish dictatorship didn't have destroy linen here. Such a crime 🤦.
Linen is an incredible fibre! In the European an Egyptian bronze age they used entirely different processing techniques for linen, called "splicing". Instead of retting the pectin, they manually stripped fibre bundles from the stalk, and connected them by twisting the ends together. Because the pectin was still intact, it helped the ends stick to each other. The Egyptians created incredibly fine textiles using this technique. During my studies I've encountered linens with over 100 warps/cm! The Egyptians also created naturally pleated textiles by cramming and spacing the warp. There's so much history in linen...
💙
OMG can you share some of your best references?
@@flannerypedley840 my research is not yet published, but I would recommend Gleba & Harris 2018: The first plant bast fibre technology, which should be freely accessible through Springer. They have a very good overview of splicing
That reminds me of how lotus silk is harvested. I only saw a few videos on it. Pineapple fiber for Piña cloth is still harvested by hand in the Philippines as well. I’m over here with my first world problems like “ How did they even figure it out?”
Now *that* sounds like a nice linen. The usual mail-order online linen place that a lot of rennies and SCAdians rave about has absolute *crap* for those types of garments (40 x 40 threads per *inch* in a very loose weave, regardless of the weight and what you really want out of a linen).
Linen is also grown using a lot less water than cotton so it’s environmentally friendly that way too.
Indeed - inen is a short growing cycle crop (100 days) and grows in cooler months on natural rainfall only PLUS you use most of the plant! Cotton is a Summer crop that mostly needs irrigation water from somewhere unless you're lucky enough to get lots of summer rain!
It's also easier to grow in more climates. I live in Canada. Cotton doesn't really work here. And while the West Coast of Canada has been great for growing short bamboo used for clothing (Tonic Active uses Canadian bamboo mixed with spandex for things like leggings), and it's so comfortable, but also needs a specific climate. Where hemp and flax can grow many more areas, and a historic site near me uses flax to make a lot of their stuff, showing the whole process.
Such an elegant way to say "please don't try smoking your fabric".
Actually that's not as daft as it sounds- unpicked hemp rope were smoked by sailors etc- because it does have many of the same features of THAT hemp, the reason they will now let you grow it because it is now genetically modified to remove the psychotropic properties.
@@lauraholland347 I didn't know that, it's very interesting !
@@lauraholland347 You are so right - the hemp plant is the same, no matter if you want to make textiles from the fibres or drugs from the flowers. And it is no coincidence that the words "cannabis" and "canvas" are related.
@@lauraholland347 I might be not understanding your comment. As a person who smoked weed for many years I find it very hard to believe that smoking rope or fabric would give any effect at all. The most potent part of the plant is the flower - not the cellulose fiber that the textile is made from. Also the type of hemp that was grown for textile was specifically grown and bred for - textiles - therefore not very potent in the first place. Different varieties are used for smoking. Could you give me a source for that sailor smoking rope story? I would be interested to read about that. Greetings
@@Izik8890 They are not different plants, there was not a hemp plant grown just for textiles and rope- that is completely false- the ones grown for textiles are now genetically modified. The same as with marijuana the flower is more potent but the leaves and other parts of the plant are also used. Generally with plants the chemicals are in the whole plant- but in different concentrations.
I agree completely with being annoyed with labels!! When I search for"Silk" I want silk not polyester!
Same!! It’s so annoying.
Agree! Sleazy marketing, in my opinion
Or hearing someone wanting a silk, when they REALLY mean a brocade or jacquard weave, and not caring if it's a poly or not
Yes! I asked about linen at a local fabric store and asked if it was cotton or flax linen, the person at the store said they'd never heard of linen made of flax. I wasn't angry with the individual, but I was so frustrated with the lack of education. Fabric employees should at least know that linen is flax.
@@aellalee4767 😧
Oh, that is awful!
My great-grandmother gave each of her four children a set of bed sheets as a wedding present, made from linen she had grown, treated, spun and woven herself - which sounds like an amazing present, but according to my grandmother it wasn't... We all know home-made stuff can at times be a bit more "rustic" than commercially produced fabric, and my grandmother thought the sheets were way to coarse to sleep in.
So my grandmother turned them into tablecloths; waste not, want not - and a linen table cloth is always nice to have.
What a precious gift giver she was♡♡♡
If you embroider it you can pass it down to your grandkids with a piece of you too.
Linen is suchhh a dreamy fabric to me- i live somewhere with no seasons, just heat, it's so easy to wash and i honestly dont mind the wrinkles.
I somewhat like the natural wrinkles ❤️
I tend to avoid because of the wrinkles, I don't enjoy iron it, but I'm going to follow her advise to see how it goes...
I live in subtrobical Queensland, Australia. Seconding the amazingness of linen for this type of climate! It is my favourite fabric, and it’s good for year round wear here. And it’s the only actually comfortable fabric for our summers. Cotton isn’t awful like polyester, but it’s also nowhere near as comfy as linen is.
My husband and I are looking at moving to another country, and I’m waving the Costa Rican flag, linen would definitely be on my list!
Linen.Pants.
"I DON'T CARE IF THEY LOOK LIKE PYJAMAS TO YOU!"
Ultimate summer comfort.
I need some more, but they have gotten somewhat hard to find in true linen anymore...
Fun fact: the botanical garden in Oslo has a "viking garden", which includes a hemp plant. This plant has to be inside a cage, so that people don't steal it, thinking it was ~that kind~ of hemp
Aw, that's really funny and makes me feel kinda sad...the hemp is in jail :(
We have a poison garden here in Oxford. Some you can’t touch
Ooh this is so fun! The botanical garden in Visby, Sweden has a monk garden with some medicinal plants and herbs. I like "themed" gardens, they're so funky
Even though the cotton industry tried to destroy the hemp industry they always had one grower because the Navy won’t use any other fiber for their ropes. It doesn’t stretch.
Hemp rope is also more rot resistant than manila rope.
Hemp is naturally saltwater resistant in ways that no other fiber is. The U.S.S. Constitution was once re-rigged with nylon rigging lines. In very short order this was discovered to be a grave mistake and the entire ship had to be re-rigged again with hemp lines. These had to be purchased from another country because the U.S.A. bans production of hemp crops and products. (The original reason for the nylon lines which were "Made in the U.S.A.")!
@@adrianburrell6217 Actually the US Navy has alway maintained hemp fields to produce rope for Navy ships. Until recent legislation repealing laws against hemp being grown, it was the only legal hemp grown in the USA and its sole purpose was to provide hemp fiber for ropes.
Kat Brown, I stand corrected. My source was a Naval Reservist whose opinion I have always valued.
@@adrianburrell6217 My father was in the Navy. Joe D Etheridge ETCS (dec). They did try that with the USS Constitution. That story is true but all ships in the Navy use ropes.
I am a dressmaking/tailoring apprentice and our teacher got sick so she gave us the task to learn about linen and because I’ve already watched this video, i’ve suggested to put it on in class and everyone loved it! It has been a better lesson than our teacher would have done and she was impressed about our knowledge when she came back. So huge thanks from my whole class to you for being so helpful! ❤️
The lumber industry also really fought against hemp, doing everything in its power to vilify it. Such a shame, since hemp is so useful in a variety of forms.
Why did the lumber industry want to stymie the hemp industry?
@@elsa_g I’m not sure if it was talking about the cotton or the lumber industry, but I read an article in The Atlantic a few years ago reporting on this subject. Whoever it was felt threatened by the relative low cost and versatility of hemp as used in textiles and paper (a huge industry!) and wanted to do everything they could do to nip the competition in the bud. Which honestly sucks, there’s been such a profound impact on the environment for the sake of capitalism.
I’m pretty sure the article is still floating around on the Internet, I’ll have to go back and check my sources
@@elsa_g Paper production. Hemp is significantly cheaper and and easier to maintain a steady, quickly renewable crop for the purposes of paper production than hardwood trees.
@@elsa_g "Hempcrete" is a material adapted to building construction. In Hempcrete the crushed inner core of the "industrial hemp" plant is utilized. This type of hemp grows quite taller than the recreational kind and has a much lower content of THCC.
A tip that has worked for me to reduce wrinkles: if you wash something that is not very easy to iron you can take you garment out of the washing machine and lay it flat on clean towels (while it is still completely wet) and smooth out all of the wrinkles with your hands (make sure to straighten it out on the back as well!) and then leave it to dry. When I do this it usually ends up being completely wereable without any ironing!
My nana did that to every piece of clothing she owned because she loathed ironing and hated wrinkles. We had dollar store clothes that looked brand new and would last a lot longer than intended.
I've done that with my hair oddly enough, to reduce frizz and have less waves, but didn't really think of it with fabric. Recently I've been into pants that have wrinkles down the length as a design choice though. I used cotton voile for them, but maybe I should look for linen instead. It's just a neat scrunched up look, and very cool for summer. I think it's a modified paper bag pant, based on some pants my dad found in Jamaica, but I made the pattern more my style.
I have rolled a wet linen garment in a towel to get it damp and (if it's cut on the grain) hang it to dry. Gently tug or pull the lengths straight and leave the weight of the draining water pull the fabric straight.
That's what I do
I learned how to keep my linen clothes smooth without much effort - from an Italian. With my own tweak. After washing, I tumble it on cold for just a few minutes to shake out big wrinkles. Then I follow his tip of hanging it up to dry, and hanging something heavy from the bottom to pull the wrinkles out. Basically, I have a hanger at the top and at the bottom, some sort of clip on affair, that adds just enough weight to pull out most of the wrinkles. There are multiple reasons why I don't dry my clothing outdoors, so I compensate for that with a small table fan sitting on an ironing board nearby the hanging space in my little laundry room. The gentle breeze also helps keep the wrinkles from forming in any significant way. I love the simplicity of this method, and I don't expect it to look pressed when it's done, just tidy and relatively wrinkle free… Knowing full well that I'm going to get more wrinkles shortly.
As a textile student in Ireland, thank you for promoting our Linen industry!
I love linen I have tea towels made In ulster.
I watched a you tube video processing flax into linen from somewhere in Ulster very interesting
Now that your dog has been in three consecutive videos I expect at least a cameo in every video. I hope they’re ready for this level of celebrity
I am almost certain that she has embraced this excellent (and cute) intro gag
My first linen fabric came from the Fabric Store. It was unbleached, unwashed and smelled divine, like being in a freshly mowed field of grass. Amazing how many of our common words come from the production of linen fabric! Clever ancestors! Thank you! Love, love, love linen!
LOL: I've *HATED* every fabric I've gotten from Fabric-Store.com. The threads are way too thick and the fabric is too loosely woven, IMO.
@@webwarren - Then where do you buy your linen fabrics?
@@MossyMozart I haven't bought linen in years. The best I had I'd bought at Paron Fabrics when they were still on 57th St in NYC, or from SCA vendors at local Lions renfaires.
@@webwarren what weight did you get? Because the lighter weights will be thinner. And I can only assume you're not using the open weave fabric, which is intentionally loosely woven...
@@SpiderboyN2Jesus Got the lightweight sample cards, got the medium weight sample cards, Mom bought the garment weight fabric. All were way too coarse for my liking, compared to linen I've purchased elsewhere.
As someone who lives in an area where the only fabric store is a JoAnn’s an hour away, and a good quality fabric store with more than just cotton, polyester and fleece is 8 hours away, I want to thank you for these fabric videos.
It helps so much when I go to thrift stores to purchase old suits and table linens to sew outfits.
I have the same problem except that our thrift stores only have 80s and 90s polyester rejects. The only affordable way I could find to get linen was through the local online auction. They get products from big box stores like Target and Target has been selling bedsheets that are 100% linen ($150 for a twin bed). Every once and a while these sheets end up on the local auction and I managed to snatch up 2 sets for $20 each! Now I just need the courage to cut into them.
@@SuperMrsMar remember to wash first. Go for it. I found this when I first worked with silk. Keep telling yourself what you paid for it. Trust me you will probably enjoy it much more as a garment than in your stash. Good luck
You put my distance in perspective, 20 minutes 7 mile drive to a small fabric shop, rude lady and I wouldn't go there again or 1 hour 50 mile trip to a fantastic fabric shop with super lovely staff, more choice of fabrics and notions than I could ever imagine, spread over 2 floors. I shall never grumble about the distance again! Happy sewing my friend, from a pretty new stitchling😊
I have Fabricland/Fabricville, and then two small local stores. Most of them cater to cosplayers, dancers, and drag queens, more than people who want linen. I saw some organic cotton at one place (but the prints were not my style), and I got some recycled cotton jersey to make my boyfriend some loungewear, but if it's not cotton or bamboo, then it's not a plant in these stores. I do love bamboo spandex, as it fixed a lot of problems I have with spandex, but it's not the same as some vintage items I found.
Same problem. Nearest is JoAnn's...hour and a half. i was FURIOUS when I saw their fabrics. NOT what I was lead to believe it would be
I live in Emmental, Switzerland. Linen was traditionally grown in that area and processed into linen. There is even a festival each year, "Brächete", on the last Wednesday of September where they celebrate and demonstrate the production like they used to do it back in the 19. century. So I have been quite fascinated with this fabric since I was a little girl.
Hello there, fellow swiss lady!
I'll look into Brächete, sounds like it could be just up my alley.
@@MrsYasha1984 oh hi there! 😊 It really is a cool event - of course there is now a whole "Chiubi" built around it with marketstands and entertainment, but the traditional part with the people working in national costume holds a special place in my heart. It takes place in Zäziwil, Bern.
@@marla4481 wonderful, thanks! Zäziwil is a two hour drive but I love Tracht and Linen!
Wow, I gotta check it out some time! I don't live that far away, and demonstrations of old crafts like Ballenberg or Brächete are my absolute jam.
I find this so relaxing. Soft, not repetitive music. No annoying voice distortion, sound effects, or lo-fi beats in the background. Just classy, straightforward information. Keep up the amazing work, Nicole!
Wow. My great grandmother wove fabric and even made her own thread. I have several quilts made with flower bags for the patterned fabric and the backing as well as the thread were her own unbleached linen she'd grown and made. I do remember as a very little girl helping with scrunching and heckling. Though I didn't know that was what it was called. This was in the very late 60s or early 70s because my great grandmother wanted 'good thread' for her now more modern fabric quilts. Her loom having burned in a house fire in the 1950 she and she never got another one and her father was long gone to make her one as he had for her first one. Any way I a kid of the 70s helped make linen thread with my great grandmother. I remember having Jiffy-Pop popcorn and watching Wizard of Oz while she spun her thread. Just had to share the memories that came racing back during your video. Oh she did try to teach me to quilt (She did all of her by hand) but no matter how hard I tried she'd always say my stitches were too big and you'd catch a toe in them. LOL
I can relate to the too large stitches. I don’t quilt, because of that.
I am a very nerdy biologist and all the microscopy images made me so happy
But is there any other kind of biologist?
I'm Polish. When I was in primary school, we read and analised a whole legend about the origin of linen, which was no more or less a mithologised instraction manual of how to make linen, all the way from sowing the seeds to weaving the fabric. I forgot the title forever ago, but I still remember the steps of making the fabric.
In my old hometown in Belgium, linnen was big industry in the past! The industry is gone now but you can still find tons of ponds that were used for processing in the past. I've allways had an interest in the whole proces that went into creating the fabric, and am glad it's becoming more popular again!
Julian Baumgartner uses Belgium linen all of the time when he restores his paintings. Apparently it is the premier product.😊
yeah Belgium and north of France was very big for linen (there is still a huge production in north of france I believe)
@@ginalou5774 haha yes , i feel a bit of pride everytime he whips out the linnen 🤣
The same happenen with northwest Iberian linen. Dictatorship destroyed. Now it only is seen in museums and the seeds live in Portugal linen (tiny) industry.
Linen is my favorite fabric, and I have made many articles of clothing from it . Most recently, I did in fact make a gown from the sheerest, and most delicate gold linen, with a lining from a medium weight plain woven linen to give it support and structure. As this was going to be worn to a high-society wedding in Rome, where it is very hot in the summer, the gown had to be able to breathe, and provide cooling to my client. I made the back godet with a fan of pleats, supported by a horsehair braid band across the hips sewn into the lower lining, and it was quite beautiful when it was all done. The sheer back (unlined) I inset handmade Italian lace panels to look like leaf-shaped wings. Overall, it was gorgeous. So you absolutely can make a ball-gown from linen, you just need a reason, and someone who loves to work with the textile. Thanks so much for your video, as I found it informative about the linen making process. Here in Italy we have a lot of different types of linen we produce, so I wanted more information on it, and enjoyed your video very much.
About it looking like blonde hair - in Sweden we still use the word "lin" about hair (pronounced 'leen' like you did). "Lintott" is a young child with fair blonde hair, "lingult" is an adjective for blonde hair. Interesting to know where it came from! 😄
it is like flaxen haired in English
My autonomic nervous system is a bit weird which causes me to overheat easily so linen is my favourite fibre. I finally made enough pieces of my wardrobe that I pretty much only wear linen now and I have felt so much better. I feel like this summer is going to be much nicer thanks to linen.
I have the same problem. Living in Texas means I’m indoors from May to September. Just this year I bought 4 linen blouses and 2 pairs of linen slacks. Looked into purchasing a linen bra on Etsy but can’t decide yet.
Love it that you covered the environmental impact topic! Many times I find it kind of hard to really get good information on that subject when it comes to any fiber.
I’ve been purchasing linen for the past year but been so scared to cut into it because it’s expensive. I started this video so fast when I saw the title. I need help to gain confidence.
Side note, DuPont had a huge part in getting hemp banned. They were producing new synthetic fibre patents they “needed” to make money off of.
@@cherisseepp5332 I have heard also that William Randolph Hearst also had a major hand in hemp being banned in the US. He was a paper magnate, and didn’t want hemp interfering with his profits. He’s also one of the people who really pushed the racist anti-cannabis propaganda, because of how cannabis and hemp were linked. Ban one, get people to hate it, and it’s much easier to ban the other.
It’s kinda surprising (and also not) to see just how many issues or problems have come directly from capitalists wanting to maintain or grow their profits. Decisions are made not because they are beneficial, but because someone very powerful wants to make more money. It’s disheartening, to say the least.
@@katherinemorelle7115 it is sad, really. Now we are finding how beneficial things like hemp and it’s related species are but there’s so much misunderstanding and pushback.
@Cherisse Epp - I hope you have overcome your reticence to cut into your fabric by now, but if not, you can make a mock-up of your project using old bedsheets, super cheap sale fabric from the local Joann's, or that sew-able Swedish tracing paper. It will help you achieve a better fit in your finished garment and will give you confidence in the cutting and sewing procedure.
if you are using a pattern that you know fits, USE YOUR GOOD FABRICS. What are you saving it for? Use the linen, use your good China, wear your good jewelry.
Dear Miss Rudolph, I have learned so much in this video (and so many others you’ve made). I had no idea linen had so many types and uses. I’ve not been a fan of linen. Many years ago I bought a white linen blouse for work. After it’s first wash it looked wrinkled and tired, not the thing for secretarial work at the time. I tried ironing it on different settings. I watched the fabric return to its crinkled state as it cooled. I tried many times to wash and iron what was an expensive blouse at the time. After that I refused to ever buy anything with linen in it. I lived a couple hours north of Sydney where they had real seasons.
I no longer work. I live in a subtropical part of Australia (Brisbane suburb) and have begun my journey into fabrics that breathe and keep the body cool. As if by magic, here you are with the information I need. I don’t particularly care if I wear a sack so long as I’m not stuck to it in the humidity as I usually am to the clothes I wear. Oddly enough I can’t stand to wear white anymore either.
I must watch this video again. I kept interrupting you with “oh I didn’t know that “ or “isn’t that gorgeous fabric I’d love to feel it” or “no wonder I didn’t like that” or simply “wow”.
Thank you for all that you do and share with this mere mortal.
Ms Narelle Works 💜💚💙
My first experience with linen was in1967. One of the more “fashionable” dress shops in my area had a very good sale, and there I found a minty green linen sheath dress. 100% linen and was so well fitted and comfortable that I snatched it up. The wrinkling did bother me, so even though I loved it the ironing was very difficult, so I didn’t wear it much, so I began getting it dry cleaned, and the dress was much less wrinkled, but it smelled like dry cleaning. The good news is that
I wore that dress on and off for over 20 years, and it still looked like new except perhaps a little faded from all the laundry it suffered, and made me look for more items of linen, but I never saw another linen dress that was 100% linen again.
“That hemp” 😂 I think I snorted. Thank you so much for this video, Nicole! I look forward to your uploads every week xx
Here in Queensland Australia we rarely use a dryer for our clothes. It’s much more normal for us to hang our clothes on a clothes line so if you are careful how you hang it, it is easy to iron.
Also here in uk, we haven’t used a drier for last 3 years despite the weather 😀
I live in Seattle. You'd get moss and mold here LOL
@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken Plus, it is illegal to have a clothesline here.
@@theyarnalist6416 Not where I live, but it would be excellent for attracting crows. Not necessarily a negative, but I'd rather not around clean laundry
@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken then on days like today or rather this week when it’s wet, you dry inside, in front of radiators, over stair bannisters, in airing cupboards. Where do you think people dried their clothes for millennia before hand.
I've been a hobby sewer for nearly 10 years, I have amassed books on textiles, but this series of 'textile 101' is already single-handedly the most concise, useful and interesting guide on textiles, thank you so much, love your channel 🥳
I worked with an archaeological project in Tel Dor (Dora), Israel on a 1st century site to identify flax seeds. We determined that the flax seeds were being NOT ONLY dyed, but dyed PHOENICAN purple! It was such cool research and so neat to see a trade route being established at that time. I've been wanting to work with the linen fabric since, but had no idea where to start! Thanks so much for the 101 class
Thanks!
I so hear you on the linen-lite/linen-look issue... I wish online fabric stores would have pure linen and linen blends as separate sections. Suppose one way to do it would be to sort as most expensive first!
Try Pure Linen Envy. All linen, no blends, no other fibre
@@dorteweber3682 Well, dang. This might break my bank... sooooo pretty!
@catherinerw1 - In spite of the negative reviews poster Brenda Bell has given it in the comments, the Fabrics-Store sells linen and linen-cotton blends and has them in separate sections on their website.
So your keeping drafts of these for an eventual book, yes? The book that is a collection of your peer reviewed research papers? You're hopping between plant physiology to history to anthropology and then tying it all together through a collection of fibers. Well done.
Absolutely fascinating talk. Thank you.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
So I have a linen trauma, I used to own some terrible "linen" trousers as a child that were super scratchy. Eventually I had to hide them so I would not have to wear them anymore. I've never touched linen since but all the love the costuming community shows towards this type of fabric really makes me wanting to experiment with it. This video was super helpful!!
There is nothing as comfortable as a good, soft linen. And, the more you wear and wash, the softer it gets.
If you ever decide to try it again for anything, soaking it in baking soda softens it really nicely.
Thank you! I’ve always been a little overwhelmed by the different types of linen. I’ve also recently become a little obsessed with the idea of a fully linen wardrobe for summer. Southern Idaho’s climate is very similar to Nevada...high desert, and HOT in the summer months. I knew hemp and flax were both miracle plants, but I had no idea they were that similar! This video was extremely helpful. Definitely looking forward to wool!
ooo, note to not move to southern Idaho! I live in southern Iowa, and summers are...too much. Which is why i need to figure out linen undershirts, to go with the cotton stuff I wanna make. thankfully I'm so tolerant of the cold I wear summery clothes in winter, within reason, so i only need one wardrobe if i use the right materials. Polyester is kinda cold in the winter wind...
I always feel several I.Q. points higher after these videos !
And, terribly relaxed. Your voice, the background music, fluffy little pupster ! Lovely relaxing, educational Sunday fare !
In sweden we have this event organized by the national association of swedish craft, ”hemslöjden”, going on right now that kind of translates to ”one square meter of linen”. Ordinary people have signed up and gotten enough linen seeds to grow just that amount of linen on their own. Linen is magic ❤️
Just treated myself to some lovely Irish linen for a summer dress... So yummy! Great video, thank you.
Come on Ireland 🇮🇪
I was raised in a part of Ireland that used to grow a lot of flax for linen production.
Just down the road there was an old spinning wheel found in an area locally known as Weavers Street (although it's actually a back country lane)
Me too! My father’s grandfather came to my home town as spinning master in the linen mill. My grandmother sold fine linens and bespoke hand embroidered table linens - she did the fine embroidery herself. They were a great hit with American soldiers who wanted to send gifts home to their families. In WWII farmers in Northern Ireland had to grow a certain amount of flax, so my mother’s family were involved on the growing side of the industry. I love that Irish linen still has this lovely reputation.
@@magnoliaweathershield443 In WWii (I beleive) fine linen was also used for parachutes or was that WWI?
I'm a Brazilian living in Ireland and I've just started fashion school this year. Linen was already my favourite fibre, but now it has an bigger piece of my heart. Which areas of Ireland are known for their linen production?
Our national handicraft society has a project this year called "1 Square meter of linen" where they just. Sent out seeds for 1 Square meter of growing your own linen as a way to revive the craft.
Just need to find a spot to grow the stuff now... got a little less than a month
It’s so neat just how versatile flax and hemp are. You can take flax and wear it, eat it, paint with it, glaze a window, protect wood, etc. so cool to be reminded of the materials that we have available growing around us!
I’ve just started crocheting with linen yarn. It’s really just a bit thicker than thread as I lace knit and crochet. In my community, most people don’t like it. I looove it. It doesn’t stretch which can be challenging but the difference before and after washing is amazing. It turns from this very stiff lace to soft and the stitches relax. Ya gotta trust the process because it looks a bit like crocheted wire at first. 😊 with every gentle hand wash it gets softer.
I knit a lace shawl out of a silk/wool/linen blend yarn and it has a really nice drape and stitch definition. Warm and toasty as a scarf in winter and just warm enough as a cover up on summer nights. Highly recommend knitting with linen blends!
I bet that would be super handy as when one goes to restaurants (post covid!) they sometimes have the a/c blowing to sub-artic levels ! Frustrating trying to dress for that !
I love the finished look and feel of crocheting items made with linen yarns and dislike crocheting with it because it is scratchy and unlovely to work with. That being said, willing to take the hit every time because the finished product is so wonderful!
I was hoping for this comment. I’ve started crocheting with linens despite warnings from other crafters but find it so fun. It looks wiry and uneven at first and then I wash it and the stitches relax and now that I can trust the process it’s fun. Unlike wool, the more I gently wash, the better it looks. It gets a bad rap sometimes.
My scientist heart sings when less than 4 minutes in there a microscopic comparison of fibers! Love these videos so much Nicole
I love linen. Im in pero menopause, which means hot flashes and smelly sweat and all that nice stuff. Linen underdresses (with!) Sleeves, have been an absolute heaven!
Linen underdress, and a dirndl style overgarment out of lightweight wool or linen are my favorites atm 🙂
Being new to coming into the Historical Clothing community, you just taught me about the fact that linen doesn't hold on to body odors. This is yet another reason I'm going to start sewing my husband's shirts with linen. He's a logger. I think linen is the best choice to keep him cool, and now, sweet smelling during the summer. This was a fascinating video! Thank you!
My MIL dedicated her life to preserving old plant species and understanding their use within different cultures. She actively traded seeds with people, and once received a 5 kilo bag of hemp seeds. As in hemp, not the illegal substance. Needless to say she had difficulty getting a taxi. I mean, jeez, people wanted to call the cops on her.
please tell me she wrote some of this down, i would love to learn from years of knowledge!
Somenthing that I love done with linen it's what we called in spanish "deshilado" (sorry I don't know how it translates to english, unweaving? unthreading?). It's basicly like a "lace" that is done in a linen fabric by pulling out some of the threads (and more things, of course, it's a complex technic). There are some incredibly beautiful designs done using this traditional technic.
There are several traditional techniques for drawn thread work from several countries. Hardanger embroidery is one. Linen was ideal for such “counted thread” techniques because it can be woven into a regular, even count weave fabric, allowing the threads to be counted (in surface work) and cut and pulled(in drawn thread)
Excellent video! The trouble here in the uk is that a) so many shops are stocked with end-of-line stuff, whose origins they know nothing about and b) yes, the 'linen-look problem. (And the silk look and the wool look... }
This^^^
The fiber content is listed on labels and/or tags on the interior of ready-made garments. A brief description re: the proper manner of cleaning is included, especially in higher end clothing -- though in cheaper items the cleaning instructions may be condensed to a mere phrase. It is highly advisable to make a practice of inspecting all labels and tags before purchasing.
@@theelizabethan1 Ready-made garments, yes. Fabric on the roll? Much less often.
Having spent almost my entire life living in arid desert climates…linen is basically 90% of my wardrobe. 💖💖
Im a quilter i love linen for my quilt backing’s that I’m dong extensive detailed quilting stitches. Ill iron out the linen to open up the weaves do the quilting then when i wash it afterwards it make my stitches pop snd shows extreme details of my work, I’ve blown the minds of old 80’s to late 90 year old quilters in my guild, which is of high honor when recognized by them as their art of quilting is so beautiful snd techniques are slowly being lost!
Watching this while wearing my favorite linen pants 🥰
Same here
12:30 - "So linen is the ideal textile for any place that you are dealing with difficult hot weather". *Brazilian suffering intensifies*
Now I really want a linen dress. I know you guys up there in USA are about to get into winter territory, but down here I'm just ever so slowly starting to melt as we get closer and closer to summer. I'm gonna need something better than my knit 58% cotton 38% polyester spaghetti strap shirt to get me through profuse sweating while the weather feels like 50ºC (the converter says it's about 122 F).
I'm gonna have to spend some money on linen this summer, I just know this and have accepted this truth in my heart.
My favorite textile ever to wear! I, personally, have come to embrace the rumpled look because they are so fabulous feeling on my skin.
Boosting the algorithm for now. I appreciate all the work you put into sharing information and presentating a lovely video.
What she said ^. Thanks Catherine!
@@rdb4996 you are welcome
Add me♡
Ramie is yet another bast fiber and that needs microscopic inspection to differentiate. It’s sometimes called Chinese linen.
Linen knit cardigans and sweaters were a big fashion deal this past year, I bought a couple from Marshall’s this past autumn and I’m loving them!
Really? I was unaware. I can't stand the hand of ramie cotton. Interesting! Will have to look into it!
Thank you. Super informative. I've always loved linen and in 1992 purchased my 'holy grail' of linen - a queen-sized set of bedsheets and pillow cases in fine irish linen with hand-tatted lace trim. Lying down in them the day they are washed & ironed and put back on the bed is, for me, like heaven on earth - I float into sleep. I feel like royalty. Yes, 30 years later and they are still fully intact and being used. So my outrageously indulgent spend was actually a wise frugality as it works out around $20 per year so far. I've told my hubs that I want to be buried in them :D
There is nothing like linen bedding, I love it.
I can remember watching Dad walking into the clothing section of Walmart when I was a kid and getting excited to see Lee brand drill pants and shirts on the shelf lol always wondered why he liked them after seeing how fast he could burn through them while working on equipment (or attempting to smoke himself out using the torch or a welder or side-grinder and not paying attention to the direction of spark travel lol)
Linens are definitely my favorite fabric, because I live in a place with no actual winter.
Thank you for putting so much efforts making this video, I really enjoy this series.
Same. Linen is fantastic all year round here (subtropical Australia), and the only fibre that is anywhere near comfortable for our actual summer. Cotton is not as awful as polyester, but it just can’t compete with linen in terms of wearability- especially as I don’t use air conditioning often (too expensive), and because I’m stuck in bed a lot. And I swear my bed soaks up all my heat and radiates it back at me x100! Linen sheets and linen nighties are the only way to be even remotely comfortable without air conditioning.
If only it weren’t so expensive.
Yes, linen sheets are so expensive.
I'm a wilderness survival instructor and linen is a wildly underrated outdoor material. I found about this after watching ur lovely videos and using it extensively in the woods, so thank you! Now instead of synthetic base layers I wear exclusively linen shirts.
I own a few linen and linen blend clothes, and we have one pair of pants that are now on the great grand daughters. This was very informative.
Great video!
One thing I love about "linen" is how the meaning of the word has changed over the centuries. In medieval times, most stem bast fibres are called linen, including nettles and flax. Hemp was almost always not referred to linen in the texts that survived. In England in the first half of the 20th C. Linen was always bast from flax, but wasn't called linen until it was processed into yarn or thread.
Nowadays, the word linen is in flux. It can mean anything from household cloth to cloth made from bast fibres. What it means seems to depend on the craft more than the origin of the fibre.
Textiles are living crafts and when the words stop changing, we know that we are in danger of losing vital skills.
Something to note, in modern times, many countries have strict laws on how textiles are labelled. For example, if the yarn, cloth, or clothing is sold in Canada as "linen" it must be from the bast fibres of the Linum usitatissimum plant (as opposed to reconstituted cellulose like rayon).
Love your videos as always! Thanks for sharing the love of linen!
Nettle thread, now there was a labour intensive product.
This is superuseful video because you show all materials you talk about. It makes amateurs like me familiar with all these materials.
I use handkerchief linen for jacket lining. It’s beautiful.
In French, we call the shorter fiber residue "bourre" and it was traditionally used for stuffing.
Sounds ideal for pillows !
Is that why short fiber silk is called bourette?
@@MrsYasha1984 Probably. In french "bourrer" means "to stuff".
Technically, "bourre" applies to wool, and by extention silk (it's originally short hair brushed off of horses or cattle, and used for padding or stuffing). The french word for the short linen fibers is "étoupe", while the long fibers are called "filasse", both also used to describe hair. I believe those words are cognates of *tow* and *flax*.
@@NouriaDiallo The dictionary "Robert" says that it applies to any fiber debre that could be used for stuffing.
My foremothers who had survived the plague of 1635 left their farm to their children around 1660. They had it included in the contract of transfer that their children had to give them enough food, drink, wool and linen every year until their death.
Bought a linen duvet cover set in February and I will never go back to cotton bedding. Linen sheets are next on the list. The cooling effect of amazing for summer.
Been almost 3yrs since I bought my linen bedding. It still looks brand new!!
I just started working as an archaeologist. I don't do well in heat. I bought linen for work because of the wonderful qualities mentioned here, and I can attest that it's amazing. I was able to keep digging at the beginning of the heatwave without getting overheated to the extent my cotton wearing co-workers did. I
🙏🏼Thank you for these educational textile videos. I don’t sew (yet) but I’ve been obsessed with fabric since childhood. I used to love going to stores with my mother just so I could feel all the material of the clothes. To this day I still get overly enthusiastic when I come across garments made of high quality material.
A language side note: linen is linho, in Portuguese, and flax is... linho as well. Apparently, hemp linen not a thing in Portugal, at least historically 😂
Hello fellow portuguese person😊. Se love to give different related things the same name
How interesting!
Same thing in french. linen in lin and flax is... lin. hemp is chanvre. So yeah, I never saw ''hemp linen'' where I live.
@@SuperShiningDawn I was really confused when she said this bit about flax and hemp, I only started to understand "hemp" is chanvre when she talked about ropes and was sure she ment this when she told about "this hemp" ^^"
I’m in the UK, and I’ve never heard of ‘hemp linen.’ Manufacturers here are proud of hemp mixes (hemp/cotton and hemp/linen are both very common). Great video, btw, really useful and informative.
Linen is by far my favorite fabric to work with, I absolutely love everything about it. I made my sister in law's wedding dress from linen and silk organza ❤️
Hemp blend fleece is an excellent cloth diapering fabric because of how much it can absorb.
I love ironing linen. Other non natural fibers I find it difficult because you can't use as much heat or steam. With linen you can just go all in and get it done quick and easy. And it looks so fabulous when you're done.
Flax & Hemp, more brothers then close cousins.
My Irish linen is my favorite, just after that is my small bit up Polish linen
I watched my grandmother iron her linen decades ago ... she always dampend the fabric and used an old non steam iron. Her linen was always so smooth and wrinkel free
For the future I plan to change my bedsheets and cloths to linnen ... expecialy undergarments and Summerdresses
OMG! I love linen. For the longest time I had a hard time finding it in this country. Best fabric ever. Lasts forever.
This is a wonderful homage to linen! Thank you
I once talked to a craft spinner and weaver. She showed me some flax from several different harvest years. The difference in softness and fineness was amazing.
Omg, I have purchased 12 yards of linen fabric for some summer clothes, so happy about this video ! THANKS A LOT !
How you break down fabric and garment construction is a breath of fresh air. I do the same thing when finding and dating really old clothes. Also, though wool is my fav super fabric Lenin is coming in a hot second these days. Thanks a lot for your vids!
I'm very grateful for all these information on linen. I love the fiber.
thank you for the very informative rundown on this often misunderstood textile. i learned a lot more than i thought i would. I found my way here via a history bounding and sewing video and am very happy to have found your channel.
My modern wardrobe significantly features linen, and has done for several years now. I think I spend 70% of my time with at least one linen item on, even in winter. I overheat easily and it is so lovely to not worry about becoming a frazzled mess because of my clothes.
If you find linen clothes you like that fit you (or could be tweaked to fit you) in charity shops/second-hand stores, you have full permission to do a happy little dance because JACKPOT!
OMG! Linen underwear!!! It sounds WONDERFUL!!!
am watching this twice, so I just love this type of information, thank you. I am not a sewer, due to rather horrible home ec. in high school and bullies, but I now want to really get into sewing, I am looking into beginner classes after covid. and I LOVE you american duchess shoes...
I have a linen/cotton blend that's 80% linen and it's wonderful. It was all I could afford at the time but I've found that it suits my needs perfectly! Especially since the Texas heat sucks butt.
I learned somewhere (I think through Ruth Goodman) that ticking was especially made to hold horsehair, feathers and down, which with such sharp ends would come through other weaves and deplete the upholstery over time. So that's why it's very important to get the right fabric when working with natural stuffing.
I went to a historical reenactment town before where someone showed the process of turning flax into blankets, potato sacks and other stuff. Flax can grow in most parts of Canada, so that's what they showed. From raw flax, to getting it into those fibres, to brushing it and removing rough spots, then spinning it, and weaving it. Just fantastic to see! But that was more of a canvas or burlap type cloth as it was thicker than linen. Still very cool to see, and I wish it was easier to find in stores.
My all time favorite fabric is a silk and linen blend. I have never in my 62 years given AF about wrinkles, well not on my clothing. I appreciate seersucker weave because it stands up off the skin. I'm back in my native state of Georgia after 40 years living in Boston MA. It got very hot and sticky in Boston in the summers and I love my wool, linen, silk and cotton clothes to regulate body temperature. I also love that I don't need to own a snow shovel here!
I always enjoy your videos. You present things in an easy to learn format, which includes everything I might need to know. Often on other channels I am responding with "What is that?" but you answer the questions before I can ask them. Your pacing and presentation are beautiful. I never feel "hurried through" your videos. I think your music helps with that, too.
Though linen is wiggly, it is so worth it. I love making shifts with linen. Thank you so much for this wonderfully informative and comprehensive guide on linen.
Thank you for a great tutorial!
Thank you for this video! I have fibromyalgia and I have this one linen shirt that I love and now it makes sense! I sweat a lot in summer because my body cannot stand warmth at all (over 20 celsius is too much 😂) and that shirt is all I want to wear in summer. Now I need to sew more linen shirts.
Thanks for mentioning your FMS (me too!) . It makes sense that linen - soft washed linen- would be best.
When I was learning rigging, Linen and Cotton were presented as hand lines as they are soft. Linen was held slightly superior as the stretch was so little. Things like sisal and jute were for strong lines, but were considered hard on the hands. Sisal makes a great rope, but you can get these nasty splinters off it so it's not for hand lines. You tie the handlines to the sisal for best rigging situation. Interesting, Rigging as a trade in Theatre came from sailors. Who communicated using whistles. Hence why it is bad luck to whistle in the theatre. If you whistled the wrong whistle, you could accidentally send a drop down on someone's head and they would be dead.
SUPERBLY clear and informative. So very well done. Thank you! 👏👏👏
Love Linen! As a fiber artist, it's a bit of work to spin and weave it (as it has to be done wet), but the results are fabulous. For those interested, search YT for Hemp for War., I found that video for my own research into the history of spinning...very interesting video. The linen found in the cave in Georgia (Russia, not US) was dyed too btw, pink and teal were the colors if I recall correctly.
Finding out linen comes in knit 🤯 rethinking making my pajamas now 😆 summer is coming
Another plus side is that the knitting requiring tension, they have to use a high quality wet spun thread. So you know that you won't have any of these plushy tow threads like some low quality woven linen have.
Listening to this makes me want to run to my sewing room!💕❤️💕
Living in the subtropics I've found linen very easy to care for. The wrinkles are there, but much softer in a hot humid climate. And if you smooth out your fabric after washing and before hanging it to dry, that minimises wrinkles too.
The discussion about the sail/tent canvas creating channels for extra capillary action is fascinating and makes sense. I've sometimes used rags as "towel siphons" to deal with drips (move them to a bucket or something), and it sounds like some canvases would do that better.