History of Linen
May 04, 2017
Linen is a type textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen textiles are one of the oldest textiles in the world. They are cool to touch, smooth and get softer with repeated washing. The fibers do not stretch but because of this very low elasticity, the fabric will eventually break if it is folded and ironed at the same place constantly.
History of linen use goes back many thousands of years. Dyed flax fibers are found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia which is evidence that woven linen fabrics from wild flax were used some 36,000 years ago. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns, and various types of fabrics have also been found in Swiss lake dwellings that date from 8000 BC. In ancient Egypt, linen was used for mummification and for burial shrouds because it symbolized light and purity as well as wealth. Linen was so valued in ancient Egypt that it was used as currency in some cases. Linen was also produced in ancient Mesopotamia and reserved for higher classes.
Why would the French throw the bread directly on the table? One theory is that they want to show how rich they are. In ancient times, those who can use the linen tablecloths are undoubtedly the wealthy. They wash the tablecloth thoroughly to make sure it is clean enough, then put the white, clean tablecloth on the table to entertain their distinguished guests. They don't really care their tablecloth is stained, therefore, they throw the bread on the table more to show their treasures and fortune.
In ancient Mesopotamia, the clergy would wear the linen clothing not only because they are rich, but because linen represents " purity ". Judaism had launched a law to forbid the blending between wool and linen to prevent the civilians from wearing the preacher's apparels.
In middle ages, dining tables are symbols of power. The tablecloth must be big enough, its fabric must be linen in order to show off wealth and authority of the nobles. The linen tablecloth is one of the traditional dowries, symbolizing the absolute luxury, extravagance, and preciousness.
As the extravagant king, Louis XIV held parties every night in his palace and all the dining tables were covered by all-white tablecloth whose lengths are so long that each edge can hand down to the floor. Besides, in order to show off their extravagances, Louis XIV and the nobles used their own hands when having meals instead of using cutlery and wiped their hands on the linen tablecloth. We can image how wasteful and luxurious they are!
What' s more, Louis XIV wore more than 10 sets of linen clothes everyday and he wiped off his body with a perfumed linen cloth, which also makes linen popular and becomes the luxury among the aristocracy.
However, many people will have a question: why some linen clothes are so cheap? I have to say:" because they are fake linen.” Fake linen is made of polyester or the low-quality products blended by oakum and cotton. Therefore, how to distinguish the high-quality linen products? You need to know these points as follows.
A. As everyone knows, the best linens are produced in Europe, including the top Belgian linen, the France linen and etc. However, those linens are not the authentic Belgian or France linens. That's because the fibrils are always exported to other countries for weaving, such as China or India, which causes a totally different production standard. Compared with the authentic European linen products, the qualities of those imported linens are likely to be lower.
B. When we choose textiles, we need to see the count of yarn. The higher of the counts yarn, the thinner of the gauze. However, linen is totally different because the classification and rank of linen are according to its weight. The unit is oz/yd², which means ounces per yard.
C. Unlike silk and cotton wear, the flax clothing can be rough or soft, applying for different environments and different aesthetic demands. The most important selection's criteria depend on your own. The high-quality linens are soft, smooth and no impurities.
D. Linen is expensive since it's hard to weave. Linen fiber is inelastic and easy to break in the production process, that's why its cost of production is higher than most of the fabrics. Remember! You get what you pay for! The pricing of the top linen brand is more than Euro200. For example, Libeco, Frette.
Linen is a good fabric since it's soft, breathable, eco-friendly and can keep us cool during hot summer. If you are afraid of the hot summer.
What's more, quality is very important in linen production. The longest possible fibers are got when the flax is either hand-harvested by pulling up the entire plant or when stalks are cut very close to the root. Seeds are then removed from the plant and fibers are loosened from the stalk. Woody portion of the stalks are removed by crushing between two metal rollers which separate fibers. They are then separated between themselves - longer from shorter. Longer, softer ones are then spun into yarns and then woven or knit into linen textiles.
Linen is used for the variety of uses: from bed and bath fabrics, home and commercial furnishing items, apparel items to industrial products. It was iven used for books and for a type of body armor. Use for linen has changed in time and especially in the last 30 years. While in the 1970s only about 5% of world linen production was used for fashion fabrics, 70% of linen production in the 1990s was used for apparel textiles.
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