Skip to main content

Resource Library: Linen

 Linen has been around since the days of the Neolithic Lake Dwellers. Linen is still being used by fabric designers, fashion experts and worn by women and men today.


Linen is a natural fiber that can be made out of flax, hemp, and jute. It can be a great  material on its own or blended with different fibers, commonly rayon. Rayon can give linen a luxurious appearance and can decrease wrinkles.

Flax
Its native country is unknown but it has traveled west and northward into Europe. Flax grows as a vivid green plant crowned with a pale blue flower. Ireland is known as the country with the best flax rising process and production of Flax-Linen.




Hemp
Years ago linen was made of Hemp, an annual original from India. However this fiber is too strong and harsh which makes it difficult to spin into small sizes of yarn. Hemp's spinning process requires more time and machinery than flax, which decreases its popularity.

Jute
Jute can be used as a substitute for Flax in the production of Linen. Jute is common in India. The fibers of Jute do not subdivide into microfibers as Flax does. They are very hard and dry and lack moisture. Therefore it requires an extensive process to make into spinning fibers. Flax is definitively the most advantaged plant providing the highest standard of fibers suitable for soft, lustrous and finest Linens.



Weaving Linen
Linen is mainly made in a plain weave. It's beautiful small, random, cross and lengthwise slubs are part of its charm. It has a natural shine, not the prism, crystal shine of silk but a shine produced on the surface of its fibers. It does not nap, keeps its body.
Linen is very easy to cut and sew. Perfect for tailoring, into fine exquisite suits in all kind of weights.

 Linen is also suitable for lightweight clothing.

Linen has been made in a satin  and twill weaves being these not as common and used as the plain weave. It can be also be worked into jacquard looms producing, jacquard and damask fabrics.

Shop some of our linens: here!

~Gabby~

Bibliography:
- Linen, National Flax Fiber Co.
- Linen, Alfred Stewart Moore, M. Text. Inst.

Comments

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Birthday Dress

May is my absolute favorite month, we get to enjoy spring weather and it is my birth month.  The birthstone for May is Emerald. I think emerald is such a gorgeous color so when I saw this beautiful ombre charmeuse I thought it would be the perfect fabric to make for my birthday dress.  To be honest it took me a while to narrow down on a design.  After a lot of back and forth I ended up going back to my first sketch that I created. I love to sketch out my ideas to figure out the patterning and materials. To create the design I used the method of draping on my dressform.  I used the lightweight muslin that Fabric Mart offers.  It is always best to use a muslin or material similar to your final fabric.  I started first by marking my style lines with some draping tape on my dress form.  I tore out pieces of muslin to fit within those lines making sure I am always marking my grainline. I also used the muslin to determine how I will create the rosettes onto...

Made By A Fabricista: 3D Florals Meet Polka Dot Charm: A Look That Transitions With Style

When I saw a sleek pink mini skirt adorned with a dramatic 3D flower on Pinterest, I was immediately inspired. It had that perfect balance of playfulness and polish—something I knew I wanted to recreate with my own spin. Rather than replicate the exact look, I adapted the silhouette into something more wearable for my lifestyle using a vibrant stretch tweed fabric from Fabric Mart. The Skirt: From Pinterest to Personalized For my version, I used Butterick 5446—a tried-and-true pencil skirt pattern—as the base. I swapped out the smooth fabric from the inspiration for a neon stretch tweed, which adds structure and visual texture while still being comfortable to wear. The oversized flower detail is what makes this piece stand out, and it was surprisingly simple to make. I found a quick and easy tutorial on Instagram for how to create petal shapes and build a dimensional flower. There are also plenty of resources on YouTube that break the process down step by step. Once you’ve got the tec...

Made By A Fabricista: Riley Overalls

Hello friends,  My Latest Fabricista Make: True Bias Riley Overalls x Red Carmine Cotton/Lycra Stretch Sateen Hi everyone, this is Byrd with my latest Fabricista make! I knew I wanted to make a pair of overalls, and when I saw Fabric Mart’s gorgeous Red Carmine Cotton/Lycra Stretch Sateen ( Bottom Weight ), it was game over. The color? Bold and rich. The weight? Spot on for summer overalls—structured but still breathable. For the pattern, I went with the Riley Overalls by True Bias . I cut a size 20 at the bust and graded to a size 22 at the hips for a custom fit that works with my shape. There are 23 different pattern pieces in this design, so I queued up a favorite audiobook and settled in. This was one of those slow, satisfying makes I knew from the start I’d stretch out over several days, savoring the process. Before I even touched the scissors, though, I made sure to prep my fabric properly. Pre-washing and drying are key—especially with cotton/lycra blends. It helps eliminate...