Listed
below are a selection
of interesting facts
about linen:
In 1829 William Wordsworth (1770–1850), toured Ireland with the Leeds linen industrialist, John Marshall. Whilst there it is said he was inspired by the sight of two eagles overhead, near the Giants Causeway, to write in his poem, ‘On the Power of Sound’ the line, "Thou too be heard, lone eagle!".
Daedalus, a Greek master craftsman was commissioned on Crete to build a labyrinth, but he fell out of favour with king Minos and had to escape.
Daedalus fashioned wings of feathers, flax, and wax for himself and his young son Icarus. He taught the boy to fly carefully, cautioning him to fly at a moderate height; warning him if he flew too low, moisture from the sea would clog his wings, if too high, heat would melt his wax.
Flax flowers were believed in the Middle Ages to be a protection against sorcery.
Frig was queen of the gods. Among her roles were Mother Earth, the goddess of motherly love, and goddess of the atmosphere and clouds. The Scandinavians saw Orion's belt and sword as the spindle that Frig used to spin thread, before weaving linen cloth from flax. It was Frig who gave people flax and showed them how to spin it into linen. Frig spent much of her time at her palace, Fesalin, spinning golden threads or weaving clouds. The clouds represented her linen hanging to dry.
In Slavic myth Mokosh is an earth goddess. She rules over fertility and midwifery. She is commonly called "Moist Mother Earth." Mokosh spins flax and wool at night and shears sheep. She also spins the web of life and death. She wanders during Lent disguised as a woman, visiting houses and doing housework; at night strands of fleece are laid beside the stoves for her. She may have originally been a house spirit concerned with women's work.
UMA: Means "flax" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Parvati.
New Zealand flax Phormium tenax plant was most used for Maori fibre work
The light–grey, steel-grey and silver–
grey colours of straw (at least for 70% of the stems) are the best as these indicate healthy retting.
One of the most important effects on the quality of the flax straw (and fibre) begins when straw is prepared for dew retting. This must be carried out at the right moment (green-yellow maturity of straw); the process of
retting must be monitored and the straw turned if necessary, and retting must be stopped (by drying and taking it from the field) at the proper time.
The first flax-spinning mill was opened in England in 1787, but it was not until 1812 that linen was successfully woven with power looms.
The Shroud of Turin in Italy is a single piece of linen cloth measuring about 4.27m (14 ft.) by 1.07m (3.5 ft.). The weave is a 3 over 1 herringbone weave.
When told that Irish linen petticoats for Follies dancers were far more expensive than plain cotton, Florenz Ziegfeld replied: "I know. But Irish linen does something to their walk – remember, they are Ziegfeld Girls!"
There is approximately 2.7 Km of yarn in one Thomas Ferguson double damask napkin
Philippe Henri de Girard (1775 - 1845), was a French engineer and inventor of the first flax spinning frame in 1810, as well the town of Żyrardów in Poland was named after him.
The life span of the flax plant, in the field, is 100 days, from the first shoots to full maturity.
From the well known works by the old masters to contemporary works of art, the most beautiful painters canvases are made of linen.
Flax needs 5 times less fertilisers and pesticides than cotton to grow.
The foundation of machine spinning of flax was laid by John Kendrew and Thomas Porthouse of Darlington, who, in 1787, secured a patent for " a mill or machine upon new principles for spinning yarn from hemp, tow, flax or wool."
From the earliest periods of human history till almost the close of the 18th century the manufacture of linen was one of the most extensive and widely disseminated of the domestic industries of countries in Europe.
In the Great Exhibition of 1851, yarn of 760 lea, equal to nearly 130 miles per lb, was shown which had been spun by an Irish woman eighty-four years of age.
A damask tablecloth woven in Waringstown in 1727 was discovered in 1981 in Winchester. This shows that the Irish weavers could produce top quality damasks more than 80 years before the famous Jacquard Principle was introduced to Irish weaving in 1804.
The Irish Linen Guild is the official promotional body for the Irish linen industry and was formed in
1928.
The linen is "Irish Linen" if it is woven in Ireland – regardless of where the garment or product is
made up. Irish linen refers to the fabric.
Never tumble-dry linen as this can over-dry the fibres and makes ironing more difficult.
Always iron linen when damp, first on the wrong side to eliminate creases and then on the right side
if you wish to enhance the fabric’s natural sheen.
In the 19th century Belfast was even given the nickname of "Linenopolis" due to the extent of the linen trade in the city.
Linen spinning did not really progress until James Kay of Preston invented ‘wet spinning’ in 1825.
The original flax to be used for its fibre was the wild, Linum angustifolium
Top quality flax is primarily grown in Western Europe.
Linen is a material made from the fibres of the flax plant.
Flax is the emblem of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Flax fibre is extracted from the bast or skin of the stem of flax plant.
One tablespoon of ground flaxseeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together.
The seeds produce a vegetable oil known as linseed oil or flaxseed oil.
In addition to the plant itself, flax may refer to the unspun fibres of the flax plant.
Flax is one of the few plant species that is capable of producing truly blue flowers (most "blue" flowers are really shades of purple).
The characteristic most often associated with linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur randomly along its length. However, these are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent diameter with no slubs.
Due to its one-time common use to make fine fabric, "linens" became the generic term for sheets and pillowcases, although these are now often made of cotton or synthetic fibres.
Linen is available in different qualities varying from almost silk-like to sack-linen. Linen is usually white to ivory, may be washed at 95 degC and should be ironed when damp. When being washed the first time, linen shrinks, as is the case with most natural fibres.
When linen fabrics are in contact with the skin, the nodes along the length of the fibre absorb perspiration, then swell and release the moisture to the outside air, thus creating a fabric self cooled by evaporation. As a result linen is a popular choice for bedding particularly in hot climates.
Flax yarns and fabrics increase about 20% in strength on wetting. Linen is also therefore stronger when being washed, resulting in greater longevity than, for example, cottons.
Linen is one of the world's oldest fabrics. Mummies have been found wrapped in linen shrouds dating as far back as 4500 BC
Linen is available in different qualities varying from almost silk-like to sack-linen. Linen is usually white to ivory, may be washed at 95 degC and should be ironed when damp. When being washed the first time, linen shrinks, as is the case with most natural fibres.
Due to its one-time common use to make fine fabric, "linens" became the generic term for sheets and pillowcases, although these are now often made of cotton or synthetic fibres.
The characteristic most often associated with linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur randomly along its length. However, these are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent diameter with no slubs.
The standard measure of bulk linen yarn is the lea. A yarn having a size of 1 lea will give 300 yards per pound. The fine yarns used in handkerchiefs, etc. might be 40 lea, and give 40 x 300 = 12000 yards per pound.
Paper for the US dollar is 25%linen and 75%cotton. It is specially made for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and possession of the blank paper by outsiders is a federal crime.
The word linen is derived from the Latin for the flax plant, which is linum, and the earlier Greek linon.
Linen is one of the world's oldest fabrics. Mummies have been found wrapped in linen shrouds dating as far back as 4500 B.C.
Flax yarns and fabrics increase about 20% in strength on wetting. Linen is also therefore stronger when being washed, resulting in greater longevity than, for example, cotton.
Over time linen textiles become softer and actually improves in comfort.
When linen fabrics are in contact with the skin, the nodes along the length of the fibre absorb perspiration, then swell and release the moisture to the outside air, thus creating a fabric self cooled by evaporation. As a result linen is a popular choice for bedding particularly in hot climates.
Linen can absorb up to 20% of its own weight in moisture while still feeling dry to the touch.
Linen is virtually lint free, non-static, non-allergenic, naturally insect-repellent and gives UV protection.
Fergusons can weave linen damask fabric up to 3m wide.
The weft yarn in Fergusons Double Damask is so fine that 25 miles of yarn weighs only 1kg.
Pure linen damask is the name given to products woven from pure flax yarns in a special manner so that patterns are visible even in an all white cloth.
Linen is woven from the fibres of the flax plant and is a completely natural product. Linen fibre is totally biodegradable and recyclable..
