the linen shop

Linen is the most ancient of fabrics, with a rich and romantic heritage. It is widely accepted birth as a textile was in Egypt some 10,000 years ago. Evidence found in pre-historic caves in Georgia shows that linen may have been used as a textile as long as 36,000 years ago. There are also findings in the Swiss lake regions= that point to fragments of yarns, fibers, seeds, and straw that show linen fabrics may date back to the period of 8000 B.C.

The Egyptians prized linen for its ability to remain cool and fresh in warm weather. Linen is a fiber made from the flax plant, or more accurately, from the cellulose fibers that grow inside of the stalks of the flax plant. The flax plant grows on a yearly cycle and does not require a great deal of water or maintenance. This made it perfect for Egyptian farmers. The annual flooding of the Nile provided enough water and nutrients to germinate the flax seeds, which then required intermittent watering for the next 100 days. Ancient Egyptian linen, although coarse compared with modern linen, was used for clothing, currency, furnishings, decorations, and most famously, as burial garments for mummies. Linen was considered a symbol of purity, wealth, and light. Today, linen is produced much the same as it was back in Ancient Egypt.

Flax was not hard to grow. It only takes 100 days for the plant to mature. During this time, however, the plant absorbs most of the soil’s nutrients. Due to this, the growing field needs to remain uncultivated for many years post-harvest. As a result, only the elite kings and priests could afford linen in ancient times.

In the 12th to 8th century B.C., the Phoenicians who were navigators exported linen for the first time: They carried linen from Egypt to Spain, Ireland, England, Rome, and Greece. As of 1,700 B.C., from the Nile to the Red Sea, the canals allowed sailing from Tyre in Egypt to India and China.

These traders first introduced linen to Europe in 900 B.C. Romans set up linen factories in Gaul and Britain to meet the needs of their colonial forces. However, the prominence was only gained in the Middle Ages in Europe.

Different varieties of flax were cultivated in various regions. In Spain, Egyptian flax was woven but was not at all strong.

Such production went on until the 12th century when Italy and France started using linen for tablecloths. Quickly, all clothing was made using linen, and by the 16th century; flax was widely produced across Europe and other continents. Linen was no longer a reserved fabric for the elites, as its popularity grew by leaps and bounds.

In the 4th century B.C., the Romans conquered Egypt and their view about linen was the opposite. While Egyptian linen was entirely white, the Romans introduced vivid, bright dyes. In ancient times, in almost every nation, each family grew flax and wove the resultant linen for personal use. However, the earliest evidence of a well-set linen industry comes from Egypt and is 4,000 years old.

In the early 13th century, a weaver named Baptiste mastered t a method of weaving that produced a superior and finely woven linen fabric. The cloth was exported to Spain, England, Italy, Flanders, and Holland. The batiste weave soon became the preferred material for table linens, handkerchiefs, and innerwear.

Linen flourished even in the American colonies, especially among farm households. Each family had their own flax plot from where flax was processed for spinning and weaving by hand, each year. The homespun cloth was usually merged with commercially produced fabric for making linens and clothing in each household. The southern colonies used linen for ropes, canvas, and sailcloth. Northern colonies, due to the colder climate, made finer linens.

In the 17th century, hands-free spinning became possible with a wheel run by a foot treadle. By this time, household items created using hand-woven linen were the elite status symbol. During this time, Ireland became popular in weaving the finest of linen, which the recognition persists till today.

The Irish harvest flax before the plant matures. This creates fibers which are very fine and soft. Not allowing the plant to reach maturity produces no seeds for succeeding crops. As such, the linen industry in Ireland is entirely dependent on importing flaxseeds.