Q. What are the properties of linen?
A. Linen is made from the fibers of the flax plant. It is pretty much indestructible and does not lint or pill. Linen fabrics have a high natural luster and their natural color ranges between shades of ivory, tan, or grey. Pure white linen is created by heavy bleaching.

Linen typically has a thick and thin character with a crisp and textured feel to it, but can range from stiff and rough to soft and smooth. When adequately prepared, linen has the ability to absorb and lose water rapidly. It can gain up to 20% moisture without feeling damp.

When freed from impurities it is highly absorbent and will quickly remove perspiration from the skin. Linen is a stiff fabric and is less likely to cling to the skin and when it billows away it tends to dry out and become cool so that the skin is being continually touched by a cool surface. It is a very durable, strong fabric and one of the few that are stronger wet than dry. It does not stretch and is resistant to damage from abrasion. It is resistant to moths and carpet beetles.

Linen is relatively easy to take care of since it resists dirt and stains, has no lint or pilling tendency and can be dry cleaned, machine washed or steamed. It can withstand high temperatures and yields only moderate initial shrinkage. It should not be dried too much by tumble drying, and is much easier to iron when damp. It has a tendency to wrinkle and this is often considered part of linen's particular charm.

A characteristic often associated with linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur randomly along its length. The finest linen has very consistent diameter threads with few or no slubs. Linen has been used for table coverings, bed coverings and clothing for centuries. The exclusivity of linen stems from the fact that it is difficult and time consuming to produce (flax in itself requires a great deal of attention in its growth). Flax is difficult to weave because of its lack of elasticity, and therefore is more expensive to manufacture than cotton. The benefits of linen however, are unmatched.

Q. What are the differences between cotton and linen?
A. The term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatisimum. Textiles made of cotton, hemp, and other plant fibers are not linen but are sometimes mistakenly called 'linens'.

Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, pure linen fabric feels cool to the touch. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free, and gets softer the more it is washed.

Today linen is usually an expensive textile and is produced in relatively small quantities. It has a long "staple" (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.

Due to the parallel arrangement of its fibers, linen is a stronger, sturdier fabric than cotton. In addition, linen is highly absorbent (perfect for dish towels and napkins). Due to its insulating qualities, linen coverings provide cooling benefits. The subtle combination of firmness and softness of linen make this fabric a favorite.

Linen can be machine-washed (and grows softer with time and use) and then ironed while still damp with a hot iron. Linen products tend to outlast cotton, enduring up to 20 years of use.

“luxury is about having the best… not just for the trend of the moment, but to have something for life that has been made to the highest quality" – Silvia Fendi

Q. What is the history of linen?
A. Linen textiles may be the oldest in the world. Their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns and various types of fabrics which date back to about 8000 B.C. have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Linen was used in the Mediterranean in the pre-Christian age. Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen because it was seen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. The use of linen for priestly vestments was not confined to the Israelites. From Plutarch, who lived and wrote one hundred years after the birth of Christ, we know that also the priests of Isis wore linen because of its purity.

When the tomb of the Pharaoh Ramesses II, who died 1213 BC, was discovered in 1881, the linen wrappings were in a state of perfect preservation - after more than 3000 years. In the Belfast Library there is preserved the mummy of "Kaboolie,' the daughter of a priest of Ammon, who died 2,500 years ago. The linen on this mummy is in a like state of perfection. When the tomb of Tutankamen was opened, the linen curtains were found intact.

In olden days, in almost every country, each family grew flax and wove the linen for its own use; but the earliest records of an established linen industry are 4,000 years old, and come to us from Egypt. The Phoenicians, who, with their merchant fleet, opened up new channels of commerce to the peoples of the Mediterranean, besides developing the tin mines of Cornwall, introduced flax growing and the making of linen into Ireland before the birth of Christ, but the internal dissensions, which even in those early days were prevalent in Erin, militated against the establishment of an organized industry, and it is not until the twelfth century that there are records of a definite attempt to systematize flax production.

Q. What is special about Linen towels?
A. Linen does not lint when drying dishes, so there are no nasty streaks or fabric left on glasses and delicate china. Linen glass cloths are highly absorbent and also dry out very quickly making them the most practical of kitchen fabrics. Linen also adds luxury to the bathroom. See our hand towels in a special huckaback weave.