Linen Fabric Guide
There are various fabrics available in the markets that are perfect for clothing as well as decors. One of the luxurious fabrics amongst them is linen, which is a perfect clothing choice, especially during the summer season. Below is a brief look at some of the details about the linen fabric.
How Linen is Made
The history of this garment is actually dated back to many centuries. Still, the fabric gained prominence only recently though; until then, most people were unaware of the features and quality of linen. One of the interesting facts about linen fabric is that it was used in Egypt in order to wrap the bodies of mummies. This made the material suitable for preserving antique things.
Linen is actually a natural material that is made from faux plants; the cultivation of these plants in order to yield linen fibers began approximately 6000 years ago. In the process, the plant is either pulled by the hand or cut from the ground and then the seeds are removed from it by Ripping or Winnowing methods.
It said that in order to get finer linen, it is better to pull the plants. This is followed by Retting method to remove the stock of the plant from the fibers. After this, the longest fiber among them, which will be up to 20 cm long is selected and spun into yarns. These yarns are then woven into beautiful fabrics.
Benefits of Linen
The main advantage of linen is its non-porous structure that gives it the natural heat and moisture-wicking properties making it ideal to wear during summertime. Linen is also a good conductor of heat that contributes to its application in bedding as well. Another benefit is that the linen fabric can hold dye colors better than many of the other fabric materials.
Linen is naturally anti-bacterial that made it popular for making bandages. Additionally, this property also made it desirable for accessories like accent pillows and for window treatments. Linen fabric has some disadvantages as well; it tends to wrinkle soon because of its elastic nature. Apart from this, linen material is one of the smart choices for clothing as well as accessories.
Linen vs. Cotton
Even though linen and cotton are made from natural fibers, linen is three times stronger than cotton. In fact, linen is considered as the strongest natural fiber in the world. Despite this strong texture, linen is very soft and graceful, and is ideal to offer the most fluid drape. Besides, linen has also got a bigger lifespan when compared to cotton fabric.
