 Linen fabrics, which are often compared with cotton, are not inferior to the latter one thanks to their perfect characteristics
Added: 10/26/2005 |
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Linen fabrics which are also called "flaxen cloth" came into use 10,000 years ago. At that time people wore skins but used flax for making coarse textiles and nets for fishing. Some remnants of those textiles and nets were found in Switzerland. Linen clothing was used as burial shrouds for Egyptian pharaohs. Linen is the cloth of Bible time. In the past thtis fabric was much more important for people than today. It served people for centuries.
Linen is of plant origin. Linen fabrics were obtained from woody part of the flax plant. But it is worthy of note that the plant was used by people for some other purposes, too. First of all, it was used as a source of fiber for linen. The seeds of the plant were used for the crops of the following year. People were also making flour for bread. And finally the seeds were crushed for animal feed and for oil. Thanks to all this flax became one of the most important staple plants of ancient times. So, flax plants can be cultivated for two purposes: for seeds and for fiber. However, the plant raised for seeds were not good for linen clothing and vice versa. The seeds were sold also to those who produced various varnishes and paints. As for the woody stalks, they were used as fodder for cattle. The flaw straw may also be used for making rugs, upholstery, ropes and twine.
Flax for fiber is best raised in the countries with humid, but rather mild climate. Local population in Belarus manufactured linen garments out of flax for centuries.If compared to cotton, the fiber needs more care. In order to transform the fiber into cloth handcraft was used in a number of countries. In the north flax is sown in spring, at the same period as rye and wheat. The plant does not require much efforts before harvesting time. The crops are gathered at summer's end. When seeds become brown and the stalks get yellow at the base, the plants are pulled out of the soil. In order to dry the plant, the workers collect them into bundles resembling wigwams. After plants are dried, they are rushed through a machine that breaks and crushes wooden stalks. Then follows the procedure of scutching, that is elimination of fibers from the stalks. Completely prepared linen fabrics were used for dresses , table damasks and handkerchiefs.
As a rule linen fabrics are yellow or gray. Pale white linen is considered to be the best. In Egypt linen is pearl gray. Linen clothing is sometimes called luxury linen for its luster. Moreover, natural luster of linen may be increased by means of beating or pounding the linen after weaving. If compared to cotton, linen fabrics are much stronger, especially when they are wet. However, over-retting may significantly weaken linen fiber. But when fiber is excessively dry, then it is difficult to spin linen. For this reason linen is kept spun in cellars where the air is humid. As for bleaching, its overuse may cause the textile lose its strength and decrease in weight. As compared to cotton, linen is not that elastic. That is why linen may crease and wrinkle. But linen fabrics are better heat conductors than cotton ones. They remove the heat from the body much faster. That's why linen clothes have a cooler hand touch, then cotton made garments.
Linen and cotton have almost the same absorbing abilities. However, a linen dish towel can dry more dishes than a cotton one before becoming damp. Linen also dries quicker than cotton. Both cotton and linen are composed mostly of cellulose. But the part of natural impurities in linen is larger than in cotton. Linen fabrics need more thorough bleaching, because of necessity to remove higher content natural impurities to achieve genuine white color.
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