From Wikipedia the term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers, however today it is often used as a generic term to describe bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles because traditionally linen was so widely used for towels, sheets, etc. As used today the word "linen" is descriptive of a class of woven textiles used in homes as towels, sheets, and tablecloths. In the past, the word also referred to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises,
waist shirts, lingerie, and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. Linens were manufactured almost exclusively of fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatisimum.
Linen is the oldest textile material in the world. Its history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds,
fibre, 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. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were extremely fine and the fineness of the yarns in them cannot be produced on spinning machines. The linen had to be made by hand.
Bedding uses linen a great deal. It is interesting to note it was the
Egyptian Pharaohs who first moved the beds off the floor around 3400 BC. With fine linen covering the bed. The Roman Empire used more linen by creating luxury beds stuffed with wool, feather, reeds, or hay. Further more during the Renaissance linen made out of silk, velvets or satin material was used to make mattresses.
Table clothes are another item that uses linen very heavily. A table cloth of course is a cloth used to cover a table. You will find most table clothes made out of cotton but today a table clothe is on a daily bases is made of some
varsity of plastic so that it is easy to clean. More expensive linens used for special
occasions may be made from silk, linen or lace.
Today linens are very heavily collected and you will find booths antique shows, loaded down with
unique and beautiful linens. You will also find many types of linen at your local antique shops. |
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