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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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