Showing posts with label Pure Linen Flax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pure Linen Flax. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Is Linen and Flax the same?
Linen is made from a Bast fibre or skin fibre taken from the "inner bark" skin or bast surrounding the stem of a certain flowering plants with net-veined leaves (dicotyledonous). The Flax plant (usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
LINEN made from flax, one of natures natural products is a beautiful, elegant, durable, refined luxury fabric. Linen flax is the strongest of the vegetable fibers and has 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. Linen table cloths and napkins have been handed down generation to generation. Not only is the linen fiber strong, it is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free. Fine china, silver and candles are enhanced by the luster of linen which only gets softer and finer the more it is washed.
Linen is from flax, a fiber taken from the stalk of the plant. The luster is from the natural wax content. Creamy white to light tan, this fiber can be easily dyed and the color does not fade when washed. Linen does wrinkle easily but also presses easily. Linen, like cotton, can also be boiled without damaging the fiber.
Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, this fabric is cool in garments. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during the laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Why Linen?
First of all, what is Pure Linen?
The term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers; however, today it is often used as a generic term to describe a class of woven bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles because traditionally linen was so widely used for towels, sheets, etc. In the past, the word also referred to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waistshirts, lingerie, and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. Linens were manufactured almost exclusively of fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatissimum. But textiles made of cotton, hemp, and other plant fibers have also been referred to as 'linen' which can make the exact referent of the term somewhat unclear and confusing to the buyer.
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. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were extremely fine and cannot be matched by modern spinning techniques.
So why is Linen so comfortable?
Linen fabric breathes, much like human skin, it can absorb up 20% or more of its own weight in moisture, while still feeling dry to the touch.Linen also absorbs the moisture rapidly which makes it wonderful for bath and kitchen towels. You and your dishes will dry quickly. Even better, your drinking glasses will be lint free.
Linen is also truly healthy. Linen cannot provoke allergies, it is anti-static and can even help soften and preserve the skin due to its natural pH balance. The non-allergic, antibacterial, and antimycotic (Suppressing thegrowth of fungi) properties of linen are emphasized more and more often and is something the buyer should seriously consider.
Thanks to linen’s temperature-regulating properties. In hot weather, linen absorbs moisture and excess heat, while in cool weather it retains body heat. Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, linen fabric feels cool to the touch.
Over time linen becomes softer and even more comfortable.
Why does Linen wrinkle?
However, if you are not found of wrinkles, linen may not be best for you. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free, and gets softer the more it is washed. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily explaining why it wrinkles so easily.
What about static electricity?
Static electricity that can build up on our bodies and everyday objects, and the mini-shocks that may result, usually only cause mild discomfort, and have not been shown to have a detrimental effect on human health. However, some people do appear to be particularly sensitive to static shocks, and in such cases the constant anticipation of the shock can contribute to high stress levels.
Some people produce more electrostatic charge than others, for various reasons including body size and the materials their clothing and shoes are made of. Clothes made from wool, silk or synthetics, and plastic-soled shoes can all cause electrostatic charge to build up. Some people simply feel electrostatic shocks more than others.
Linen is one solution to this problem. It minimizes the build up of static electricity, and is not a source of it.
more information
The term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers; however, today it is often used as a generic term to describe a class of woven bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles because traditionally linen was so widely used for towels, sheets, etc. In the past, the word also referred to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waistshirts, lingerie, and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. Linens were manufactured almost exclusively of fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatissimum. But textiles made of cotton, hemp, and other plant fibers have also been referred to as 'linen' which can make the exact referent of the term somewhat unclear and confusing to the buyer.
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. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were extremely fine and cannot be matched by modern spinning techniques.
So why is Linen so comfortable?
Linen fabric breathes, much like human skin, it can absorb up 20% or more of its own weight in moisture, while still feeling dry to the touch.Linen also absorbs the moisture rapidly which makes it wonderful for bath and kitchen towels. You and your dishes will dry quickly. Even better, your drinking glasses will be lint free.
Linen is also truly healthy. Linen cannot provoke allergies, it is anti-static and can even help soften and preserve the skin due to its natural pH balance. The non-allergic, antibacterial, and antimycotic (Suppressing thegrowth of fungi) properties of linen are emphasized more and more often and is something the buyer should seriously consider.
Thanks to linen’s temperature-regulating properties. In hot weather, linen absorbs moisture and excess heat, while in cool weather it retains body heat. Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, linen fabric feels cool to the touch.
Over time linen becomes softer and even more comfortable.
Why does Linen wrinkle?
However, if you are not found of wrinkles, linen may not be best for you. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free, and gets softer the more it is washed. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily explaining why it wrinkles so easily.
What about static electricity?
Static electricity that can build up on our bodies and everyday objects, and the mini-shocks that may result, usually only cause mild discomfort, and have not been shown to have a detrimental effect on human health. However, some people do appear to be particularly sensitive to static shocks, and in such cases the constant anticipation of the shock can contribute to high stress levels.
Some people produce more electrostatic charge than others, for various reasons including body size and the materials their clothing and shoes are made of. Clothes made from wool, silk or synthetics, and plastic-soled shoes can all cause electrostatic charge to build up. Some people simply feel electrostatic shocks more than others.
Linen is one solution to this problem. It minimizes the build up of static electricity, and is not a source of it.
more information
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Linen is NOT Hemp
Linen Flax is not the same as Hemp;
but, they are made from similar plant stalks.
The use of hemp can be traced back to 8000 BC in the Middle East and China where the fiber was used for textiles, the oil for cosmetic purposes and the seeds for food.
From as early as 5 BC to the mid-1800’s hemp fibers were used to manufacture 90% of all ships’ canvas sails, rigging, nets, and caulk because of its strength and resistance to the destructive effects of salt water. Hemp was also used for making paper, twines, carpet thread, carpet yarns, sailcloth, and for homespun and similar grades of woven goods. From the 500’s to the early 1900’s, many of the worlds greatest painters including Veronese, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, created their masterpieces on hemp canvas.
From the 1500’s to 1700’s hemp and flax were the major fiber crops in Russia and Europe and in 1606 French botanist Louis Hevert planted the first recorded hemp crop in North America in Port Royal, Acadia (present day Nova Scotia), where it became a major crop.
The Pilgrims first brought hemp seeds to America in 1632 and by 1850 hemp was America’s third largest crop. In fact, early American farmers were required to grow it. Two U.S. Presidents, Washington and Jefferson were hemp farmers when the U.S. was formed and they signed the Bill of Rights. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were first drafted on hemp paper. Hemp was the world’s largest single industry until the mid-1800’s.
Hemp was formally christened Cannabis sativa L. in 1753 by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.
Linseed oil is made from seeds of the Flax plant while seeds and oils from the Hemp plant are eatable. Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil" due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption.
What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., but from different varieties. There are different varieties of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs, Canis familiari.
Marijuana is the flowering tops and leaves of psychoactive varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their high THC content.
Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA. For more detailed information see Hemp 101.
There is one caveat worth mentioning.
Due to the extreme sensitivity of the urine drug test for marijuana, it is possible for the test to show positive after one has eaten hemp seeds or taken the oil. This is more likely to happen if unhulled seeds or products made from unhulled seeds were ingested as some resin could stick to the seed hull. It is also interesting to note that a drug test may read positive for opium if one ingests a poppy seed bagel or muffin before testing.
Hemp stalks are dried and broken down into two parts:
thread-like fibers called the "bast" and the inside pulp or "hurd." They have some applications in common, yet each one has its own very individual and distinct applications as well.
The long bark fiber from the stalks is cleaned and spun into threads and yarn for cordage, rope, carpets, or knit or woven into a variety of durable high quality textiles which can be used for an endless variety of products including clothing, curtains, upholstery, shoes, backpacks, and towels. The variety of fabrics made from hemp range from those as tough as burlap and denim, to cotton-like fabrics, to those as fine as silk, or as intricate as lace. The original Levi’s were made of hemp cloth and today designer Giorgio Armani, as well as other clothing manufacturers, is weaving hemp into clothes. Shoe companies are now using it in the manufacture of shoes. Within the last few years many cottage industries, offering an amazing array of hemp products, have sprung up.
Hemp fabrics have added beneficial qualities of being stronger, more insulative, more absorbent and more durable than cotton and they don’t stretch out of shape. Natural organic hemp fiber "breathes" and is biodegradable. It is remarkable that hemp will produce 1500 pounds of fiber per acre, whereas cotton will produce only 500 pounds per acre and it is estimated that half of all agricultural chemicals used in the US are employed in the growing of cotton.
One of the disadvantages of hemp clothing is that it is not naturally soft like cotton. It has more of a texture comparable to burlap, or canvas. When combined with other fabrics, or if it undergoes a special processing treatment, it can be made to be extremely soft.
but, they are made from similar plant stalks.
The use of hemp can be traced back to 8000 BC in the Middle East and China where the fiber was used for textiles, the oil for cosmetic purposes and the seeds for food.
From as early as 5 BC to the mid-1800’s hemp fibers were used to manufacture 90% of all ships’ canvas sails, rigging, nets, and caulk because of its strength and resistance to the destructive effects of salt water. Hemp was also used for making paper, twines, carpet thread, carpet yarns, sailcloth, and for homespun and similar grades of woven goods. From the 500’s to the early 1900’s, many of the worlds greatest painters including Veronese, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, created their masterpieces on hemp canvas.
From the 1500’s to 1700’s hemp and flax were the major fiber crops in Russia and Europe and in 1606 French botanist Louis Hevert planted the first recorded hemp crop in North America in Port Royal, Acadia (present day Nova Scotia), where it became a major crop.
The Pilgrims first brought hemp seeds to America in 1632 and by 1850 hemp was America’s third largest crop. In fact, early American farmers were required to grow it. Two U.S. Presidents, Washington and Jefferson were hemp farmers when the U.S. was formed and they signed the Bill of Rights. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were first drafted on hemp paper. Hemp was the world’s largest single industry until the mid-1800’s.
Hemp was formally christened Cannabis sativa L. in 1753 by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.
Linseed oil is made from seeds of the Flax plant while seeds and oils from the Hemp plant are eatable. Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil" due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption.
What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?
Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., but from different varieties. There are different varieties of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs, Canis familiari.
Marijuana is the flowering tops and leaves of psychoactive varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their high THC content.
Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA. For more detailed information see Hemp 101.
There is one caveat worth mentioning.
Due to the extreme sensitivity of the urine drug test for marijuana, it is possible for the test to show positive after one has eaten hemp seeds or taken the oil. This is more likely to happen if unhulled seeds or products made from unhulled seeds were ingested as some resin could stick to the seed hull. It is also interesting to note that a drug test may read positive for opium if one ingests a poppy seed bagel or muffin before testing.
Hemp stalks are dried and broken down into two parts:
thread-like fibers called the "bast" and the inside pulp or "hurd." They have some applications in common, yet each one has its own very individual and distinct applications as well.
The long bark fiber from the stalks is cleaned and spun into threads and yarn for cordage, rope, carpets, or knit or woven into a variety of durable high quality textiles which can be used for an endless variety of products including clothing, curtains, upholstery, shoes, backpacks, and towels. The variety of fabrics made from hemp range from those as tough as burlap and denim, to cotton-like fabrics, to those as fine as silk, or as intricate as lace. The original Levi’s were made of hemp cloth and today designer Giorgio Armani, as well as other clothing manufacturers, is weaving hemp into clothes. Shoe companies are now using it in the manufacture of shoes. Within the last few years many cottage industries, offering an amazing array of hemp products, have sprung up.
Hemp fabrics have added beneficial qualities of being stronger, more insulative, more absorbent and more durable than cotton and they don’t stretch out of shape. Natural organic hemp fiber "breathes" and is biodegradable. It is remarkable that hemp will produce 1500 pounds of fiber per acre, whereas cotton will produce only 500 pounds per acre and it is estimated that half of all agricultural chemicals used in the US are employed in the growing of cotton.
One of the disadvantages of hemp clothing is that it is not naturally soft like cotton. It has more of a texture comparable to burlap, or canvas. When combined with other fabrics, or if it undergoes a special processing treatment, it can be made to be extremely soft.
Linen is not cotton - Pure Linen Flax
Linen fabric is one of the earliest fibers to be made and it comes from the flax plant, which grows all over the world in wet regions like Southern Latvia, Lithuiana and Belarus (Bielorussia). Flax is a tall, reed-like plant, with long fibers which make it easy to spin into thread. You cut the plant stalks, and then leave them to soak in a tub of water or a stream until the hard outside stem rots away and leaves the long, soft fibers underneath. This process is called retting the flax.Then you take the fibers and spin them on a spindle into linen thread. Linen can be spun coarse, or it can be spun very very fine, depending on the skill of the spinner and what you want to use it for.
The Egyptians made sails out of coarse linen, for example, but used very fine linen for expensive tunics.
It is hard to dye linen, so mostly people wore it white or a tan color, the way it is naturally. It is not as warm as wool, but it is much softer and more comfortable on the skin (after you wear it a while; at first it is stiff and scratchy).
People were spinning and weaving linen by about 5000 BC, even before wool. In the first millennium BC, the Egyptians mostly wore linen, while Greeks and West Asians and Germans mostly wore wool. By the Roman period, however, many people wore linen tunics for comfort with wool robes over them for warmth, and in the Middle Ages in Europe this continued to be common, so that "linen" got to mean something like "underwear". The word "lingerie" is related to linen.
Also, as it is used on tables and for bed covernings, a common name "linen" is now used for both. This can be confusing for the unaware buyer. Read the labels and product information carefully. It should say 100% Linen or 100% Linen Flax materials.
Healthy Linen products manufactured from Studio Linen Fantasies in Riga, Latvia, is made from 100% Linen Flax materials.
Reference: Carr, Karen. "(History of Linen)" Kidipede - History for Kids. 2007. February 17, 2008.
more information History Linen
more information History Linen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
