Summer & Linen: A Match made in heaven
I am about to tell you the perfect romantic story.
One that doesn’t end up in a tragedy. Like Jack and Rose from Titanic.
This is the story of Linen and Summer.
How they met and were bonded forever. So, brace yourself.
Table of content
- What is Linen and how it is made?
– About flax
– How it is made - Why linen is popular in summer wear?
- Buy flax fabrics online from Dinesh Exports India
What is linen and how it is made?
Linen used to be a precious material.
During the Egyptian empire, the pharaohs were wrapped in linen after they died.
You may have seen this in movies.
The high priests and the elites also had access to flax.
It was believed to have natural healing capacities.
About Linen
Today, linen is cultivated around the globe.
Linen is also known as flax.
The fiber is derived from the stems of the flax plant.
There is evidence that the Neolithic people in Europe were making linen textiles as long as 36000 years ago.
While this may be hard to digest, we can surely say that flax was used in ancient Mesopotamia.
The archaeologists have found evidence of domesticated flax in the remaining.
This civilization existed about 10000 years ago.
With time, flax cultivation got focused in a few countries.
China is among the top manufacturers of flax today.
The popularity of flax subsided when cotton and other synthetic fibers came into existence.
The process of manufacturing flax is tedious and resource-consuming.
This was the major reason for flax to lose its popularity.
But it is still in demand.
A minority of the population still demands flax products.
A variety of products are now made with flax.
Bedsheets, fabrics, pillowcases, dish towels, bath towels, wallpaper, suits, shirts, dresses, aprons, tablecloths, diapers, napkins, bags and so on.
How linen is made?
flax manufacturing has six steps.
These steps are not the modern-day mechanized version.
Rather a medieval approach.
This will help you understand flax manufacturing better.
Step 1: Sowing the flaxseed. This is done during the month of April. Although this can be different based on country. It is important to plant the seeds during the cooler part of the year in order to avoid crop death due to heat.
Step 2: In three months, the flax plant grows to its full height. The flax stems become yellow and the seeds are turned brown during the right harvesting time.
Step 3: The flax plant is pulled out from the land and soaked in water for two weeks.
Step 4: After two weeks it is taken out and spread evenly in the sun to dry. The drying process takes about ten days.
Step 5: The dried flax plants are bundled together and kept for five days.
Step 6: It is then sent to the mill to make threads and further process to manufacture products.
Why linen is popular in summer wear?
flax has several qualities that make it an ideal material for the summer.
- Linen is breathable: During the summer, it can be usual to sweat a lot. The last thing we want is our garments sticking to our skin and making us uncomfortable. Flax has a natural quick-drying property, which is higher than cotton. flax fabric appears crisper in hot weather. It is also a lightweight fiber that allows maximum breathability making it perfect for a hot summer garment.
- Linen is cool and it absorbs: Linen is a heat-conducting material. The fibers have the capacity to absorb 1/5 of their weight before giving a feeling of being damp or wet. The hypoallergenic property of flax fights the breakdown of fibers due to sweating. This significantly alleviates the effect of heat and humidity.
- Linen is versatile: Earth is getting warmer by the day. So linen fabrics are going to be in most demand. One of the key advantages of flax is that it lasts a long time. The color stays fresh for years. It gives the best cost-per-wear value for apparel in the market.
Buy Linen fabric online from Dinesh Exports, India
If you are a merchandiser, product developer or someone who sources fabrics for brands or factories, we can help you with high quality linen fabrics and other woven fabrics. View more linen fabrics here.
You choose peace or war?