Learn all about linen! We discuss the fascinating history of linen, common characteristics of linen, and the many great pattern suggestions for sewing with linen. We also touch on some tips and tricks for sewing with linen and our favourite linen makes!
Thanks to In A Haystack for supporting Love to Sew! In a Haystack helps stitchers discover sewing patterns, fabrics, and small creative businesses. If you’d like to join the pack, go to inahaystack.co.uk!
The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
Love to Sew episodes mentioned:
Blackbird Fabrics Linen products mentioned:
- Most popular Blackbird Fabrics fabric – Viscose Linen Noil
- Caroline’s favourite – Viscose Linen Slub
- Blackbird Fabric’s Washed Linen
- Blackbird Fabric’s Mid-Weight Linen
Lightweight linen (up to 5oz) is great for cooler summer garments!
Pattern options mentioned for lightweight linen:
Medium / Mid-Weight linen (6-9oz) works well for pants, dress, or even suits!
Pattern options mentioned for mid-weight linens include:
- Pona Jacket by Helen’s Closet Patterns
- Arden Pants by Helen’s Closet Patterns
- Mildred Jumpsuit by Style Arc
- The Gyo by Merchant and Mills
Heavier weight linen is less popular but sometimes can be used for garments!
Pattern mentioned heavier weight linen:
Helen’s fav linen makes:
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Caroline’s fav linen makes:
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Resources/Other:
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Transcript:
This transcript is based on the Love to Sew Favourite re-release version of this episode, released on July 13, 2021. You can listen to this version with the player below:
Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.
Caroline: Hello, Love to Sew listener. We’re currently in our podcast off season. So we’re taking a little break from recording right now.
Helen: This summer, we’re excited to revisit some of our favorite episodes from years past. We hope you will love these reruns as much as we do. Remember, you can still access the show notes by going to lovetosewpodcast.com and searching for the episode. If you want more Love to Sew, head over to our Patreon. We have a lot of fun over there, and we appreciate our Patreon fam so, so much.
Caroline: For $5 U.S. per month, you’ll get access to our monthly bonus episode. Our Patreon episodes really feel like a catch-up with friends. This is where we share what we’ve been up to in our personal lives, our businesses, what we’re sewing, and things we’re loving like recipes, podcasts, TV shows, board games, and more. Throughout the month, we also share behind the scenes photos.
I recently gave our patrons a sneak peek of some of our upcoming exclusive Blackbird releases, and Helen you’ve given sneak peaks of patterns too, right?
Helen: Yes, it is top secret stuff just for our Patreon supporters. And if you join at $10 U.S. per month, you will get 15% off discount codes for Blackbird Fabrics, Helen’s Closet, and our Love to Sew swag shop. And this code can be reused again and again, so it’s a great deal, especially if you shop with us frequently. Plus, you’ll get a bonus mini-sode where we answer a patron question or cover a specific sewing topic. So you can learn more and sign up to support us at patreon.com/lovetosew.
Caroline: And don’t worry folks, we’ll be back in September 2021 with a fabulous new season of Love to Sew. Now let’s get to this Love to Sew favorite.
Helen: Hello and welcome. I’m Helen.
Caroline: And I’m Caroline.
Helen: And we love to sew. This is a podcast for makers where we talk about sewing a handmade wardrobe and bring you interviews with inspiring creatives and small business owners in our community.
Caroline: Today, we are doing a deep dive into one of our favorite fabrics: linen. We discuss the history of linen, common characteristics of linen, and share some of our favorite sewing patterns that work great with linen fabrics. We also give you sewing tips and discuss how linen is made.
Helen: Ooh, intriguing.
Caroline: We love linen.
Caroline: Hi, Helen.
Helen: Hi, Caroline.
Caroline: How are you?
Helen: I’m good. How are you?
Caroline: I’m great. Enjoying the summery weather.
Helen: Oh yes. And linen is perfect for summer weather.
Caroline: Oh, what a perfect episode. Perfectly timed. Did we do that on purpose?
Helen: Oh, I don’t know. Did we do things on purpose?
Caroline: Sometimes. Alright, let’s hit it off with a question from Laurie.
“Hi. First, I have learned so much by listening to your podcasts, and it’s just so fun to listen to while sewing, driving, or on my lunch break.”
Thanks, Laurie.
“I’m wondering how I can solve the issue of fabric stretching out as I wear the garment. You know when you put on clothes and they fit so well, then by the time lunch comes or you get out of your car, the rear end area has stretched out and sags.
Ugh. What do I look for in fabric so that won’t happen? I do love sewing with linen, but that happens. What works for pants so it keeps its shape? Thank you.”
Helen: This is an ongoing issue in everyone’s wardrobe. I totally know exactly what you mean, especially if you do a lot of commuting in a car, getting out of that car, by the time you get to work, and everything is wrinkly.
I mean, especially with fabrics like linen, that is something that you’re going to have to consider. So it is better to choose fabrics that don’t grow quite as much. So linen is prone to growing. It might not be the best fit for your lifestyle. Cotton may be a bit better, but it will still grow. So actually something that’s heavier, maybe something that has some spandex in it, like 1-3% spandex will have better recovery and make it less prone to stretching out. And also more comfortable to wear and sit in.
Caroline: Yeah. Also, fabrics blended with poly. So, like, a cotton poly spandex for jeans or wool poly for suiting or a linen poly. We’ll talk about that later. Those are really great options for you, too, if you want to avoid that stretching out. And of course, there’s always the option to size down.
If you do really want a linen garment and you know that that linen fabric is going to stretch out, um, and bag out, then sizing down could be a good option. But yeah, it’s all about, I think, picking the right garment to pair with those fabrics that are going to be prone to bagging a little bit.
Helen: Thank you, Laurie, for your question.
Caroline: Okay. Let’s talk about linen. I have been wanting to do this episode for so long. It’s no secret that we are huge fans of linen, and yeah, it’s just one of our favorite fabrics. So I’m excited to dive in.
Helen: Yeah, me too. So linen is made from the flax plant, and the flax straw is actually processed into fibers and then woven into fabric. So it comes from plants.
Caroline: It does, and it’s easy to sew with and so comfortable to wear. Those are two things that we really, really love about linen. But first let’s go through some characteristics that you will find in linen fabrics. So the first one is that linen wrinkles easily. So giving it a quick iron before you wear it is a nice idea, and it does work temporarily, but that is not necessarily going to last the whole day because linen just wrinkles as you wear it. I think that the crinkly, wrinkly aspects of linen are just part of its charm, personally.
Helen: I agree. I call it the rumpled realness.
Caroline: You just have to embrace the wrinkles. We’ve said that on the show before, just embrace the wrinkles.
Helen: We did also read that you can try using a high heat on your iron and a touch of spray starch, especially on collars to keep things a little bit crisper, but again, you’re still going to get those wrinkles, so it doesn’t take care of it entirely. I dunno, Caroline, do you iron your linen garment?
Caroline: I do because when linen, for me, comes out of the dryer, um, I’m not great at taking stuff out of the dryer, like, immediately. So my linen garments, when they come out, are not wearable, in my opinion. I iron my clothes, maybe, once a week, if I’m lucky, and I usually do it while I’m watching TV or listening to an audio book or watching an e-course or something. I usually have a distraction to help me to enjoy ironing because I definitely don’t love it, but I’m not a meticulous ironer. I just get out the major creases and smooth out the neckline and hems.
So, especially with linen, you can use really high heat. You can iron from the backside and just give it one quick pass, make it look half decent, and you’re good to go.
Helen: Yeah, I totally agree. Especially because, like we said, those wrinkles are coming right back as soon as you wear it for, like, a couple of hours. Another characteristic of linen is that it’s really strong. It’s actually stronger than cotton.
Caroline: Yes, it is, and it tends to have a cool hand. So when we talk about a cool or a warm hand, that means that when you touch the fabric and feel the fabric, it’s, kind of, how it feels in your hands. So does it have, sort of, like, a cooling feeling or does it have a warming feeling? And linen tends to have a cooling feeling which is why it’s such a lovely fiber to wear in the summertime when it’s really hot.
Helen: Yes, and it also softens with washing over time. You can totally machine wash your linens. Obviously it’s personal preference how you want to care for your clothes. If you want to maintain the crispness, you can go for a dry cleaning, but we both prefer to put our linen in the washer and dryer just with all of our regular other clothes because they come out softer that way.
I find if I hang my linen shirt on the line to dry, it comes off quite stiff afterwards. And then I have to iron it to, kind of, get that softness back. So if I put it in the dryer and set a timer so I can pull it out of the dryer right when it’s done, that’s, like, the best way to get your linen nice and soft and the least wrinkly as possible.
Caroline: Yeah. And find when I line dry my linen, which I don’t really do anymore, cause I’ve tried it and I don’t like how stiff it is, even ironing that garment doesn’t necessarily alleviate that stiffness, that crispness that happens when it air dries. So I definitely put my linen in the dryer all the way. That’s my favorite way to, to care for it.
And I also like the fact that the more you wash your linen and dry it, the seams, the hems, all the folds, those are going to fade. And I think that that’s part of the beauty of linen. You get those, kind of, faded lines, sort of, the way that jeans will fade over time. Linen just, kind of, fast-tracks that process. Just as a fiber, it, sort of, inherently fades, and that’s just part of the beauty of it.
Helen: Oh yeah. There’s honestly nothing more beautiful than a bias bound seam in a linen, after it’s been washed, like, 30 times. I just love it. Um, linen can also withstand a very high heat, so it’s, uh, pretty easy to use when you’re working with it on your project and using, you know, your iron and things like that. And it’s moth resistant which is great. So moths won’t be eating up your linen garments.
Caroline: Yeah. It’s also strong. It’s absorbent. It dries quite quickly. It’s breathable which means that air can flow easily through the fibers. So it’s a great choice if your body and skin prefers natural fibers. And again, it’s also great for warm weather and is often considered a summer garment fabric. But I would argue that it’s a year round fabric.
Helen: All the time. 24/7, 365.
Caroline: At least on the west coast of Canada, it is.
Helen: And what can you make with linen?
Caroline: You can make so much with linen, obviously garments. We think it’s great for pretty much any garment, as long as you want that linen look. And obviously, you know, you’re not going to make a super tight fitting pair of pants out of linen.
You have to be smart with your pattern pairings, uh, when you’re sewing it into a garment. But I do think it could work for most garments. It also comes in a lot of weights which is great. So you can find the right weight for your project. A lighter weight will work really well for a blouse or a button-down down shirt.
And, um, a heavier weight could work really well for a jacket or a pair of elastic waist pants. And linen can also be lined so you can use a lighter weight and line it, if you want to make a dress, let’s say, but it’s not opaque enough for the dress. There are so many options with linen.
Helen: Definitely. We also love linen for home goods, so napkins and tea towels which are great beginner projects, tablecloths and bed linens. You can make your own pillow cases. You can make your own blankets. Linen can work for quilting, and we also love linen for aprons, so a really great, again, beginner project, something that you can use in your home, wear while you’re cooking or crafting, just so much fun to have a nice linen apron.
Caroline: Yeah. There’s something about a cross back style apron in a linen that you can just throw on. Such a fan.
Helen: Okay. Let’s talk a little bit about some history for linen. I do feel like we always want to put a little disclaimer on our historical sections cause we are not historians. We try to do our best with the research, but if you know a bit more about linen and you want to shoot us an email, we would love to hear from you.
Caroline: Yes, absolutely. So linen is one of the oldest fibers that we know of. The name Linen comes from the Latin name for the flax plant which is linum.
Helen: And various types of linen, actually date back to 8000 BC in Swiss lake dwellings. However, dyed flax fibers were found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia, and they indicate that linen fabrics may date back 36,000 years.
Caroline: Wow. That’s a lot of years.
Helen: 36,000 to be exact.
Caroline: Wow.
Helen: Linen also has a rich history in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. It was so valuable that it was sometimes even used as a form of currency, and Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen as a symbol of light, purity, and wealth.
Caroline: When the tomb of the Pharaoh Ramses II, who died in 1213 BC, was discovered in 1881, the linen wrappings were in a state of perfect preservation, after more than 3,000 years. That’s cool.
Helen: Oh my goodness. Yes. Also, when King Tut’s tomb was opened linen curtains placed in the tomb circa 1250 BCE were still identifiable. And it was also worn as everyday clothing, especially white linen was worn because it was so hot. And that’s something that we still do today. A crisp white linen shirt in the summertime… just perfect.
Caroline: Yeah, definitely. The Tarkhan dress is a linen dress that was excavated in 1913 in Egypt, and it’s over 5,000 years old. It’s the world’s oldest piece of women’s clothing. And in the 17th century, the German states and Russia were major sources of linen, and the linen industry was established in the Netherlands, Ireland, England, and Scotland. In North America, the expansion of the cotton industry reduced the importance of linen.
Helen: And we also have some fun facts here for you. The inner layer of garments, for example, jackets, was traditionally made of linen. Hence the word lining.
Caroline: Ooh.
Helen: What?!
Caroline: Interesting. We also hear the word linen in the context of bedding and table linens. And many of us refer to the place where we store such items as a linen closet because they were traditionally made from linen.
Helen: And the term linens can also refer to lightweight undergarments, such as shirts, lingerie, detachable shirt cuffs and collars. These items were also historically made out of linen.
Caroline: There is so much linen history. We encourage you to seek out more information on this, if you’re interested in history. We have a lot to cover today, so we’re going to leave the history lesson here, but, like Helen said, please, if you have more linen info that you want to share, send them our way, and we will, maybe, share it on a future show.
Helen: Yeah. Okay. Let’s talk a little bit about production because I want to hear about how flax becomes linen.
Caroline: Yeah. Linen is made all over the world. Uh, the majority of the production of flax happens in Europe and Russia, but flax has also grown in the U.S., almost exclusively in North Dakota and Minnesota, and in Canada, flax is mainly grown in Saskatchewan.
Helen: Mhm, and bulk linen production is primarily done in Eastern Europe and China. That’s where a lot of our fabrics are coming from. And flax is also grown for flaxseed oil and for flax seeds themselves, not just for their production of linen fabric.
Caroline: Yeah, at the beginning of the production process, flax is either hand-harvested by pulling up the entire plant, or the stocks are cut very close to the root. So this helps to generate the longest possible fiber. Linen is made from the cellulose fibers inside the flax stock. These are called “bast fibers,” and the seeds are collected for planting for the next harvest.
Helen: And after the flax is harvested, it goes through various stages to actually make the linen fabric. So stage one is called retting, and retting is controlled rotting. So it involves loosening the fibers from the stock through soaking either in water or by being laid out to soak in natural dew. And this process uses bacteria to decompose the pectin that binds the fibers together. So it can take a few days or a few weeks, depending on the retting process that’s being used.
Caroline: And the next step is scutching. This removes the woody portion of the stocks by crushing them between two metal rollers so that the parts of the stock can be separated.
Helen: The fibers are then heckled, and this is not when you get booed off stage. This is when the short fibers are separated by combing them away to leave behind the long, soft flax fibers.
Caroline: Get outta here, linen.
Helen: Boo.
Caroline: Get off the stage.
The fibers are then woven or knit into linen textiles. So, of course, they might also go through a dyeing or bleaching process, but this is when the linen is made into actual fabric. And then it goes through a final treatment and coating process. So, before becoming the linen we use, and sew today, it needs to have those final treatments and coatings to make it real nice for us.
Helen: Yes. So, once the linen process is complete, over 85% of the flax plant has been stripped away. Um, often the seeds are used to make oil or processed for consumption or used for next year’s harvest. So there are some byproducts of the linen production which is, kind of, cool.
Caroline: Yeah. And keep in mind, it takes a lot of time to produce linen with all of these processes. And it’s also difficult to weave linen without breaking threads. So this is why linen can be a higher price textile and can sometimes be considered a luxury fabric.
Helen: Ooh. A luxury fabric.
Okay. What about the sustainability factor? Is linen a good choice for our listeners out there who want to be really mindful with the textiles that they’re choosing?
Caroline: Yeah, that’s definitely something to consider. I mean, linen is biodegradable if it has not been treated. So you hear things about linen being potentially biodegradable, but it has to have not been dyed for that to actually work. If you want to use a natural linen that hasn’t been dyed and make your garment biodegradable, I would use a cotton thread and closures that will also biodegrade to make a fully biodegradable garment.
Um, but just overall, the flax fiber is dense and to get a pure white linen, it has to go through a pretty heavy bleaching process. So, white linen is definitely not the most sustainable option. If you go for a more natural tonee linen or a darker colored linen, it may be more environmentally friendly cause chances are it hasn’t gone through that heavy bleaching process.
Helen: Mhm, linen also requires fewer pesticides and herbicides than cotton to grow, but they are still used. So unless you go with an organic linen, those herbicides and pesticides were probably still used in the process. Um, linen also requires less water to produce than cotton.
So overall, I would say that it is a really good option for sustainable sewing, especially if you get, like, an Oeko-Tex or GOTS certified fabric.
Caroline: Yeah, definitely. It’s one of those things where linen is a better option than a lot of the other fibers that you might see in a fabric store, like a rayon or a cotton or a polyester. It’s one of those good standby semi sustainable fibers that you can go with that you can feel pretty good about.
Helen: Mhm, okay. What about blends? Because sometimes you find a hundred percent linen, but there’s also tons of blends out there.
Caroline: Well, linens can be blended with other fibers. So rayon, cotton, poly, all of those are pretty common blends. I would say linen/rayon blends are probably the most popular right now. You see them a lot in the sewing world. They tend to be softer with a more fluid drape, and sometimes they’ll have a bit of a sheen to them from the rayon. So that’s, kind of, what you’re looking at when you’re working with a linen and rayon blend.
One fun fact that I want to share. So we carry a few different linen/rayon blends at Blackbird. Uh, the most popular one being our viscose linen noil, which we’ve been carrying for probably around two years now. It’s the most popular fabric ever carried at Blackbird. We’ve sold literally thousands of meters of it.
We can’t keep it in stock. It’s just one of those things that is so, so popular. And to be honest, it’s not my personal favorite fabric, but I do understand the appeal of it. But yeah, it’s just, I thought I would share that that fabric is just the most popular one ever.
Helen: I have certainly bought my fair share of it, and I get why people really like it. It’s got this beautiful, weighty drape to it, and it’s soft. It’s almost spongy in texture. It’s very unique. You don’t feel that in any other textile out there, and it comes in these gorgeous colors, so I totally get it. But if that’s not your favorite, then what’s your preferred, sort of, drapey linen option?
Caroline: Oh, well I, before I say that, I want to go back to the viscose linen noil for a second and say that. For anyone out there that’s worried about a fabric growing, that’s one of those ones that might grow. So just back to Laurie’s question at the beginning of the show about fabric growing, I think this particular fabric is one of those ones that throughout the day, it’s going to loosen a little bit.
So you have to use the right pattern. Uh, pick your pattern accordingly. I also think part of its appeal is the price point. You’re getting, kind of, the charm of linen and the, the, you know, the things that we love about linen. But it’s at a really good price point because it’s blended with primarily rayon.
So, I think it is a good option, and there’s definitely a place for it. Um, but if I were to pick which one I think should be the most popular fabric, it’s definitely the viscose linen slub. So, viscose linen noil is the most popular one. Viscose linen slub is my favorite, and those are our names for them at Blackbird.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Um, and we’ll link some, some examples in the show notes. But the viscose linen slub just has this beautiful texture to it. It has this, these slubs in the weave which give it these little, kind of, tiny raised lines throughout. It gives it some really nice texture. It washes up really beautifully. There’s a higher linen content in that fabric. I don’t know. I just think it’s, it’s a more stable fabric. Doesn’t bag out quite as much. It’s just, would be my choice.
Helen: And also really beautiful colors. Yeah. I like that that fabric has a really cool hand. Like, we talked about hand at the beginning, and I think the viscose linen slub feels so cooling to wear.
Caroline: Oh yeah.
Helen: It’s like draping yourself in, like, a damp towel or something.
Caroline: It’s true.
Helen: In the best possible way.
Caroline: It does have a noticeably cool hand.
Helen: Yeah, I don’t know if our listeners want to be draped in damp towels, but I run hot so that sounds nice to me.
Caroline: Like a damp towel that has a fan on it.
Helen: Yeah, a hot summer day by the pool.
Caroline: Alright, so that’s linen/rayon. I also want to mention that I am starting to see, maybe, the potential for rayon fibers being replaced with EcoVero which is a newer fiber, made by Lenzing, which is a sustainable rayon. We haven’t, I don’t know if we’ve talked about it a lot on the show, but rayon is not the most sustainable fiber. There’s a lot of chemicals used that are harmful to the workers that are making the rayon, and there’s just problems with rayon.
So I’m really looking forward to seeing what our suppliers come out with in the coming years in terms of replacements for rayon. And I think EcoVero is a really great option. So I hope that we’ll see some linen/EcoVero blends in the future because that would be a fabric that I’d feel really good about.
Helen: Ooh, cool.
Caroline: Sustainability-wise. But outside of linen/rayon, you’re going to find linen/cotton blends. Cotton tends to reduce the wrinkles, right? So it helps to keep that fabric a little bit crisper while maintaining that fullness that you get from linen. You’ll also see linen/poly blends. These are going to be softer. They’re going to wash better, retain color fastness, and also, they may wrinkle less which is a plus if you’re looking for something that has a linen look but won’t wrinkle quite as much. And then linen/Tencel blends, those are gorgeous and probably the most sustainable linen blend out there right now. So if you’re looking for something that’s a replacement for a linen rayon right now, linen/Tencel is a great way to go.
And just remember that any blend is going to be more difficult to recycle than a fabric that is all one fiber. It’s much easier to recycle a hundred percent linen or a hundred percent cotton than it is to recycle a blend.
Helen: Yeah, that’s a great point. And linen fabrics are more commonly woven, but they are sometimes knit. I’m wearing a linen knit right now. And linen/poly, linen/rayon knits are really lovely for summer. They’re generally a bit more delicate, um, and they don’t usually have great recovery so better for looser fitting garments. So, choose your pattern accordingly. Um, but enjoy just how breezy and wonderful it is to have that linen knit against your skin on a hot day.
Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so should we talk about linen weights? Because I think that’s one of the things that trips people up is, if they have experience with a certain weight of linen and think that all linens are that weight, but there really are quite lot of different weights of linen out there, and those different weights are going to work for different types of projects.
Helen: Definitely. There’s so much to work with. And a lot of times when people picture linen, they’re, kind of, picturing something that is super light, maybe is transparent, um, that would need to be lined if you’re going to make anything out of it. But that’s not representative of all linens out there. And certainly not the ones that you and I are making a vast majority of our clothing out of these days. So what’s the, kind of, lighter weight range of linen look like?
Caroline: So lightweight linens, I would say, are up to about five ounces, and these are really great for cooler, summer garments, like a lightweight blouse or a top. I think they could also work when you’re closer to that five ounce end of the range for, like, a jumpsuit or a dress if they are opaque. So, keep in mind that some lightweight linens are going to be a little bit sheer, so you want to check that when you’re planning your project because if you’re working with a sheer fabric, you’re going to want to line it or maybe just use it for a blouse or a top. What are some good patterns, options for lightweight linens?
Helen: Well, I think that a boxy top or dress like the Wiksten Shift Dress or the Muna and Broad Torrens Top would work really well for a lightweight linen. I particularly love the washed linen that I’m seeing a lot in the sewing community right now. I know you have it at Blackbird, and it’s just a great option. It’s not very transparent, so it works really well for blouses and things like that.
Caroline: Yeah, it’s definitely opaque. I think the washed linen works really well for, like, an elastic waist pair of pants. It’s great for the Zadie Jumpsuit.. I also love it for the Closet Case Patterns Cielo Top.
We have some great Pinterest boards at Blackbird, so I have to plug those. We have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to pattern suggestions for lightweight linen. It’s a really great resource. Um, we also have a board for mid-weight linen. So check out our Pinterest boards. We’ll link them in the show notes, if you want more pattern ideas.
Helen: Yeah, and we have a few patterns in the Helen’s Closet collection that I love for linen. Our newest one, the Gilbert Top, is great. Also, our Ashton top which is a nice base for just a lightweight, sleeveless shell top. And our Donovan skirt works really well in a lightweight linen. I’ve made a few myself, and they’re just so great for summer.
Caroline: Yes. Okay. Next up, we have mid-weight linen or medium weight linen, and that would be for me in the six to nine ounce range. That’s going to work really well for pants, dresses, even, like a structured garment, like a suit or a blazer, trousers, that kind of thing.
Um, some pattern options for mid-weight linens would be like the Seamwork Nolan, Seamwork Joss. Your Pona Jacket would be great, Arden Pants. The Mildred Jumpsuit by Style Arc. I’m obsessed with that pattern right now. There’s also The Gyo by Merchant and Mills. That’s, kind of, like, a really cool, asymmetrical, like, boxy top.
Um, so there are lots of options. I think a mid-weight linen, like, anywhere from six to seven ounces is a really versatile fabric because it can work for tops. It can also work for pants, skirts, jackets. Like, it can be used for so many different applications. And I think it works really well in all of those ways.
Helen: Yeah, it’s completely opaque. I love the one that you carry, and it holds its structure better, too. It doesn’t grow quite as much as a lighter weight linen, I find, um, because it does have that heft to it. Works great for overalls. I mean, like you said, it’s just so, so versatile. I almost always have a cut of that weight of linen in my stash because I do enjoy using it for so many things.
Um, and then there’s even heavier weight linens out there. They exist, but they tend to work a bit better for home decor projects like upholstery or pillows. You can also use them to make heavier weight jackets. There’s been some really cool, heavy linen Sienna Maker Jackets we’ve enjoyed seeing, and it does soften with washing. So the most important thing to look at is the weave. Is it tight and smooth? And does it feel stable? Sometimes upholstery linens will have a more loose weave, and they might not work as well for garments.
Caroline: Yeah, I would say even, not so much upholstery linens, but, like, stuff that you would use for, like, a heavyweight curtain or something would probably not, not work for a sewing, like, a garment project.
Helen: Yeah, totally fair.
Caroline: Yeah. Okay. What is your favorite linen make, Helen?
Helen: Ooh, well…
Caroline: Spill the tea.
Helen: I have, like, an ocean blue Zadie Jumpsuit that I wear at least once a week. It’s in heavy, heavy rotation in my wardrobe, and it’s getting all of that like beautiful rumpling on all of the seams, and I just love it so much. I also have a pair of Arden Pants that I wear very regularly and a lot of Gilbert Tops from all my experimenting. So, I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I will say that, like, half of my closet is linen, so I am a fan. No doubt.
Caroline: Yeah. I definitely, my closet is made up of mostly, like, knit garments and linen. I would say that’s, like, the whole spectrum. But my favorite, well my favorite linen fabric to use right now is definitely washed linens. My one true love. I think that my washed linen Ninni Culottes, I have a pair of black washed linen Ninni Culottes are probably my favorite garment in my wardrobe right now.
I also have talked before about my pine green linen Ashton Top. That one’s also in heavy rotation. It looks really good with the Ninni’s. I also totally love the Wiksten Shift Dress pattern. I have a few of them, and I always throw them on when I get home from work cause they’re just this, like, loose, comfy, linen, breathable garment that is just, like, all I want to be lounging in. So, basically everything. Because I only want linen.
Helen: I know you’re making me think about my, I have a house dress, I call it. I do also wear it out of the house, but it’s a long, floral linen dress that I absolutely love. And my Ilford Jacket that I recently made out of pine linen is another one of my favorites. So many things coming to mind.
Caroline: Yeah. So much linen.
Helen: I also want to say for anyone in Manhattan or in the New York area or traveling there. Hopefully, eventually, we can travel again. Um, Gray Line Linen in New York City is such a fun store to visit. I loved going there with you. And it’s fun to go to a store that is all linen. It’s like paradise.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: So I wanted to put in a little plug for them.
Caroline: Oh yeah. They have such a great selection. And I have some pieces in my stash from there that I’m, like, not wanting to cut into cause they’re so special and…
Helen: Same.
Caroline: …memory from New York. Gosh, anyways. Okay, so maybe we should talk about some things that our listeners might want to be mindful of when they’re sewing with linen.
Helen: Yeah. So linen needs to be pre-washed because it will shrink. And often, the texture of linen will also change when you wash it, so wash your linen as soon as you get it so you can get an idea of the final textile hand and drape.
If you want to compare it, cut off a little piece and don’t wash that little piece, so after it comes out of the wash, you can actually touch both and just, you know, get that education on what changes when you wash it.
Caroline: I do think that’s such an important tip because sometimes you get a linen and it might feel really crisp or even heavy or papery, but when you wash it, it changes significantly. And sometimes it’ll even crinkle up a little bit, or it’ll become way softer, for sure. But the texture might change. So definitely wash your linen before you decide what project you’re going to make with it. Cause I think that might help inform your decision.
Helen: Mhm, you can even wash it twice because it does tend to shrink pretty significantly, too, or some can, so, um, you might want to run it through the wash more than once.
Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Linen is also super fun and easy to sew with, we’ve said this before. It’s, like, a great beginner fabric. It’s really, really satisfying for pressing. Um, it doesn’t slip too much and it tends to stay in place when it’s pinned, but it can be a little bit shifty, especially when you’re working with those lighter weight, looser woven linens. So keep that in mind. You might want to use some spray starch to help you out. Lots of pins, you know, linen can be shifty. Yeah.
Helen: Yes, and all purpose thread works well when sewing with linen. Um, but you can use cotton thread if you think you might want to dye your project or if you’re looking for something more biodegradable. And we find the standard universal needle works great with linen. You want to match your needle to the weight of your fabric. So super lightweight linen, you might want to go with a lighter weight needle.
Caroline: Definitely. Yeah, and linen does tend to fray, so seam finishing is a definite must. Uh, French seems to work really great for lightweight linen. For mid-weight linens, you might want to consider serging your edges or doing, like, a Hong Kong seam or bias bound seam finish.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a pinked edge for linen, just because of how much it frays. I would worry that it wouldn’t be enough to stop it from fraying. Um, even just zig zagging the raw edge, I think would be better than, uh, pinking it with pinking shears.
Helen: Yeah, and with pressing for your linen, high heat is good, and steam really helps. But, just be mindful, linen can scorch pretty easily at high temperatures. So using a press cloth, we always recommend using a press cloth, but it’s good to use one with linen, or just make sure that you’re pressing on the wrong side of your garment. Oftentimes, I’ll skip the press cloth, but I’m pressing from the inside, so I’m like, even if, you know, there’s some scorching or you may notice some shining after you press, there’s a bit of a sheen. It’s on the inside, so I don’t really mind, you know?
Caroline: Yeah, definitely. I totally agree with all of that.
Helen: Okay. We have some listener questions here. We thought it would be fun to ask you what comes to mind when you think of linen, what questions you have so that we can answer them on the show.
Caroline: We have not prepped for these, so we’re going to be on the fly during some questions.
Helen: Alright, Caroline, why has linen had such a recent comeback?
Caroline: Definitely due to the Love to Sew podcast and how much should we talk about it on the show.
Helen: Um…
Caroline: No, I think part of it is that a lot of slow fashion brands are using linen in their garments, and I think people are very inspired by these more sustainable companies right now. And linen is just one of those fabrics that, it stands the test of time. It’s going to stay in your wardrobe for a very long time, because it’s such a strong fiber, and it can take heavy wearing and heavy washing, and it just gets better with age.
I think people are realizing that, and they’re realizing that investing in a linen garment is going to mean, you know, investing in something that’s going to stay in your wardrobe for a really long time. So to me, it feels like it’s sort of a product of the way that the fashion industry is hopefully moving towards more sustainability. Brands like Elizabeth Suzann who, she used linen so much in her line, and she did it in such a beautiful way. I think a lot of sewists take a lot of inspiration from Elizabeth Suzann, and I feel like that could be a reason why linen has taken off in the sewing world.
Helen: Yeah, I wonder, was linen on your radar when you started Blackbird, like, five years ago? Was that one of the textiles that you thought about carrying or were you not really considering linen at that time?
Caroline: It’s interesting because when I started my company, I was like, prints, prints, prints. Everybody only wants prints. Like, I really thought that people wanted to buy something that was striking and something that would pull them in online, and I didn’t think that, like, plain solid fabrics were going to sell. And there was a real shift in the way that we sourced and, and, kind of, the types of things that we brought in when I realized, and this was in part through the help of Laura, one of my team members who does sourcing with me now, that the way that the fashion industry was going and the way that, you know, the sewing community was going was more in the direction of basics, things that people are going to want to wear again and again and that are going to, kind of, like, mesh into their wardrobe really easily.
And linen, kind of, came along when we realized that we wanted to focus more on basics, and I, sort of, started enjoying sewing with linen and realizing how beautiful it was and then we found some good options from our suppliers. And I think it was part of that supply and demand of, we wanted more linen, people were bringing in more linen, and then it all, kind of, just exploded. And now we have a lot of linen.
Helen: Beautiful linen snowball.
Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. What do you think? Do you have any thoughts about linen making a comeback?
Helen: I think in my time in the sewing world, I’ve definitely noticed this big move towards linen. I think it’s because of all the points that you mentioned. Um, and all I really have to say is that I’m here for it.
Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we talk about it a lot on the show. So, I mean, I think that maybe we’ve inspired some people to try sewing with linen as well. I’d like to think so, but we definitely aren’t the first sewists to be obsessed with linen.
Helen: No, and not the last.
Caroline: Alright, the next question we have is: can you make linen softer?
Helen: Well, as we mentioned, washing and wearing your linen garment is going to make it softer. It’s going to get softer and softer and softer the more you wash and love that garment which is so great. And, as Caroline mentioned, it can be quite starchy and stiff when you first get it, so don’t let that disappoint you. You know, a lot of us are ordering our fabric online these days, and that’s awesome. But when it arrives sometimes, it doesn’t feel as we may expect it to. And you really can’t judge a fabric until you’ve washed it.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: So definitely stick it in the washing machine, and then you can decide what you’re going to make with it.
Caroline: Yeah. I have seen on Instagram, a couple of people talking about linens that they’ve purchased that haven’t softened the way that they want them to. So I do think it’s possible that a linen might just be a little bit of a stiffer weave. Maybe it’s the quality of the fiber. Maybe it’s the origin of the fiber. Maybe it’s the way that it’s woven. There’s a lot of factors.
If you do have a linen that’s really stiff and you’re just not into it, then maybe consider using it for a different type of project than what you had planned. And just remember where you purchased it from and what it was called so that you can avoid that type of linen in the future and, you know, not end up with something stiffer than what you want. In our experience, linen softens a lot, but I don’t know that all linen is always going to soften a lot.
Helen: That’s fair.
Caroline: Okay, Helen, is it cool if my linen top looks wrinkly?
Helen: Is it cool? I mean, is Elizabeth Suzann cool? Yeah. Like we said, this is all, kind of, inspired by these sustainable fashion brands. And so yeah, it is cool. It is high-end to wear wrinkly linen. It can look really expensive, even though it looks a little rumpled, you know? So a hundred percent, your wrinkly linen top is very cool.
Caroline: I was reading the question, like, is it cool? As in, like, is that cool? Like, is it passable? Not, like, cool, like, trendy.
Helen: Like, cool kids. Yeah. Um, I think it’s passible. Like, I don’t think people are paying that much attention to other people’s wrinkly clothes.
Caroline: No, I don’t think so. And if they are, they got bigger fish to fry.
Helen: Okay, Caroline, this is a good one for you. What is washed linen?
Caroline: Yeah, so washed linen. We call it washed linen because it’s been finished in such a way that it feels like it has been pre-washed. You do still have to wash, or pre-wash, your washed linen. Um, but it’s just, kind of, an indication of the softness of the linen off the bolt. And it’s a process that the linen goes through in production to just make it feel and look washed. It’s not actually washed in, like, a washing machine before you get it.
Helen: Aw, I thought half the work was done for me.
Caroline: Helen, can you wear linen in the winter time?
Helen: Oh yes. I think you can. It is, like we said, kind of, considered to be a summer fabric. I think that’s more to do with how great it is in heat. And, of course, in some parts of the world, it’s hot all year round, so, you know, have at her. But where we are in Canada, it does get colder in the winter time, so it can be a little difficult to kind of think about how you’re going to work linen into your winter wardrobe.
I love mid-weight linens for that, like, six or seven ounce linens. We were talking about how you can make jumpsuits. You can make pants. You can make blazers. Um, that is really great for the winter wardrobe, and layering linen is really fun. So of course you can wear a linen in the winter time. You just got to pick your projects accordingly.
Caroline: Yeah, and it’s also a personal preference. Like, I like to wear breathable clothes all year round because, like you, I run hot, and I tend to get, kind of, clammy and sweaty if I’m wearing, like, wool or anything that isn’t breathable. So I like wearing linen all year round, but if you prefer to have something that’s, like, really cozy and warm in the wintertime in your wardrobe, then maybe linen isn’t for you in the winter, but I think you can wear linen all year round. Yes.
Helen: Yeah, that’s true. Okay. What about natural dyeing or block printing? Does linen work well for those types of textile experiments?
Caroline: Absolutely, it does. We have both experimented with dyeing linen and block printing on linen. It works really well for that because it’s a natural fiber. It takes the dye really well. Um, you will have to treat your fabric if you’re buying a fabric that is not already prepared for dye. You might need to scour it or do some kind of, like, a pre-soak on it to make sure that the dye adheres well. Um, but I do think it’s an excellent choice for natural dyeing.
Helen: Yes. Also, I feel like this is a good one for you, too. Is there a right and wrong side to linen? What is the deal? I can’t tell.
Caroline: Well, it’s hard to say specifically because it really depends on the weave of the fabric. So go back and listen to Fabrics 101 if you want to learn more about weave, but I do think for a lot of linen fabrics, there is not a right and wrong side.
Like, for our six and a half ounce linen at Blackbird, it’s really popular, it comes in, like, 20 something colors, there’s no right and wrong side. Plain weave fabrics that are just, um, like, solid dyed often will not have a right and wrong side. I like to say, if you look really, really closely at it and you can’t figure out for the life of you what the difference is between the right and wrong side, there probably is not a right and wrong side. But if you’re talking about a twill fabric, like a tool weave linen or a crepe or something that maybe has, uh, obviously, a print on one side, there’s obviously going to be a right and wrong side.
Helen: Well, yeah, I can figure that one out.
Caroline: Okay. Yeah, the print one was obvious, but I think if you’re, if you’re working with, like, a twill weave or something, or even stripes. Sometimes stripes, when they’re yarn dyed, so that means that the stripe is woven into the fabric, it might look like the right and wrong side are the same, but then when you really look at it, the stripes might be a slightly different color on the wrong side, or, you know, a little bit faded or, like, the opposite of the right side. So I would pick a side and only cut on that side if you are, you know, not too sure.
Helen: Great tip.
Caroline: Helen, should you press out the wrinkles before you cut out your fabric?
Helen: Well, I love to try to get away with not pressing my fabric before I cut it, so I think this really depends on how wrinkly we’re talking here.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: I no-, I’ve noticed that when you take linen out of the dryer, it’s usually, if you get it right away so it hasn’t been sitting in the dryer too long, the wrinkles are not so bad, and you can maybe get away with cutting out, um, ironing. But along the selvage edges, it can get really bad on some linens, super scrunchy. So I do usually hit the iron, I’ll, just along those selvage edges, at least, because it’s, kind of, annoying to have to try and work around those wrinkles when you’re cutting and, you know, you’re not really saving yourself more time and effort sometimes. You’re trying to, like, smush the fabric down and put your weights on and press out those crinkles with your hands. So probably better safe than sorry, just to iron out those wrinkles.
Okay. What about ripping linen? How come linen doesn’t rip like cotton does?
Caroline: Okay. Well, I think the reason why it doesn’t rip, like cotton does, is because it’s a stronger fiber and it also tends to be coarser, uh, thicker in the weave of the fabric. I also want to say: don’t rip your fabric!
Helen: Yeah. What, when we say rip your fabric, we’re talking about, like, rolling it off the bolt and then ripping it to basically cut the fabric off the bolt.
Caroline: Yeah. You see some people in fabric stores do that. Sometimes. I never think it’s a good idea to rip fabric because one, you don’t know what it’s going to do. Sometimes you can rip a fabric and it’ll rip the wrong way. And then you’ve, like, ruined a piece of fabric. Also when you’re ripping fabric, you’re tearing at the fibers, you’re putting stress on those fibers. So it, it does affect the quality of the fabric and the weave of the fabric, especially along, you know, those few inches on either side of that rip.
So, personally, I think you should always cut the fabric, not rip it, um, with a rotary cutter or a pair of scissors, just to make sure that you’re preserving the quality of the fabric. You know, it’s just a good idea.
Helen: Yeah, I agree. I don’t, d- often cut fabric off bolts, but if I did, I wouldn’t rip it because Caroline told me not to.
Caroline: Yeah, definitely not a good call.
Helen: Alright, that’s it for linen. I mean, I had so much fun talking about this textile, and I love doing these fabric deep dives because I get to learn a lot from you, Caroline. And we want our listeners to let us know what our next fabric deep dive should be. Which fabric would you like us to tackle? We’ve done cotton, and now we’ve done linen, and we’re making this a bit of a regular series, so let us know.
Caroline: Yes, please do let us know, and share your linen projects with us on social this week by tagging us in your stories and posts. Let’s make it a week of linen love. It’s a linen love fest.
Helen: That makes me think of those Kylie and the Machine labels that say “linen love” on them with the little pink heart.
Caroline: Oh, so good. I love those labels so much. I have a few on my little pegboard behind just waiting for the right linen project.
Helen: I’m going to go sew something right now.
Caroline: Yeah, let’s go. Let’s go sew.
That’s it for this Love to Sew favorite, we’ll be back in September with our new season. And in the meantime, you can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and our Love to Sew swag shop at lovetosewshop.com.
Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at lovetosewpodcast.com. Just search for the episode title.
Caroline: And of course, if you want to join our Patreon fam, now is a great time to start. For just $5 U.S. per month, you’ll get access to our monthly bonus episode. And $10 U.S. per month will get you a 15% off discount code for Blackbird Fabrics, Helen’s Closet, and our Love to Sew swag shop, plus a bonus mini-sode. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.
Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. And thank you all so much for listening. We’ll talk to you soon.
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I adore linen. Fun fact from a latin geek….
Flax plants were useful as a source of fibre for weaving, oil from the seeds and feed from the meal, hence the species name, usitatissimum — meaning “most useful”.
Hi Mims! I love this fact so much! Thanks for sharing it.