Everything you need to know about linen

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The first use of linen has been traced to many years back, as far as 8000 BC. Linen is the oldest textile in the World. Fragments of straw, flax yarns and fibres are used in the process of making linen. Studies have found cave Georgia women using linen made from flax seeds. In Egypt, the currency was created using linen. In olden times, linen was linked to purity, wealth and a symbol of light. In Egypt again, mummies were wrapped in linen before lying them in a tomb. The richer sections wrapped the bodies with richer linen material. This was one way to showcase their splendor. In 1923, the Germans copied the Egypt style of printing currency on linen.

What does linen mean?

The term linen is derived from a Latin word which means flax plant. Linen can be processed from the seed of flax. Many think it is derived from a line; as many lines of linen threads, are joined together to form the fabric. It is also is referred to as lining as linen is used to form the inner lining of wool or leather fabrics. In the ancient days, flooring of houses was also done using linen.

History of Linen.

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The first use of linen was found in the form of dyed flax fibres in a cave in Georgia in 3600 BC. This lead to the discovery that people used flax seeds to produce linen. Flax seeds were seen to be cultivated in Mesopotamia for producing linen for the upper class. Many times the usage of linen is linked with the wealthy class. In Mesopotamia, linen was often worn by the wealthy priests. People wore white coloured linen during summers as it absorbs very little heat. It is heard that priests of Isis also wore linen as it represented purity. Linen was found to be a decorative item to cover table tops and other furniture ware, bed coverings, etc. Linen is considered to more expensive than cotton because it is difficult to weave linen without breaking its thread. Unlike cotton thread, flax thread is not elastic. To make known the use and production worldwide, the United Nations announced 2009 to be the year of Natural Fibers. In 1213 BC, when the tomb of Pharaoh was discovered, the linen wrapped around his body was found to be intact. In the 12th century, the Merchants tried to trade and commercialize flax seeds across the Mediterranean and Ireland to produce Linen. In many cultures, wool and linen are intermingled to produce shaatnez. Fibres made from flax would be 12 to 16 micrometers in diameter. The coarse of material depends on whether the fibre is longer or shorter. For fine coarse fabrics, long line fibres are used. For coarser fabrics, shorter tow fibres are used. The cross-section of linen fibre contributes to its coarse texture.