Linen is a very commonly heard and used word. Broadly and in a more collective sense, linen refers to the fabric that has been widely used for bed sheets, dish towels, tablecloths, upholstery, wallpapers, wall coverings, canvases, window treatments, suits, skirts, dresses, shirts, sewing thread and luggage.
It has been in used since the ancient times for many purposes. The mummies, discovered in Egypt, were wrapped in linen as it was supposed to be sophistication.
There is no doubt about the sophistication of linen as it was used as a handkerchief, which was folded and put into the breast pocket to be visible from there.
It is still a sophistication and in fact a luxury because it is still very difficult to make. Pure linen is made through a very delicate process. Therefore, it is not produced on a large scale. It is used as a canvass for paintings but then again the renowned painters use it because it is very expensive. Even the dresses and the bed, bath and kitchen items made of pure linen are very expensive.
Now to be more precise, linen is a fabric that is made from the fibres of flax plant. Although it is made through a very difficult procedure but it is valued very much because of its quality of coolness and comfort.
In order to make linen, the fibres of the flax planted are specially taken care of during harvesting. They are harvested by hand so the fibres do not get destroyed or break.
Once the flax fibres are harvested, the seed are removed from the fibres. These seeds are usually removed through a mechanized process. This process is called rippling or winnowing.
After rippling, the process of retting is done. In the process of retting the fabrics on the stalk are loosened. The fibres are loosened either by the natural process or by the use of chemicals. Chemicals are avoided because they are harmful for the environment and also for the fibres.
Once the fibres are loosened, they go through the process of scotching. In the process of scotching, the stalks of the flax plant are crushed by the rollers. After the stalks are crushed, fibres are separated.
Once the fibres are separated from the stalks, the long fibres are separated from the small fibres. This process of separating small fibres from the long fibres is known as heckling.
After the fibres are separated, they are ready for the next step. The next step is the conversion of fibres into the fabric. These fibres first go through the process of spinning to make yarn. Then this yarn is woven to make textile.
The textile then goes through many procedures, according to the requirement or the planning of the finished product. It is either dyed or it goes through printing to make prints on it. To make it into a finished product, it goes through many treatments.
This is how natural fine linen is produced. After learning the complex and intensive procedure of the making, you must now understand why this product is so expensive and why is it so classy to use it in the clothing as well as other things around us.
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