Blog
What is Linen? Where does it come from? Dressmaking Guide to all things linen
What is Linen Fabric?
Let's start off at the beginning. Linen is a hugely popular fabric, available to buy by the metre at Higgs & Higgs and appropriate for a whole host of spring and summer garments. But where does it come from? It is a natural, sustainable fibre taken from the flax plant. This is why you might hear it also being referred to as "flax". The flax plant is most commonly grown in China and Canada but can and is grown in the UK too. It needs a moist soil during the growing period and a warmer climate for harvesting.
Key Characteristics of Linen
Like all textiles linen's characteristics can vary from product to product. For example it can be made in different weights or blended with other fibres. However, most commonly linen is lightweight and best suited to spring and summer garments. This is partly due to its breathability and because it is very airy. It will not tend to have any stretch making it great to work with for beginners. Working with stretch fabrics can add an extra layer of complexity for those newer to dressmaking.
What is Linen commonly used to make in dressmaking?
As has been previously mentioned, it is best known for spring / summer garments. Check out below for inspiration of what you can make with it.
Linen shirts are perfect for both men and women to wear on the beach. Linen hangs rather than clings to the skin making it feel super airy to wear. Shop our sewing patterns for shirts or tops to get inspiration
Linen Trousers are hugely popular in warmer weather. They provide a great option for keeping cool whilst also covering your skin from the sun. Shop Higgs & Higgs's huge range of dressmaking patterns for trousers here
Make a dress from linen for all the same reasons as above. Add to that a great drape for a lovely flowing look.
Is Cotton Linen?
There's no such thing as a silly question and we actually get asked this a lot. Linen and cotton are different. As mentioned earlier in this blog, linen is extracted form the flax plant and cotton from the cotton plant. However, they will sometimes be used together to make a blend. More on that below.
Is Linen Sustainable?
Yes, it is 100% sustainable and renewable. It is a super environmentally friendly textile to work with. As is often the case with things that come from natural sources, it is biodegradable too, which is great for the planet once a garment has reached its life end. Compare that with a man made material such as lycra for example, which is not biodegradable and could take up to 200 years to degrade.
It is also hardwearing and durable meaning you can get lots of use out of it. That's great for you as you will get more out of your garment. But it's great for the planet too, which is hugely hurt by new fast fashion trends.
Tips when dressmaking with Linen?
Linen can be prone to shrinking so pre-washing can be a great idea to avoid it happening once your garment has been made.
It can wrinkle especially after washing. Make sure you hang it up when still wet for it to find its natural shape and to get rid of some of the wrinkles caused by washing. Here are some more great tips on getting wrinkles out of clothes
It won't stretch so is easy to work with.
It frays, so make sure you finish your edges. Using bias tape or zig zag stitches are great ways to do this. We have linen bias binding too, which works perfectly if your main textile is also linen.
What is a Linen Blend?
As described in this blog, linen has lots of benefits. But so do other fabrics such as cotton and viscose for example. If a material has a composition of both linen and cotton it can have all the benefits of linen but reduce some of the weaknesses too. As mentioned above, flax material can crease quite easily, especially after washing. A linen and cotton blend will help reduce the fabric becoming crinkled whilst still remaining a quality textile with great breathability.