Fine Linens Have Lustre and Durability

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 89, Issue 5, 15 November 1954, Page 531

Fine Linens Have Lustre and Durability

THE wearing qualities of linen are second to none in the natural fibres, and in the • finer qualities the material has a lustre almost equal to that of silk. It is available in different weights and weaves, depend ing on use. In this article by Maud B. Strain, Field Officer in Rural Sociology, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin, linen is discussed rom such aspects as kinds available, laundering and care. iron,ng, stain removal, and 9 ’

FIBRE obtained from the stem of the flax plant was probably the first textile used by man. Many Continental countries grow linen flax, from which the fibre is obtained by processes which are intricate and lengthy. In the manufacture of fine linens Ireland has always held supreme place. Spinning the fibre into yarn by machine presented difficulties because, though the fibre is strong, it is inelastic. - Weaving also has problems due to the inelastic qualities of the fibre.

Even the plain square mesh requires endless care and precautions, but the fancy damasks are among the most intricate and difficult of the weaver’s art. Apart from damasks the weaving of linen is very largely plain weave, the fabric depending, particularly in the finer weaves, on the inherent qualities of the fibre and its enduring good looks rather than on fancy weaves.

In plain weave there are approximately the same number of warp and weft threads, but there may be variations. Sometimes the warp threads are thicker than the weft threads; sometimes they are closer together. Sometimes the warp threads are “thrown to the surface” and sometimes the weft threads. (Threads thrown to the surface are those which appear in the pattern on the right side of the fabric.)

Damask is the patterned weave used for linen table cloths and napkins. It is a combination of satin and sateen weave. Satin weave is more or less a twill weave; but the points where warp and weft threads meet are kept as far apart as possible (this gives the smooth, shiny surface to satin) with the warp threads thrown to the surface. Sateen weave is similar, but with the weft threads on the surface. The jacquard weave is a combination of satin and sateen weaves and produces a patterned surface. Damask may be square woven with an equal number of warp and weft threads per inch, over-wefted, with more weft threads than warp threads per inch, and under-wefted, with fewer weft threads than warp threads per inch.

Single and Double Damask

Double damask is a weave with weft threads passing over seven warp threads and under one warp thread to form the design on the right side, and with warp threads passing over seven and under one weft thread to make the background. The threads are therefore bound down, every eighth thread producing a loose enough weave to allow the cramming in of a greater proportion of weft threads to the inch. A high-quality double damask used to have 1| times as many weft threads as warp threads, which resulted in a firm, fine cloth.

Single damask is a tighter weave, with weft threads passing over four and under one warp thread. Thus the threads are bound down every fifth thread to produce a tighter weave than in double damask and with less opportunity for over-wefting. Few single damasks are over-wefted more than 10 to 15 per cent. Most are approximately square; cheaper qualities may be under-wefted. Double and single damask are merely names for methods of weaving and the term double damask, which used to indicate that the fabric was up to 50 per cent, over-wefted and finer and richer than was . possible with single damask, has lost its significance. A single damask cloth at a comparable price will give equally as good wear, and a good single damask cloth is superior to a poor double damask cloth. If a double and a single damask, both the same price and in the same shop, are under consideration, the single damask would be the better purchase, but if at the same time a double damask of a much higher price were offering, probably the double damask would be one of the extremely fine cloths still made to the old high standards. Attributes of Linen Because of its length (the flax fibres are from Bin. to 4ft. long) and smooth-

ness linen is lintless. A short fibre leaves minute ends protruding from the thread which, wearing loose, form lint and, as well as catching dirt particles, give a roughened appearance to the surface. The smooth, lintless surface of . linen gives up stains readily and offers little harbourage for germs and bacteria. This explains why supplies of clean, old linen are in demand for bandages and surgical dressings. Though strong and durable, linen fibre is inelastic, and fabric made from it, not being springy, has a tendency to crease rapidly. This has been a disadvantage with it for outer wearing apparel. However, many dress and suiting linens

are now . being processed for crease resistance, and linens are manufactured that will resist and recover from creasing in a manner similar to silk and wool. Whether a material is crease resistant or not can be determined ; by crushing a portion

of the fabric in the hand and noting the degree to which it smooths . out. p 11 has been chemically processed uAiallyAtimweT Linen fs best conductor heat and therefore the ideal choice for

summer apparel, having the ability to look and feel cool on the .hottest days. Because moisture spreads through the meshes of linen fabric more readily than through cotton fabric, a quick method of identifying linen is to place a drop of water on it and note the almost instantaneous speed with which it is absorbed; cotton takes appreciably longer. Though moisture is readily soaked up by the linen fabric, it does not penetrate the fibre and evaporates again quickly. The linen articles in the wash are always the first dry. This . characteristic makes linen the most desirable fibre for use as towelling and handkerchiefs, and at the same time explains why it is cold to wear next the skin. The wearing qualities of linen are second to none in the natural fibres. The less linen is bleached the stronger it is, the so-called unbleached (really half-bleached) linens giving particularly long wear, and after a few launderings they become almost white. The pure white, fully bleached linens, though the most expensive, lose a slight degree of durability in bleaching;

Linen has a lustre in the finer qualities almost equal to that of silk. This greatly enhances its value for certain purposes as exemplified in the forma elegance of an exquisite damask table cloth.

Unlike wool and silk, linen is not affected by alkalis, except that soap with a lot of free caustic soda will,, if used persistently, . give . a yellowish tinge to linen. Linen is susceptible to the action of even weak acids and it is for this reason that perspiration, being acidic, should not be allowed to remain in linen or cotton garments.

The difficulty of penetrating the fibres made the dyeing of linen somewhat of a problem. However, this has been overcome by the use of vat dyes, the most permanent of all fabric dyes. The name vat dye comes from the old-fashioned method of fermenting and sleeping indigo in a vat. The same principle is used today, but the process is much shorter. When coloured linens are purchased it is advisable to look for and buy only those with a guaranteed fast colour label; without this the colour may prove disappointing.

When sheets, pillow-cases, or any other flat articles are being made it is wise to tear the material or to draw a thread to be sure of a perfectly straight edge.

Kinds Available

Linen is available in different weights and weaves, depending on use.

Embroidery linen is usually in a plain square weave with a dull finisn designed as a background for various kinds of embroidery. Examples of this are seen in the beautiful Madeira handworked table and afternoon-tea cloths, and in the handwork displays at exhibitions and shows.

Handkerchief linens are plain weave and lightweight, and are used for infants’ frocks, blouses, and lingerie, as well as for handkerchiefs. Some handkerchief linens are extremely fine and sheer.

Dress linens are for the .most part medium weight and plain weave, though some finer and lighter weights are sometimes available for blouses

and shirts.

Towelling linens are usually plain weave, as in tea towels, or pile weave, as in bath towels. All-linen bath towels are not readily available, but a linen-cotton mixture gives excellent wear. “Union linen” is a linen-cotton mixture. “Linene” is all cotton.

Damask is found chiefly in table linen, but the weave is also found in high-quality ticking for mattresses and in some upholstery linens. The printed linens are usually plain weave. There is no doubt that linen damask is still the best fabric for table covering because of its durability as well as its exceptional beauty when thus displayed. Some linen fibre is used in the manufacture of lace, but apart from this all linen fabrics are woven, unlike the other, fibres which sometimes appear as knitted fabric.

Laundering and Care As has been pointed out, linen is a particularly durable fabric, but its durability can be greatly lessened by careless handling and laundering. Many breaks or apparent tears . m linen yarns are actually cuts arising from careless or absent-minded markings on the table cloth with knife or fork, or from drying knives on tea towels, or razor-blades on bath towels.

Though a cut may not be made at the time, the fabric is weakened so that a hole develops during laundering. Folds and creases will in time, if persisted in, cause breaks in linen cloth. In ironing, the folds should be made as straight and as few as possible, and some effort should be made to vary the arrangement so that the strain of the fold does not always come in the same place.

Good-quality linen ironed damp does not require starching, but if starching is desired, it should not be too stiff, because such linen has a tendency to crack. Care must be taken in handling any linen that may have become frozen through being left out to bleach on the grass, because it may crack if creased.

Because washing soda, or other caustic solutions, used in boiling water is injurious to linen, a mild neutral soap should be chosen for laundering. The best way of laundering linen is with heavy suds made from neutral soap flushed through and through the fabric as in a washing machine, or a boiling for 5 minutes in fresh suds and then a -thorough rinsing in two waters before the linen is blued. Should bleaching be necessary, the most satisfactory method is to dampen the fabric and hang it out in the sun or leave it out on a frosty night. White linens should be hung in the sun to dry, folded over the line, and pegged on the fold; table napkins and table cloths particularly should not be pegged by the corners.

Ironing

Linen should always be ironed damp; the heavier the linen is the damper it needs to be. A moderately hot iron should be used, but care must be taken, since linen scorches easily. If linen does become scorched, the mark should be washed and the material hung out wet in the sun or in night air. The lustre of linen is emphasised if it is ironed on both sides. First the wrong side should be ironed partly dry, and then the material should be turned to the right side and ironed until it is perfectly dry. This applies particularly to table linen.

Coloured Linen

For coloured linens a suds made from neutral Soap and soft water is advisable, or one of the mild synthetic detergents is particularly suitable for coloured articles. The water should not be hot. No coloured fabrics should be permitted to become badly soiled before being laundered, because heavy soiling is more difficult to remove at the cooler temperature of the water.

Thorough rinsing is again very necessary.

Printed fabrics washed for the first time may lose some colour into the water and should be rinsed until the rinsing water remains clear; this removes excess colour, and subsequent washings can usually be done without encountering this difficulty. Only the colour-fast dyes are satisfactory with linens. However, with colours about which there may be any doubt, it is always advisable to test beforehand a sample piece of the material.

Ironing

Coloured linens should be ironed damp and on the wrong side only, except table linen where a gloss is desirable, in which case both sides are ironed.

Stain Removal

Stains of some types need removing before the article is laundered.

Ink pencil, grass stains, embroidery transfer ink, carbon paper, shellac varnishes, and ballpoint pen ink should be removed with methylated spirit, with subsequent washing to remove the last traces of the stain.

Lipstick usually comes out with washing; however, if it is known to be a type that does not, carbon tetrachloride followed by washing is usually successful.

Fruit juice, tea, and coffee stains, if attended to while fresh, can usually be removed by stretching the linen taut over a basin and pouring boiling water from a height (about 12in. so that the water strikes the fabric with some force) through the stain; if the stain is stubborn, a -little glycerine put on it and the boiling water treatment again tried will usually be successful.

Butter, gravy and olive oil stains are removed by ordinary washing

processes. Candle grease is removed by scraping off the wax, covering the spots both above and underneath with clean blotting paper, and pressing with a

hot iron. Remaining traces can be remo v e d with carbon tetrachloride.

Blood stains, particularly fresh ones, are removed by soaking them in cold water and subsequently washing the article; if the blood has dried, a preliminary soaking for a few hours in a weak salt solution, followed by washing in the ordinary way. is the proper treatment.

Mildew is always difficult to remove. The best method is as follows: —

Wash the article in a strong soap solution and put it wet out in the sun for several days, rewetting the fabric as it dries.

Iron mould is removed with salts of lemon. A little commercial salts of lemon is rubbed on to the wet stain and held in the steam coming from the spout of a boiling kettle; then rinsed out very thoroughly. For removal of iron mould with oxalic acid |oz. of oxalic acid crystals are dissolved in 1 pint of warm. water and the stain is immersed in this solution. The process is repeated if necessary, and the material is then rinsed out and washed in the usual way. Salts of lemon and oxalic acid are both poisons. Paint or varnish can usually be removed with turpentine, and lacquers with acetone, followed by the usual washing. Storage Any article which is usually starched but which is not likely to be used over a long period should be washed completely free of starch before it is stored.

Linen should not be kept in a cupboard through which heating pipes run, or in a chest near a radiator. Warmth is neither necessary nor advisable.

A dry, well ventilated cupboard with shelves 18in. to 20in. deep and covered with white paper, where linen may be piled, each kind separately, is the ideal. Table cloths are often rolled on the outside of a cardboard tube and tied in place lightly with tape. The cloth is folded only once, in halves lengthwise, and then rolled round the tube. Afternoon-tea cloths are treated similarly. Tray and wagon cloths, if space does not permit them to be stored flat without folding, may also be rolled. Napkins are folded and placed in a pile. Place mats are stored in sets with a piece of cardboard between one set and the next to avoid confusion: Dining room linen should be stored in the dining room, if space permits, to avoid extra steps, reserve supplies being kept in the storage cupboard. Linen is moth-proof, but is particularly susceptible to mildew and should never be left dampened and rolled up for longer than a few hours before being ironed. White linen not in general use should be covered with blue paper to guard against yellowing,. and any that has yellowed through storage should be washed and hung in bright sunlight to bleach. Cedar chests are not suitable for linen storage; the fumes tend to yellow the material. As good-quality linen is not inexpensive, it is advisable to replace each article or set of articles as it is withdrawn from use. If items are thus replaced gradually, the outlay is spread over a period and the supply is not depleted. Ageing damask table cloths that have reached the stage where they can no longer serve their original purpose can be given a fresh lease of life as smaller breakfast cloths, table napkins, trolly covers, and carving and serving cloths. Old tea towels are excellent as polishing cloths for cleaning windows and they surpass any other material for cloths for washing paintwork.

Tall-growing Annuals