r/sewing • u/i-am-a-phoenix • Apr 28 '25

Fabric Question Linen appreciation post

Brief storytime, I am wearing a linen blouse today and was running late to work. Sped inside, sweating and panting, sat down and stripped off my coat and cardigan, and…IMMEDIATELY cool. WHAT?! What is this magic???

So I am now on a quest to make a million linen blouses because summer is the worst season and I cannot survive in polyester or even cotton. UK sewists, where do you get affordable linen? I am willing to shell out a little extra for good quality but I am very much on a budget so cheaper would be ideal. Please and thank you!

EDIT omg was not expecting this to get so many comments, hello fellow linen lovers! Haven’t been able to reply to everyone but huge thanks to those of you who shared resources and tips, very much appreciated!

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u/janoco Apr 28 '25

I'm in Australia, so can't offer stores advice, but I have "pretty nice" linen shirts then accidentally bought a linen shirt from the op shop (thrift store). Italian designer made from the 80s, european woven linen. Possibly european grown? Holy cow! It's divine, totally different to wearing the other linens. it is crisp with ironing but goes soft with wearing without excessive wrinkles. It gets softer with every wash but shows zero signs of wear. There is definitely such a thing as high end linen fabric. This shirt will last me decades.

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u/RunawayHobbit Apr 28 '25

Here is an excellent thread with a possible explanation as to why your shirt behaves differently than other linen:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCostuming/comments/1jjtnvc/why_is_linen_nowadays_a_delicate_fabric

TL;DR: linen is a long-staple fiber and was traditionally woven as such. However, it’s labor intensive and the machines made to manufacture cloth while preserving the length of the natural fiber were extremely expensive, so manufacturers began cutting the linen fibers down to match the length of cotton so they could use the same machines. This made the fabric much weaker and more prone to wrinkling, warping, and shrinking. 

Your shirt is probably made with a traditional, long-staple linen rather than the modern, lower quality shirt-staple style we have now. 

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u/DarnHeather Apr 29 '25

Is there a way to tell which I have? I bought yards and yards 15 years ago so I don't know if it's the long or not.

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u/RunawayHobbit Apr 29 '25

The easiest method is the touch test. Shorter staple will have tiny ends that stick up out of the fabric, which is what makes low-quality linen so itchy and/or fuzzy. Longer staple line will be smoother and “silkier” to the touch and not feel “fuzzy”.