Linen, not wool, is the oldest fiber used by man and has been around for more than 10,000 years. The oldest linen remnants found so far were at a Neolithic site in Europe. The ancient Egyptians, who used linen for clothing and as burial cloth, were able to produce much finer linen than we produce today (the cloth used to wrap mummies had as many as 500 threads per inch while high quality, expensive cotton sheets have 220).

Although Russia is the largest producer of linen today, the best linen comes from Europe—Ireland, Italy, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.

Linen is derived from the flax plant. When mature, the entire plant is pulled and the stems are bundled and either left in the field or soaked in warm water to decompose. Linen fiber is what’s left after the decomposition is complete.

With one notable exception, linen is a perfect fiber. It's almost as absorbent as wool (it can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture before feeling wet while wool can absorb 30%) so it feels comfortable in damp conditions. Because it has a hollow core, that moisture is easily released to evaporate. This is why there’s nothing like linen in hot, sticky climates. Linen doesn’t pill and is static free. It also repels dirt and looks better with wear. Even moths don’t like it. So, what’s not to like? Well, as a little old lady from Georgia said, "It wrinkles up real good."

Sometimes, the wrinkles aren’t an issue. When you’re stuck in 80° heat with 90% humidity, wrinkles don’t matter. However for those days when they do matter, there are ways to reduce wrinkles. Linen that’s regularly machine washed and dried develops a softer hand and wrinkles less. Lining helps reduce wrinkles as well. Sewing guru, Sandra Betzina, suggests fusing the entire garment with fusible knitted tricot to reduce wrinkling. This is a great solution for office dressing or relaxing lunches outside. However, it does make the garment less comfortable in really hot, sticky weather.

Prepare linen as you would any natural fiber. You’ll either dry clean your finished garment or wash it at home. If you’re planning on washing your finished garment at home, preshrink it by washing it in the same manner you’ll wash the finished garment. If you want to retain the color and hand of the fabric, wash in cool water and line dry. If you want to soften the fabric and lessen wrinkles, machine wash and dry. Otherwise, prepare linen as a "Dry-Clean Only" fabric.

Linen comes in a variety of weights ranging from lightweight handkerchief linen to robust bottom-weight linen. Make sure that the weight of your fabric and the garment style are compatible. Linen is crisp by nature and doesn’t have much of a drape. It also doesn't ease well. This characteristics increase with the weight of the fabric. Generally, linen works best in styles where a limp or fluid drape is not necessary. It makes wonderful dresses, pants, jackets and loose shirts.

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