Irish Linen or Russian Linen – Make your Choice

What to Wear and How to Care…Some facts about well-known Irish linen and unknown Russian linen, about Egyptian mummies and British bank notes, and how to take linen into your bed…

Irish linen is well-known through the world for its fine quality. It is seen as a luxury product which can be treasured through generations. How does this compare to Russian linen...read on and find out.

It is typically of Irish linen suppliers to state that their linen has a thread count of 1200 or more. On the other hand, you will also see the very same companies offering fine Egyptian cotton, which is naturally finer, with a thread count of only 300. How can there be such a difference, you may ask?

The difference is that each linen thread is made by spinning three separate strands of fibre together to form one actual thread of linen. Cotton threads are produced in the same way but somehow those clever Irish linen makers decided to count each of the smaller strands of fibre instead. So that’s where their thread count of 1200 comes from.

To compare like-for-like with cotton, the 1200 they typically quote is really the equivalent of only 400 threads of linen (you divide theirs by 3). This still is the best available thread count for cotton but the difference between the two aboves(Irish v Egyptian) is not as big as it first appears.

According to the Irish Linen Guild, linen probably came to Ireland in early Christian times (for example, St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, is said to be buried in a shroud of Irish Linen). The production of Irish Linen continued through the Middle Ages but it was not until the 17th Century that the industry started to develop in any structured way.

However, there is evidence that flax has been known in Russia for much longer than it has been in Ireland - and since 2000 B.C. We know that ancient Russian manuscripts from 1,000 years B.C. contain evidence of linen made by Slavs.

Russians live with linen flax throughout their life and it inhabits absolutely every household. It might be in clothing, bedding sheets, table linens or even building materials, such as insulation. In Russia, linen has never been acknowledged as a luxury product and has a mostly domestic and home-friendly image. And did you know there is the strong belief amongst Russians that wearing linen clothes from birth will make you live up to 10 years longer!

Egyptian mummies were found wrapped in linen because linen has natural antiseptic properties. I might joke but you are born, wrapped in linen for all of your life to live 10 years longer and then, when you are dead, the linen will keep your corpse lasting forever!

You may call it black humour and we can argue another time on whose sense of humour is more black – English or Russian?

The flax grown in Eastern Europe and Russia is recognized as being the best in the world. This excellence is attributed to three beneficial factors: well-suited soil; a favourable climate; and the methods of experienced flax growers whose prime concern is quality.

A major benefit of flax now gaining even more importance for obvious reasons, is that of sustainable development and concern for the environment. Eastern European linen is environment-friendly and requires only a fifth of the pesticides and fertilizers used for cotton. The reason for this is that the flax crops must be planted in rotation each year and this method does not exhaust the natural goodness in the soil. The processes by which the flax plant is transformed into fibre are eco-friendly. Artificial fibres such as viscose, bamboo or corn require energy and chemicals whereas flax and linen does not.

Being in the laundry/dry cleaning business myself for over 6 years, I can guarantee that linen fabric is the ONLY one which looks better through years of use. It becomes softer, more gentle and it can last forever as it is 12 times stronger than cotton.

Every time I speak to somebody here in England, about linen, I get asked if it is painful to look after and, in particular, is it difficult to iron. Linen is perfectly washable in low temperatures, such as 30-40C (at high temperatures you do need to be careful as linen might shrink) and there is no need to use strong detergents. If we are talking about linen tablecloth, I definitely suggest not only ironing it but using a hint of starch (to make your dining table look good enough for the Queen to sit at). But talking about luxury bed linen, it is your choice – you can iron it and get it crispy fine, or you can simply dry it in a tumble dryer with a couple of tennis balls (the balls will hit the linen and make it soft and cosily creasy)… I personally prefer the second one as it not only saves my time but makes my bed much more welcoming…

White Bed Linen Bouquet

LUXURY BED LINEN BOUQUET

A floral contribution to make a beautiful bedroom even more beautifull - pure white bed linen with fragile "Bouquet" embroidery. Pure 160g/m2 linen.

HOW TO BUY ALENSKA BED LINEN

You can buy this white bed linen as a set matching together duvet cover, pillowcases and beddingsheet, or as separate items. Available in single, double, king and superking size (see Size Chart)

HOW TO LOOK AFTER LUXURY BED LINEN

• Wash our luxury bed linen in low temperatures, such as 30-40C, no strong detergents.
• No need to iron. Hang naturally.
• When dump put it into tumble dryer with a couple of tennis balls (the balls will hit the bed linen and soften it)

PRICES

Product Name	Price
Single Size Duvet Cover	£ 105.00
Double Size Duvet Cover	£ 187.00
King Size Duvet Cover	£ 199.00
Superking Size Duvet Cover	£ 219.00
Pillowcase Bouquet	£ 35.00
Single White Flat Sheet	£ 66.00
Double White Flat Sheet	£ 84.00
King/Superking White Flat Sheet	£ 105.00

Buy this luxury white bed linen from Alenska.com

Russian Eco-Linen

There is no other fabric apart from pure linen which just gets finer and finer through many years of use and multiple washes. It is a king of modern fabrics. But apart from that linen is a very green product.

Linen is grown by using traditional methods of rotation. It is planted at some particular field for one year, and then it is not brought back to the same place for at least 6 years. In between those fields will be used for wheat, corn, potatoes or clover. Using this technology, Russian farmers were allowing the soil to have some rest, and by that they were reducing amount of used chemicals.

Linen requires 5 times less pesticides and fertilizers than cotton and 13 times less then potato (can you imagine what we eat?!!). It is ecologically friendly product. Apart from that linen lasts up to 12 times longer than cotton. Linen is thermo-regulating (insulating in wintertime, cool and breathable in summertime), non-allergenic and anti-bacterial and thus especially recommended for sensitive skin. The careful transformation and finishing processes are resulting in products which induce a feeling of pleasure and well being.

Eastern European linen is proceeding from the savoir-faire of generations. It inherited a unique elegance while adapting itself to evolving fashions and lifestyles. More than ever, it gives shape to designer innovations and fulfils consumer requirements. Whether as pure linen or in blends, it always combines quality with loyalty and creativity…

The use of linen dates back to ancient times: it was the first known textile fiber in the world, the earliest traces of its use dating back to 8000 BC. Linen has also been discovered in Egyptian tombs, wrapped around pharaohs' bodies: in 6000 BC, the noble virtues and solidity of this fiber were already well-known. The Phoenicians, renowned merchants and illustrious navigators, used to buy linen in Egypt in order to export it to Ireland and England. Flax thus was the first textile plant to be grown in Europe.

During the Roman era, the growing and applications of this fiber developed throughout the Empire and the Romans were the first to start using it at home.

During the Middle Ages, linen gained ground in northern and central Europe. It was used in clothing and equipment for kings and artisans, monks and soldiers. It was worn as a sign of status during the Renaissance: from delicate batiste, drugged, fine linen and lace ruffs through to work wear and humble caps for peasant women.

The ultimate family business, flax was grown and retted by the men folk, harvested by the women and children, spun by the women, woven by the men, made up into clothing and embroidered by young girls...

The savoir-faire was exported during the wars of religion. Huguenot weavers were forced into exile in Ireland and the Netherlands, and initiated local workers into the art of weaving linen.

The industrial revolution in the 19th century increased production capacity and linen was exported throughout the world. Trade routes were established, for example, canvas woven in Brittany was exported to Brazil, via Cadiz.

Colonial settlers adopted linen for its thermoregulatory properties. Light, absorbent clothing and household linen were very popular, and linen was often used for civil servants' uniforms. Linen was still the benchmark quality-wise and also for status. 19th-century wedding contracts mention it in descriptions of trousseaux.

Linen has always co-existed happily alongside the other natural fibers, even giving rise to interesting combinations: linen/cotton, linen/silk, linen/wool, linen/hemp... However, artificial and synthetic fibers posed a threat to European linen after World War II.

Jettisoning home economics, women's lib wholeheartedly embraced these new easy-care fabrics, imbued with modern flair, albeit often to the detriment of comfort and elegance.

This challenge acted as a spur to Eastern European linen and, today, thanks to ongoing research into innovations, the Eastern European linen industry has developed easy care fabrics, an amazing array of products for fashion and furnishings (weight, colors, handle and style) and often takes pride of place in international collections.

Read more about linen fabric and linen products on our website Alenska-Luxury Bedding and Table Linens. Alenska is the UK supplier of quality home accessories - linen window curtains, cushions, curtain fabrics, duvet sets and pillowcases, bedding sheets, bedspreads and luxury bath towels.