Sewing with Linen with Mary of SewMaryMac

March 30, 2023

Hello Again RCF Sewing Friends!

Mary  from the SewMaryMac blog, here to talk about one of my favorite  Raspberry Creek fabrics~ Linen!

We all know that RCF has great cotton jerseys, French terry, swim fabrics, DBP and rib knits.  But, did you know the shop also carries a great selection of linen and linen blends?  

What exactly is linen?  Linen is one of the oldest textiles in existence.  Pieces of linen have been found in Egyptian tombs more than 4,000 years old!  Linen fabric is made from fibers from the flax plant. Therefore, it is a natural fiber and has all the amazing characteristics of natural fibers.  

Let’s talk about the Pros and Cons of Linen…

PROS

• Linen is versatile, it can be made into a great tailored garment or a relaxed casual garment.
• Linen is cool to wear.  It is loosely woven which allows air to flow easily through the fibers.  This makes it an awesome choice for hot and humid climates.
• Linen is absorbent and dries quickly.  Linen absorbs moisture from the skin, which in turn controls body heat.
• Linen is durable and doesn’t pill easily. Linen is stronger than cotton.
• The more you wash linen, the better it gets!  Linen gets softer and softer with each wash.

CONS

• Linen wrinkles easily. For some, this may be a deal breaker.  For others, like me, I “embrace the wrinkles”.  I love the relaxed look of linen~ even after wearing it all day.  Wrinkles really are part of linen’s charm.

If you prefer a “crisp” looking linen~ you can dry clean it or remove from the dryer while still damp and then press with a touch of spray starch.

• Linen tends to “grow” when worn.  This can cause bagging in the knees and seat of pants.  Solutions to that would be to line the garment, or use a stretch linen.(RCF sells this too!)
• Linens can be more expensive compared to cotton.  The higher price is mainly due to its limited production and the hand labor that is still involved.

Some of the cons of linen can easily be avoided by using a linen blend.  Linen/rayon and linen/cotton blends tend to wrinkle less than 100% linen.  Stretch linens have  spandex/lycra in them, which helps to alleviate  the bagging.  Linen blends also tend to be a little less expensive than 100% linen.

My favorite linen blend is Brussels Washer Linen made by Robert Kaufamn.  RCF sells this fabric 2 different ways.  You can buy solids and yarn dyed colors from the retail shop, or when ordering custom fabrics you can choose to have it printed on Brussels Washer Linen. BWL is a blend of linen and rayon.  It has the coolness and crispness we love from linen and the fluid drape of rayon.  Talk about an awesome combination!  For my project I chose to have a custom design from “Designs by Katerina Tova” printed on the Brussels Washer Linen.  I think this print is so perfect for this fabric! 

• You can find the “Siena Watercolor Ikat” design HERE. 
•  To see the shop’s selection of solid and yarn dyed BWL click HERE
• To see the shop’s selection of stretch linen click HERE.
• To see the shop’s selection of Essex linen stripes and windowpane plaids (cotton/linen blend) click HERE.

How to care for Linen and Linen Blends

Linen is often stiff when purchased.  This is because of “sizing” (a starch-like substance) that is applied during production.  After washing, the linen will be much softer.  Washing your linen changes the texture and drape of your fabric, therefore  you may want to prewash your linen before selecting your pattern/project.

Remember  LINEN WILL SHRINK!  So again, prewash your linen before sewing up your project.  It is recommended that you wash with warm water and dry on medium heat. (Remember to finish the cut ends of your fabric before prewashing or else you will have a tangled mess!)

After your garment is made, I recommend washing in cool water and hanging to dry to prolong the life of your garment.  If you prefer no/few wrinkles, put your fabric in the dryer and remove while it is still damp~ then press.  You may also dry clean your linen garments for a crisper look.

Sew Mary Mac’s Tips for Sewing with Linen and Linen Blends

1.  Since linen fabric tends to be  a more expensive fabric~ be sure to make a “muslin” of your garment if you’re not using a pattern you’re familiar with.     

2. Linen frays easily because it has a looser weave.  Because of this do not do  the following:

• Snip into the seam allowances for notches.  Mark notches with chalk or an erasable marker.  Cutting into the seam allowances for notches can eventually weaken the seams.
• Staystich neckline and any curved seams.  They can stretch out easily and fray before you even sew them.
• Reinforce stress areas (crotch seams, armscye seams)
• Reinforce any area you have clipped into, such as a corner or a V-neckline.  Why?  Linen frays!  A small square of  knit tricot interfacing or a dab of Fray Check both work well.  

A small piece of tricot knit interfacing in placed at the corner of the front yoke where it needs to be clipped

3. Remember with solid colors to mark your right and wrong sides, as they most often are identical.  This avoids any confusion or seam ripping during construction.

4. Consider “Block Fusing” your interfaced pieces.  Visit this blog post for  details on how to do this.  This helps to keep your facings, etc from stretching out of shape.

5. Use a universal needle.  The size will depend on the weight of your linen.

• Lightweight~ 70
• Medium weight: 80-90
• Heavy weight: 100
• Make sure your needle is new and nice and sharp.  You don’t want to snag or cause pulls in your linen.  
  

6. Use All Purpose Thread.

7. Sew linen garments together with a conventional machine, not a serger.  A serger can certainly be used for finishing seams edges, but can lead to seams that pull apart and fray if used to sew seams together.

8. Press as you go!  I find that pressing as you construct your garment creates a more professional looking garment.  When pressing remember to:

• Use a press cloth!  Linen needs a higher temperature to hold it in place (Hence, the hottest setting on your iron is “linen”.)
• Pressing without a press cloth can lead to scorching.  It can also cause “shininess” which can not be reversed.

•  Side seams can be finished with French seams and create a  very pretty inside.  Armscyes or crotch seams can simply be finished with a serger.  You can also just finish all seams with your serger.
• Zigzag stitching or pinking is not the best option for finishing linen seams because of the looser weave.
• Hong Kong  or bias bound seams are also an option.  They are time consuming but create a beautiful and really high end look.  If choosing to do this method, use lightweight fabrics like rayon challis for the binding.  Store purchased bias tape would be too stiff and bulky for this purpose.  

10. Linens look especially nice when hemmed with a deeper hem.  Turn up ¼” and then turn up again 1”-2” depending on your garment.  Hems can be stitched by machine or hand.

Mary Anne :)

If you’d like to read more about my sewing adventures I would love for you to visit my blog, Sew Mary Mac.  You  can also follow me  on Instagram  @sewmarymac to see all of my makes. If Facebook is your thing, you can check out the Sew Mary Mac page.

Pattern Recommendations

I am a Love Notions Ambassador, so I sew a lot of Love Notions patterns!  I sew them because I loved them long before I became an Ambassador.   My favorite patterns to use with Brussels Washer Linen  are the Love Notions Aria Blouse and Presto Tunic (featured here).  Links to them are listed below. 

Love Notions Patterns

Presto Tunic 

Aria  Button down ~ shirt, tunic and dress

Melody Dolman

Cadence top and dress

Allegro bottoms

Lyric and Sonata dresses

Use code SEWMARY10 for an extra 10% off any Love Notions pattern.(On April 1, 2023 that code changes to MACSEWS10.

For more detailed information on the Presto Tunic pattern visit this  Sew Mary Mac blog post.

For more detailed information on the Aria pattern, visit this blog post.

Visit this RCF Blog post to see the Presto Tunic I made from seersucker from the RCF shop.

A few other great options for linen and linen blends  would be:

Chalk and Notch

Fringe Dress

Joy Jacket (Click HERE to see my Joy Jacket in Sage yarn dyed BWL)

True Bias

Calvin Wrap Dress

Emerson pant

Grainline Studio

Alder Shirtdress

Farrow Dress  (See below  my Farrow dress in Denim and Natural BWL)

Hey June

Willamette shirt

Vero Beach set

Greer jumpsuit

Helen’s Closet

Gilbert Top

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