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Dining Room Linens: A Brief Definition of Fine Flax Based Genuine Irish Linens

Linen, elegant and robust, is one of the earliest products known to civilization; here since man first settled down long enough to cultivate land and grow flax. Flax is the plant from which the fibers are used to create linen, the earliest vegetable fabric to be woven. Even the Holy Bible lists one of the plagues of the Old Testament destroyed the flax. We read that “the flax and the barley was smitten, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was boiled.”

The finest linen created in the world is arguably Irish linen, which are linens produced in Ireland. For about half a century the flax fibers for Irish Linen yarn has been, almost exclusively, imported from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Irish spinners produce yarn that is sold to the weavers or knitters. These artisans then create the fabric. Weaving continues mainly of plain linens for luxury, niche, high end apparel uses and Irish linen spinning has now virtually ceased with the influx of yarns imported from Eastern Europe and China.

Genuine Irish linen has been defined by the Irish Linen Guild. The guild was founded in 1928 and is the official promotional organization of the Irish Linen industry. Mainly the Linen Guild promotes Irish linen in national and international markets. True Irish linen yarn is defined as yarn which is spun in Ireland from 100% flax fibers. Irish linen fabric is defined as fabric which is woven in Ireland from 100% linen yarns. However, it is not required that every stage of production, from growth of the flax on, must take place in Ireland.

The Irish linen brand’s trademark, or ‘carpet beater symbol’, can only be used to mark genuine Irish linen products. This includes linen yarn spun in Ireland and linen fabrics woven in Ireland by members of the Guild. If the linen is assembled elsewhere but is made from genuine Irish linen fabric, it may still be labeled as Irish linen, since the fabric was woven or knitted on the Emerald Isle.

Unlike most fabrics, water actually affects the molecular structure of linen, renewing its smoothness and luster. Naturally moth-proof and easily laundered, linens from Ireland are heirloom investments that are an exquisite match to use on any Amish crafted custom dining room table or over custom made elite table pads.

Tags: , amish dining room, carpet beater symbol, flax, irish linen, irish linen guild, linen

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 11:14 pm and is filed under Accessories, Custom Dining Room Table Pads, Custom Dining Room Tables, Linens, The Art of Dining at Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.