Linen facts for kids

An example of linen cloth.

Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum). It is mainly used to make cloth, especially for light clothing and table coverings.

History

The flax plant is one of the plants humans have grown and used. Linen cloth was already made at least 6,000 years ago in Egypt and Mesopotamia. This makes linen one of the oldest fibers and cloths used by humans, besides wool and hemp. Linen and hemp were the most important fiber plants in Europe for a long time. Linen was for example also used to wrap Egyptian mummies.

In recent centuries linen has largely been replaced by cotton and synthetic materials, which are cheaper.

Images for kids

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  kitchen linen

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  A linen handkerchief with drawn thread work around the edges

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  Linen cloth recovered from Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea

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  Flax stem, fiber, yarn and woven and knitted linen textiles

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  A bag of white linen, unopened. Contains rolls of linen. Foundation deposit, Heb Sed Chapel at Lahun, Fayum, Egypt. 12th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.

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  Diocletian's 4th century maximum prices edict showing prices for 3 grades of linen across the Roman Empire

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  Green Pleated Linen Dress, 'Irish Moss' by Irish fashion designer Sybil Connolly

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  Bielefeld Germany linen Notgeld issued by Stadt-Sparkasse on 8 November 1923

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  Flax stem cross-section, showing locations of underlying tissues. Ep = epidermis; C = cortex; BF = bast fibres; P = phloem; X = xylem; Pi = pith

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  Details of the flax plant, from which linen fibers are derived

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  Mechanical baling of flax in Belgium. On the left side, cut flax is waiting to be baled.

See also

In Spanish: Lino textil para niños