Linen cloth, such as this Medium Gold & Blue Checked Linen, was woven of flax fiber in many grades and weaves. Used in every aspect of living, from clothing, to household needs, to furnishings, to the shroud made for the corpse, linen was so common that a tax was proposed as a source of easy revenue on the coarser sorts being imported into the US towards the end of the 18th century. Linen remained popular for summer clothing, utility uses, and more throughout the 19th and 20th centuries despite the invention of the cotton gin and the rising prevalence of cheap cottons.
The term “checked” in the 18th century referred to any number of woven or printed patterns that intersected at right angles. Checked linens were used for a variety of purposes including aprons, shirts, children’s clothing, trousers, and linings, as well as many household items such as toweling, bed hangings, and chair coverings. Descriptions of self-liberated individuals and other contemporary writings occasionally mention other garments such as a "cross bar gown" or check short gown or jacket. We have researched checks ranging from a scant 1/8 inch to several inches in surviving pattern books.
- This Medium Gold & Blue Checked Linen is lightweight.
- Suitable for women’s gowns, summer jackets, aprons, accessories, and petticoats; men’s summer jackets, linings, and waistcoats; and children’s garments.
- 100% Irish Linen, 61 inches wide.
- 4.78 oz per sq yard, 162.08 grams per sq meter
