Indigo, Green, Madder & White Striped Linen
Linen cloth, such as this Indigo, Green, Madder & White Striped 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.
Woven stripes were a common way of introducing color and pattern into textiles inexpensively as color could be introduced with a linen yarn or, in the case of many Manchester goods, with a cotton yarn. The stripes themselves could be introduced using the warp yarns but alternatively could be made using the weft yarns.
Indigo, a common color found in wool as well as linen, created colors that ranged from pale to dark, and when used to dye linen it created an end product that was fairly colorfast and could take a hot washing if needed. Madder is a root commonly used to dye a cheaper red could be used to achieve what we might call a brick red today. We have accumulated primary source documentation for red linen including a dyer in New Hampshire who says he will dye "linnen or cotton a holding red" and an account of red linen handkerchiefs being stolen in 1772.
Swatches are no longer available for this fabric since there are less than 20 yards remaining
- Our Indigo, Green, Madder, & White Striped 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, 60 inches wide.
- 4.53 oz per sq yard, 153.59 grams per sq meter
