The Look of Linen

[JanetMarie]

Hi Gals ~ Today at work I am wearing a lovely black linen dress, that has an empire waist, crossing in the front, slit up the back with a strand of pearls close to my neck. DH and I are going out right after work. I love linen, but I HATE :mad: how linen wrinkles. Ugh.

[nosnobunny]

I hear ya JM. I also love linen, not only for the crisp look but for the breathability. But I'm rather anal about wrinkles, so I don't buy it anymore. Too bad someone hasn't come up with a linen blend that would give us the look without the wrinkles.

 

Beth

[Happy ks]

I love linen, the feel of it and the coolness and comfort you have that you don't have with other fabrics. I guess I don't mind the wrinkles on mine or others linen clothing, because it is supposed to look that way. I also love the way a piece of linen clothing does not "wear out" like a man made fabric does.

 

I was just telling my boss the other day how I love to iron linen. I was sure she would think it was odd, but she agreed with me. I first mist the item with plain water and roll it up to rest 15-20 minutes, just like my mom used to do. I set the iron to the hottest setting with a full tank of water for steam. I also use a product called Magic Sizing, which is not a starch, but a light body spray. The sizing spray helps the fabric stay a little more crisp looking.

 

I'm sure your dress is lovely.

[lszu]

I love, linen, too! Great look and feel for summer. I don't really mind the wrinkles since you pretty much know they are going to be there before you leave the house.

 

I'm not a huge fan of rayon, but have you tried a linen/rayon blend?

 

Have fun tonight!

[JanetMarie]

Kathy, you brought back a fond memory for me. My Mom used to take a coca cola bottle and put this sprinkler thing on the top. When she ironed, she would sprinkle water on the item and roll it. Wow! Great memories! ;) ;) ;)

[Shellbelle28]

I bought a suit this spring that is a linen/silk blend. I was sure it was going to wrinkle terrribly. To my surprise, it didn't wrinkle very badly at all. It still looked crisp after a 17 hour day at work (I sure wasn't in good shape at the end of that day, but my clothes still looked good!)

[Jane110]

Nosnobunny,

 

Yes, there are Linen Blends that don't wrinkle. But, they really don't look like linen and they aren't as cool as linen on a hot day.

 

Linen is a sophisticated fabric and to wear it is to appreciate the wrinkles. It's part of the cache.

 

Look at some vintage photo's of people enjoying their summers before the age of polyester - they played tennis in linen, went on cruises, etc - and got wrinkled and looked absolutely elegant!

 

I iron my washable linen and after the first wrinkle appears, I could care less. But it's a look you have to appreciate. Just enjoy it, it's such a great summer fabric.

 

Jane

[Happy ks]

Yes!!! My Mom had the same cola bottle/sprinkler attachment to it! Fun memories I remember her ironing everything, even the sheets. She would wear her little cotton shirtwaist dresses or a pair of pedal pushers and a cotton sleeveless shirt. Of course, the laundry was dried out on the line, she hardly used the dryer except for rainy days. I remember the wonderful smell of fresh laundry, maybe that's why I like the smell of ironing linen, it brings back childhood memories.

[CruzinTamela]

JanetMarie - I say the same thing about my favorite turquoise linen blouse every time I wear it, especially after I have just spent 20 minutes ironing it, only for it to end up looking exactly like it did before I ironed it!

[JanetMarie]

And guess what fabric I have picked out for my brothers bday party tonight? Yep, linen. I really like the fabric and the airiness, so I will simply live with the wrinkles. It was nice to hear that you gals also feel that's part of the "look." ;) ;) ;)