a journal of original drawings and screen prints of animals


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Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Linen



Hello August

Have you ever worked with linen? it is a beautiful fabric and has many properties that are similar to silk. Not only that but it is one of the most Eco-friendly fabrics that there is. There are little if any pesticides used to cultivate it (unlike cotton, for example) and this particular Linen is deemed "Natural" meaning that it has never been bleached or dyed to acquire its colour.

Let me tell you, Linen has a mind of its own. It is constantly moving and shifting out of any semblance of a square shape. To cut it straight, the grain must be found. To do this, a loose thread must be held tight and pulled. This causes the fabric to gather of course. Smooth it out and as you do the thread that you are pulling is slowly eased out of the weave and creates a straight line. Then you cut along the line and you now have a straight edge, a square edge. (That is, if the rest of the yardage doesn't shift around!



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