Essex linen from Robert Kaufman is strong, durable and lightweight linen/cotton blend, with a beautiful drape. The strength and touch of linen with the ease of cotton. Ideal for a clothing or household textiles with sashiko, or for including in boro inspired projects (the perfect use for any dressmaking scraps!) The Yarn dyed Essex linens are produced differently from the regular Essex Linen collection because the yarn is dyed prior to the weaving process creating a more rustic, natural look, and the range includes woven stripes and checks. This listing is for the licorice stripe (first photo) - other photos show other fabrics from this range.
These woven stripes are approx. 1/8in (3mm) (first photo), making it an ideal fabric for stitching hitomezashi designs like kakinohanazashi (persimmon flower stitch), komezashi (rice stitch), jūjizashi tsunagi (linked cross stitch) etc. - you can use the stripe check just like a grid to line up your stitches in one direction, and just draw some lines across in at quarter inch (6mm) intervals! Or use the pattern to line up other sashiko stitches following the stripe.
I chose this fabric because I was looking for something a little different for sashiko and boro. I think you will love it too.
I also have this fabric in mid blue chambray (looks like denim), blue gingham check, and dark blue check (photos 2 - 4).
Colour matches between rolls of fabric cannot be guaranteed, so please order enough for your project in one go.
NB - this fabric is sold by the half metre, so order'1' for 1/2m, '2' for 1m, '3' for 1.5m etc.
55% linen 45% Cotton
Width 110cm (43in)
NB - just to be on the safe side, I would pre shrink this before starting your project.
Washing Instructions – Manufacturer says: Machine wash 30. Line dry. We strongly recommend testing a small piece first to be sure, especially if using it for clothing.
I read recently that is a good idea to soak fabrics with a high linen content prior to washing for around 15 minutes, as this softens the linen fibres and makes them less abrasive during the wash, so your item lasts longer overall. Worth a try!
