| Slainte: Linen By
Edyth Preet
 In the late 19th century
the legendary French food writer Brillat-Savarin said: “You are
what you eat.” I say, “You are what you eat on.”
Think about it. A length of colorful oilcloth is just the ticket for a
picnic or barbecue. A fancy afternoon tea party calls for lace. Colorful
whimsical tablecloths are a bright eye-opener at breakfast. But when a
fine dining occasion calls for a formal presentation, nothing sets
the stage so well as a table graced with elegant linen. For nearly three
centuries, the finest linen to be had in the world has come from
Ireland.
Not that the Irish invented linen. Back in the days of pre-history, cave-dwelling
fashionistas made do with clothing crafted from animal hides. Once our
nomadic hunter-gatherer forebears settled down and invented agriculture,
however, one of the first cash crops was flax, the linen mother-plant,
which can be beaten into long fibers and woven into cloth.
And what a cloth it was! Exceedingly softer than tanned leather and nearly
as durable to boot. Doubters need only reflect that when the tomb
of Rameses II (the pharaoh whose faux family member Moses led the Israelites
out of Egypt) was opened more than 3,000 years after his death, the linen
mummy wrappings were intact. So too were the funeral curtains of Tutankamen,
though all the other fabric in the tomb had long since crumbled to dust.
Tales of linen are woven through the Bible. In the Old Testament, we are
told that not only were the Ark of the Covenant drapings made from linen,
but so were the garments and headgear of the high priest. In the New Testament,
it is recorded that Christ’s body was wrapped in linen when he was
taken down from the cross.
Flax is a very adaptable plant, and able to flourish in climates
that would not support its more delicate close cousin cotton. Average
soil is the perfect growing medium, since soil that is either too rich
or too poor will produce poor quality fibers. As its botanical name
Linum usitatissimum (translation: extremely useful woody plant) indicates,
uses for flax fiber run the gamut from fabric fit for
a king, to coarse twine and rope, paper, and even money.
Like the Peruvian potato, linen, while synonymous with Ireland, is not
native to the island, but was brought as a trade item by the widely seafaring
Phoenician traders long before the birth of Christ. By the Middle Ages,
almost every farm grew flax plants, the fibers of which were
woven into fabric on the family loom to make clothing and bed coverings.
Linen sheets, which today carry high price tags, were found in even the
humblest households, as the fabric held up extremely well to frequent
laundering, growing softer and more luxurious with every washing. In addition,
flax fibers offer the added benefit of wicking away
moisture to keep one cooler in summer and warmer in winter. For this reason,
linen will always feel cool to the touch, whereas cotton and hemp will
feel warm. Linen was at one time so ubiquitous a cloth that today all
fabrics for the home are simply called table or bed linens.
In 1695, when the Huguenots fled religious persecution on the continent,
many found refuge in Ireland. Among them was a man named Louis Crommelin
who had been raised and trained in the linen trade in Cambrai, France,
famous for its “cambric” fabric. As there was already a flourishing
linen industry in Ulster, Crommelin settled in Lisburn, close to Belfast.
The improvements on weaving techniques that the Huguenot refugee introduced
earned him a government appointment to further develop Ireland’s
linen trade. In 1711, Commelin’s work led to the establishment of
the Board of Trustees of the Linen Manufacturers of Ireland who fostered
and controlled the Irish Linen Industry until 1823, earning the worldwide
respect that Irish Linen still holds today.
Treasured by all who own them, linen tablecloths and napkins are so durable
that they stand a good chance to become family heirlooms passed down from
generation to generation. Among the most precious – and stunning
– are the double damask examples.
Damask is a weaving style that uses fibers woven in contrasting
directions to create patterns that are visible when viewed at certain
angles, with shifting light sources continually revealing new patterns
in a hide-and-seek manner. The process was invented in China, and refined
by weavers in Persia, India, Syria, and the Byzantine Empire, but the
designs created in 12th-century Damascus were so extraordinary that ever
since the method has been called “damask.”
Double damask uses finer, higher quality fiber, has a higher
weight per area, and has more weft (horiz) threads than warp (vert). It
is the most expensive weaving process because it takes longer to produce
as the looms must be run slowly to avoid damaging the yarn in the process.
The intricate weaving allows double damask to have the most intricate
designs; it also generally lasts longer as the extra fibers permit
more launderings.
As linen has long complemented elegant dining settings throughout the
year, the most commonly found motifs correspond to the seasons, such as
tulips (spring), roses (summer), chrysanthemums (fall), and ivy (winter).
Particularly Irish motifs include shamrocks, designs from the Book of
Kells, and in rare instances castles or hunting scenes. Due to its shifting
pattern capability, designs woven into colored linen show as light and
dark pastels. Rarer examples actually employ two different colors of thread;
in these cases, the satiny patterns are reversed and matte on the fabric’s
underside.
Serious Irish linen collectors search for examples from the past. Overall
condition, complexity of design, and age determine the value. Look for
stain-free examples, without worn spots. An original paper label is a
plus; an original box is even better. The oldest tablecloths often have
a seam down the center, as looms then were not wide enough to make a whole
cloth at one time. In the 19th and early 20th centuries table linens were
often embellished with drawn-threadwork, handmade lace, and elaborately
embroidered monograms. Excessive decoration became unfashionable during
the Deco period, and designs became more stylized, often accented with
banded borders and polka dots.
Caring for pure Irish linen isn’t as difficult as might be
imagined. That doyenne of elegant dining, Martha Stewart, advises: “Ideally,
get to a spill as soon as it happens, and soak it with ice-cold water.
If wine is spilled during a meal, your best bet is to quickly slide a
small towel beneath the spill, dab the spot with a cold, wet cloth, and
then sprinkle table salt over the stain. Rub it in gently with your fingers,
then cover the spot with another napkin and go on with your meal.”
Martha also recommends never using colored candles, because hot, colored
wax drippings will most likely create indelible stains.
Above all, remember that pure Irish linen – like good Irish whiskey
– mellows with age, growing more supple and luxurious as the years
go by. So, when it’s time to set an elegant table during the holidays,
indulge in the best. Bring out the crystal, china, silver, and fine
Irish linen that will shimmer and glow in the flicker of candlelight.
And greet the New Year knowing that while we can “eat” on
anything, we “dine” on linen. Sláinte!
Calling from United States of America
Tel: 011 4428 4062 3491 Fax: 048 4062 2453
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