HNW -Linen evenweave? or cotton?

[EowynA@aol.com]

Hi Kathryn!

  I just returned from a great three weeks in the Mediterranean, and am 
catching up with my e-mail, so pardon me for the lateness of the response to 
this thread.  

 I often find lightweight clothing linen out here (in LA) in the $7 - $15 per 
yard range, as well as drapery linen, and use them both regularly for both 
embroidery and clothing.  <digression> The fine drapery linen (at $12/yd) is 
about handkerchief linen in weight and will make a lovely chemise when I 
finish the blackwork bands down the length of the sleeve.  It is not quite 
even-weave, and at 40-50 threads per inch (I forget which), I'm stitching 
over 3 threads most of the time.  <end digression>  
In fact, I seem to recall that the  information on the bolt is that the 
Cotton Shop (my local store) got it from New York. 

 Embroidery linen appears (to my eye) to have thicker threads, usually, than 
the clothing  linen.  And the embroidery linen has round threads, implying 
that it is not callendered (sp?), whereas the clothing linen is.  I have also 
used upholstery linen for SCA clothing, and it was the big threads smashed 
very flat.    The latter garment was made just after SCA 20-year celebration, 
and still looks wonderful. The cotton fabric I used for trim, however....  

>From the tests you've done, and the price you paid, it sounds as if you have 
some blouse-weight linen.  And it is probably real linen, not a blend.  

Enjoy it!

Eowyn Amberdrake, Caid
(Melinda Sherbring, Los Angeles) 
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