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Linen Guide

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Bunny’s Linen Basics

The linen that we offer is imported from Belgium.  Here are Bunny’s notes about it:

I’ve been purchasing the same weight linen from the same manufacturer for 25 years.  Every few years, I do a review of the various linens that are ‘out there’.  I have always come back to the linen I’m offering here.  This linen is the perfect weight, density and quality for our altar cloths, altar linens, credence tablecloths, tabernacle hangings – for all liturgical purposes that require the use of good linen.


I recently began offering a very heavy-weight linen (luscious!) to use as under-cloths.  It is more than 3 times heavier. And a note about linen weight — remember as you compare new linen to the linens in your sacristy, elderly linens become sheer over time. They were heavier when they were new.


Purchasing linen can be difficult there are so many coptions and most people do not have the information they need in order to make such an important choice.  


Linen has three characteristics that should be of interest to you: quality, weight and density. These characteristics help you evaluate the suitability of a particular linen for your altar linens.


~ Quality is judged by the even-ness of the threads and of the weave, the amount of weft distortion, selvage regularity, the type and amount of sizing, and the ease of drawing a thread.
~ Weight is measured in ounces per square yard.
~ Density is determined by the number of threads per square inch.


Quality is not determined by weight.  Linen of substantial weight may be very high quality.  Linen that is sheer may be of low quality.


Weight and density are related characteristics.  The weight of my linen is 4.6 ounces per square yard.  The density of my linen is 116 threads per square inch (both warp and weft).  Here’s the strange thing:  Weight and density are BASIC linen information and – this information is almost never given to the customer!  And yet, this should be the first information you get.  You should be able to say, “I want to see linen that is about 4.6/116.”  Anybody who knows anything about linen should know instantly what you want – and show it to you.  After you have that information, you must decide about quality.


Let me prove to you how useful these numbers are to you:  My linen is 4.6/116.  The numbers for my new heavy linen are 14.7/40.  With just this small bit of information I’ve given you, you know instantly a great deal about my heavy linen!


Note: Batiste (sometimes called handkerchief linen) isn’t just lighter in weight because its threads are slimmer; the weave is less dense.  (‘Batiste’ is the name we give to sheer linen. ‘Cambric’ is the name we give to sheer cotton.)

 

Heavy-Weight Linen

I mentioned that I have brought into inventory some heavy-weight linen.  I want to discuss this more fully.

There is a very strong tradition that requires 3 layers of linen on each altar.  There are two reasons behind this tradition:

  1. Absorbency: The 3 linens are sufficient to soak up any spilled consecrated wine – this is of crucial importance.

  2. Padding: To give sufficient padding so the chalice and other vessels do not go ‘clunk’ when the priest and acolytes set them down.

Over my many years, I have watched and seen how this tradition works – not very well.  The way it’s been done has been to stack 3 fair linens on top of each other.  The first negative aspect is that it’s very expensive – both in time spent and in cost.  This is especially true of a large or shaped altar.  I worked with a customer whose altar was 5 feet in diameter.  She made two sets of 3 linens each.  She pulled all the furniture out of her guest room and worked these linens on her knees, on the floor.  6 of them!  (I’ll tell you the rest too:  She ironed these 5 foot diameter linens.  She covered the interior of her station wagon with sheets, ironed the linens one at a time, laid each one carefully in her station wagon, drove the linen to the church, put it on the altar and went back for the next one.  While I don’t remember how much these linens cost in money spent, I’m deeply saddened by the time spent by this good and faithful servant.  I pray that there will be someone else to take up this ministry when she is no longer able.)

I know of one priest who handled the three layers of linen by using old fair linens – worn and stained – as under-cloths.  While it worked, this method of achieving both absorbency and padding offends my Altar Guild sensitivities.  Hence, heavy-weight linen.

This heavy-weight linen exceeds the traditional parameters: My regular linen weighs 4.4 ounces per square yard .  This heavy-weight linen weighs 14.7 ounces per square yard – more than 3 times the weight of my regular linen and, therefore MORE THAN 3 TIMES AS ABSORBENT.  My regular linen contains 144 threads per square inch (counted both ways).  The heavy-weight linen contains 40 threads per square inch.  This heavy-weight linen is lofty, thick and makes excellent padding!  The heavy-weight linen is 100% linen.

Because of its thickness, this heavy-weight linen requires different management.  The edges need to be secured against fraying by either zig-zagging or serging – as deeply as possible.  It may be preshrunk or by working from shrinkage factors.  Hemmed edges would be too thick; best to bind the edges with double-fold bias tape.

Cost:  54 inches wide, $35/yard

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