RELIGION AND USES OF LINEN:-

Religion and uses of linen:-

RELIGION:-

There are many refrence to linen throughout the Bible , reflecting the textile's enriched presence in human cultures. 

In Judaism, the only law concerning which fabrics may be interwoven together in clothing concerns the mixture of linen and wool calke Shaatnez. It is restricted in Deuteronomy 22:11. "Thou Shalt not wear a mingled stuff wool and linen together and Leviticus 19:19"...neither shall there come upon thee , a garments of two kinds of stuff mingled together . There is no explanation for this in the Torah itself and it is categorised as a type of law known as chukim, a statue beyond man's ability to comprehend. First century Romano Jewish historian Josephus suggested that the reason for the office garb of the priests. While medieval Sepharic Jewish philosopher Maimonides thought that the reason was that heathen wore such mixed garments. Other explain that it is because God often fabrics mixtures of disparate kinds, not designed by God to be compatible in a certain way with mixing animal and vegetable fibers being similar to having two different types of plowing animal yoked together, also such command serve both a practical as well as allegorical purpose , perhaps here preventing a priestly garments that would cause discomfort (for excessive sweet) in hot climate. 

Linen is also mentioned in the Bible in Proven 31 , a passage describing a noble wife. Proverb 31:22 says "she makes coverings for her bed , she is clothed in fine linen purple".  Fine white linen is also worn by angles in the New Testaments. 

Uses of linen.

Many product can be made with linen aprons, bags, towels, (swimming bath, beach body and wash towels) napkins, bed linens, table cloths, runners chair covers and women's wears.

image of Green pleated linen Dress Irish Moss by Irish Fashion Designer Sybil Conolly.

Today linen is usually are expensive textiles provided in relatively small quantities. It has a long staple (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.

Linen fabric has been used for table covering , bed covering and clothings for centuries. The significant cost of linen derives not only from the difficulty of working with the thread but also because the flax plant, itself requires a great deal of attention. In addition, flax threads is not classic and therefore it is difficult to weave without breaking threads. Thus linen is considerably more expensive to manufacture than cotton.

The collective term ,"linens" is still often used genernically to describe a class of woven or knitted bed , bath table and kichen textiles, traditionally made of flax-based linen but today made from a variety fibers. The term linen refers to light weight  under garments such as shirts, waist shirts , lingeries (a cognate linen) and detachable shirt, collars and cuffs, all of which were historically made almost exclusively out of line. The inner layer of fine composite cloth garments (as for example dress jackets) was traditionally made of linen, hence the world lining.

Over the past 30 years the end use for linen has changed dramatically. Approximately 70% of linen Production in the 1990 s was for apparel textiles , whereas in the 1970s only about 5% was used for fashion fabrics.

Linen uses range across bed and bath fabrics (table cloth, bath towels, bed sheet) home and commercial furnishing item (wall paper, wall covering, upholstery window treatments) and industrial products (lugauge, canvases, sewing threads). It was once the preffered yarns of hand-sewing, the uppers of mocasin-style shoes (loafers) but has been replaced by synthetics.

A linen handkerchief pressed and folded to display the corners was standard decoration of a well dressed man's suit during most of the first part of the 20th century.

Nowadays linens is one of the most preferred materials for bed sheet due to its durability and hypoallerginic properties . Linen can be up to three time stronger than cotton. This is because cellulose fibers in linen yarns are slightly longer and wrapped lighter than those found in cotton yarn. This give it great durability and allows linen products to be long-lasting.

Currently researcher are working on a cotton/flax blend to create new yarn which will improve the feel of denim during hot and humid weather . Conversely, some brands such as 100% capri specially treat the linen to look like denim.

Linen fabrics is one of the preferred traditional support for oil painting. In the United States cotton is popularly used instead, as linen is many times  more expensive then , restricting it is used to professional painters. In Europe however, linen is  usually the only fabrics support available in art shops, in the UK both are freely available with cotton being cheaper. Linen is preferred to cotton for its strength durability and archival integrity.

Linen is also used extensively by artisan bakers, known as couche, the flax cloth is used to hold the dough into shape while in the final rise, just before baking . The couche is heavily dusted with flour which is rubbed into the pores of the fabrics. Then the shaped dough is placed on couche . The floured couche makes a "non-stick" surface to hold the dough. Then ridges are formed in the couche to keep the dough from spreading. 

In the past linen was also used for books ,( the only surviving example which is the Liber Linteus) . Due to its strength, in the Middle ages linen was used for shield , gamber sons , and bowstring in classical antiquity, it was used to make a type of body armour reffred to a linothorad. Additionally linen was commonly used to make riggings, sail cloth , nets, ropes, and canvases because the tensility of the cloth is would increased by 20% when wet.

Because of it strength when wet , Irish line is very popular wrap of pool/billiard cues, due to its absorption of sweats from hands.

Ref:-https://en.m.wikipedia.orgo