IS010 NINE IRON Softened - 54% Linen / 46% Cotton - Middle (6.2 oz/yd²)

The novelty of this fabric alone piqued my interest. I had to try it. Upon receiving the fabric, I washed it twice in hot water. It was not soft. Several other reviewers mentioned that the fabric was just too scratchy for them to use as a bath towel and I had to agree with them. The third time I washed with Milsoft, from Dharma Trading. This softened the fibers beautifully. Now this will be my favorite towel for the summer. dharmatrading.com/chemicals/milsoft.html

What a fun fabric! I only purchased one yard in Nine Iron to try it first - love the magic that happens from washing. Great thick thirsty texture. This will make some great kitchen towels.

I purchased two yards (one yard each of two different colors) to make bath sheets. I did a double hem 3/4" and they are the perfect size for a tall, big person. Then I received an email this linen was on sale so I bought more and followed their pattern for the bath sheet, hand towel, and wash cloths. I will say if you are petit or even average size the pattern for the bath sheet is HUGE!! Don't get me wrong I LOVE bath sheets and hate having a towel that doesn't have full easy coverage, for me one yard of material makes the perfect size. Some people say it's scratchy; it is slightly rough, but I like it as I look at is as the final buff after all the exfoliating I just did in the shower!! The towels are light and so absorbent! My hair loves them too!! I can wrap my hair up in it, get ready for work and by the time I'm ready to do my hair it's almost dry with no damage. I will ONLY use linen for my bath towels from here on out and a lot of my family will be receiving bath towel sets for Christmas!

I am a big fan of linen towels. I was gifted some Finish linen terry towels 10 years ago that I still use all the time. They're holding up well, but I wanted some new ones for linen luxury in our redecorated bath. Imported Finish linen towels now cost over $300 each ! I bought enough of this handsome charcoal grey waffle weave material to make into a throw and a couple towels and wash cloths, on sale, for a very reasonable price. It's easy to hem this smooth heavy linen before tossing it in the washer and dryer to shrink and puff up. I recommend cutting off the selvages first, then making fairly wide hems, turned under and pressed to a half inch first, then again at 3/4 inch, using a sewing machine stitch length of 3.5. This allows the hems to shrink and puff nicely without puckering along seam edges. The finished throw is very good looking, a perfect combination of warmth and weight. The towels are wonderfully absorbent, as much as my older terry linen ones and have the cuddly drape I want, along with a bit of texture that dries the body well. Also, they dry quicker than thick cotton terry towels. The linen waffle weave has all the style, luxury, absorbency and utility I wanted. I'm going to buy other colors to make up as throws and towels for Christmas gifts. I'm sure it would be terrific for kitchen dish drying towels too.

I have Fibromyalgia so my hands hurt always. The towels and washcloths that I made from this fabric have made my life a little easier. They are so much easier to grip and hold than traditional terry cloth. The texture is enough to feel without being rough on my overly sensitive skin. I will never use my old towels, again. Sewing them was so simple. I am thinking of selling some!

I made the bath sheet and divided the remaining fabric into thirds for dish towels. The dish towels dry quickly and are absorbent. It was hard to determine the shrinkage and I will cut down the dish towels— they are too big for where they hang in my kitchen. But I thought the fabric was easy to work with and fun to wash and dry to get the puckering effect.

I purchased this fabric, based on reviews, but I'm not sure how it has such high reviews. I cut the fabric as suggested and did all the sewing, put them in the washer/dryer twice, but the towels are huge and very scratchy. I would not suggest this for hand or bath towels. Not soft at all and leaves a lot of lint. It does dry quickly so that's a plus.

The shrinkage estimate was spot on! I made a washcloth to test the fabric before jumping into bath towels, and I'm glad I did because I feel it's a bit rough for that. I'm continuing to use and wash/dry the sample to see if it changes over time. If not, I will use the remaining yardage to make a spring/summer throw to use on the deck.