IL020 BLEACHED Softened - 100% Linen - Light (3.5 oz/yd²)

This was a joy to work with. I made a Roman tunica for SCA summer events as ideal nursing garb, and am using it also for cuffs and collars in drawn-thread embroidery. The even weave and slight sheerness look amazing, and its a joy to work with. Hemstitching is a dream - once I square the linen, pinching the hem and running a fingernail down it creases nicely so I need minimal pins to do my hand work. I will buy this again and again for shirts, chemises, Roman undertunics, embroidery and lace ground, and maybe eventually some hand-dyed and embroidered curtains or pillowcases. Strongly recommended!

I love this white linen but I am unable to get the hard creases out. I used a hot steam iron which improved it greatly, but hard creases from the folds are still perceptible. Any other suggestions?

I haven't yet used this linen. For 15 years during the 1980s and 1990s, I traveled the US/Canada, teaching fine hand sewing to adult women who were sewing primarily for young children. Christening dresses were a favorite and, for little baby boys, Irish handkerchief or tissue linen was the fabric of choice. I haven't done much sewing in the last decade, but my niece (my surrogate daughter, as her mother passed two years ago), after 4 years of fertility treatments, is finally pregnant, and this fabric will make an heirloom Christening garment for many generations to come. I was delighted when I received this lucious, lustrous fabric, and can't wait for this little blessing to arrive so we can decide whether pin-tucks or ruffles, lace or tatted insertions and edgings, ribbons or twisted cord!

I read Fiona's review about poor customer service. I have found the customer service to be excellent from Fabrics-Store.com. I am in the Eastern Time Zone. I am usually on the computer in the evening and most times my questions are answered soon after I send them. I get very complete answers. The longest I have ever had to wait for a reply was the next day. The orders are received within a few days -- definitely less than one week.

I use this fabric to make shifts, colonial round caps, and neck cloths for the docents at the museum where I do some basic costume work. For a craftsman with modest sewing skills, the fabric is very easy to handle. Just remember to prewash a few times and the garments will wear and wash beautifully even with heavy use. A tip: A little spray starch makes cutting and fancy hemming easier.

I do a lot of historical sewing for reenacting and the Renaissance Faire. This linen is wonderful to work with. It softens right up after pre-washing and is strong and sturdy. It's so much easier to wear for summer events. From now on all period undergarments are going to be made from handkerchief weight linen!

I am a professional costumer. I am obsessed with tiny \\\"details\\\"in my work. A good design begins with quality fabrics. With 30+ years under my belt I know quality fabric at a glance. I purchased this linen as an option for my clients who cannot afford Ulster or Belfast linen which costs me $24.50 a yard! I was over the moon with joy when I received my first order of this linen (IL020 - Handkerchief). Yes, it's not as white, but it is still a high quality handkerchief weight linen. I've purchased other linens on Etsy for $10 a yard, and it was rough and of substandard quality! Never again!! I insist on using THE best fabrics in my designs because I want my clients to get their money's worth. This linen lives up to my very exacting standards for quality. If you want your linen to stand up to time and wear NEVER machine wash. Never use bleach. Never dry it in the dryer, and please don't iron on the high setting! WASHING INSTRUCTIONS: I've consulted with professional weavers with many years of experience and they tell me to always soak your linen in water no hotter than 70 degrees for about 45 minutes using a gentle detergent - I use Oxyclean or Ivory Snow Flakes. Do not use bleach or whiteners! Don't wring out the water by twisting! Bleach, strong detergents, machine washing, high heat and wringing to remove the water breaks down the natural glue of the linen fibers created when the linen is spun and your linen loses its natural sheen and becomes fuzzy in appearance. Yes, it may be softer when this happens, but it breaks down the integrity of the fibers and it no longer will wick away the sweat as efficiently. Agitate the garment in your wash water but don't rub together to remove soiled spots. SOAK IT! If you have to, repeat the soaks until it's clean. Again, don't wring out the water. Squeeze it and lay it on a towel then roll it up to express the excess water, unroll and dry flat. Linen is a straight fiber and likes to dry straight. Don't fold it over a clothes line. Hang it on a hanger or dry it flat. Press your linen with an iron when it is slightly damp. If you launder and care for linen properly it will stand up to years of wear! - Christine Helman DesignsFromTime.com

I love the smooth texture of this linen, but I was surprised when I put it next to my other white linen fabrics, because it was off-white, rather than white. I use it to make product labels, and I hope the off-white color will work. I haven't yet tried it.

This was purchased to make something specific. It was to be a period garment, but it felt so good to the hand that I decided I wanted to be able to wear it a lot more often. Someday I will get that shift made. However, this turned into a favorite smock for hot summer days. I sort of modified a muu-muu pattern into a knee length tunic or smock and I made a few other changes, like POCKETS. It has been really useful as well as pretty. It also is like a new canvas, I have dreams of either doing some fabric painting or embroidering a lacey floral pattern on the skirt part. It's a little on the sheer side, so a surface pattern on it will distract the eye so I don't have to wear a slip if I go out in the bright sun!

i absolutely love this linen. It works perfect for airy summer dresses

This is the perfect handkerchief-weight linen for making pillow slips and napkins. Wash in warm water a couple of times to pre-shrink and remove any residual sizing. This linen is perfect for traditional embroidery, crewel, cross stitch, or any other type of embroidery. It also dyes well. You can use liquid or powdered dye -- either one works well. So, if they do not have the exact color you want, you can create a custom color using liquid dye. For my traditional table linens, the bleached white is the perfect color.

This linen was just what I was looking for. I plan to use it for lacey handkerchiefs. It is lightweight and the bleached color will go well.

I purchased this fabric to teach my daughter how to embroider a design without it being pre-printed. The fabric is a lovely, sheer weight that will do very nicely for this. I haven't started the project yet, but I have washed it and ironed it and it felt like it would work well. I would recommend it. I have even thought about making curtains from it!

I ordered this handkerchief linen to make a baby quilt. I've never quilted with linen before but this linen quilted beautifully. The bleached white is a nice clean, soft white, and it has a lovely silky hand. I highly recommend this product. Here is a link to my quilt: etsy.com/listing/175416568/modern-baby-quilt-linen-and-liberty?

I bought 3 yards of this linen to give it a try. i also bought 3 yards of the bleached med weight linen. i wanted to compare. it is a bit lighter than the med weight (obviously) but, not much. the big difference i noticed is how much softer it is than the med weight. much smoother and the threads are finer (although i LOVE the med weight as well). i currently use med weight to make pillowcases and i made a duvet cover. im going to order more of the light weight linen for pillowcases and perhaps duvet covers. i just love the texture. if you hold it to the light its more transparent than the med weight but, not much. beautiful. beautiful. Fabrics-Store can you please make lightweight linen in MIXED NATURAL? i would love to have at least a bolt of lightweight mixed natural!

This is lovely to work with, soft, washes well, has body without stiffness. I recommend it for shirts and chemise and wonderful for lightweight lining of medium weight cotton brocades etc. I use scraps to line pouches and make handkerchiefs. Takes lightweight embroidery well too.

I bought this to make an 18th century chemise. It went together beautifully, I will use it as a nightgown after I used it as a costume. I have purchased several yards of linen from the Fabric- Store. I love undying from them. Their fabrics are always first quality.

I used the light weight linen for a colonial child's shift and and apron using hand stitching. The fabric was easy to I am very satisfied with the finished product.

I have used this linen fabric to make summer sleepwear, and plan to make more! Unlike some "fashion" linens I have purchased, this wonderful fabric BREATHES and makes me much more comfortable in hot weather.

This "softened" IL020 is a superb fabric. I have bought handkerchief weight linen from several other online stores, and although their product has been perfectly acceptable, fabric-store's is better. It is woven with much finer threads than you usually see, so the washed and dried linen winds up being closer to good shirtweight fabric--nothing rustic about it. In addition, it seems to have a longer staple, in that almost no lint or fuzz came out when I treated it to two vigorous machine wash and dry sessions before working with it. Finally, fabric-store's shipping speed is unbelievably fast: I ordered on Monday; my package arrived on Wednesday! Hard to beat that. I'll be buying here again, and will post a positive report on a couple of sewing bulletin boards where I'm a member.

This is THE best chemise fabric, ever! It is beautifully soft against the skin; a perfect foundation layer! This is all I will ever use!

This is a light weight, beautiful linen. I love all the IL020 fabrics. It washes beautifully. They all soften over several washes. Those not called softened seem somewhat stiff until washed, but improve with washing. This has a soft hand with good drape for linen. This is suitable for lightweight blouses, lingerie, and other applications. You can't go wrong buying this or any of the ILO20 fabrics. They are my favorites.

That says it all! I really like this fabric. It was thin, delicate, and held up well to drawn thread embroidery. It made an excellent, crisp, cap, and a soft, pleasing neckerchief. I hope, in the future, to buy it again!