A manual of home-making

Linen is more easily disintegrated than cotton, and therefore does nut withstand ifje action of boihng alkali solutions, bleach- ing jMiwder, anfl nxidi/Jng agents. This rliaraet eristic together with its sUnv reactit>n to dyestulT, makes it difficult to obtain Flo. 58. — Linen filjcrs, ahonr- irig the characteriiitic nodes and longitudinal Hiriationfl. I I • Uiiiv; yf 111, BiiU. 15, t Opus cil. 314 A MANUAL OF HOME MAKING a fa^t color that will take hold of the fiber. Natural color and white are, therefore, more likely to give complete satisfaction than any applied color in linen fabrics*^ Sizing. Linen always contain« a certain amount of 8izing, for the yarn would l)rcome rou^h in the weaving if it were not so treated. Often sizing is used to conceal imperfei'tion, coarso weaving; or the use of cotton or merceri2ed cotton fibers. Selection. GcKxI linen yarn m round and twisted; if the yarn is loosely twisted and flat, fhe material viiW not wear sio well. Linen fiber absoH>s moisture readily; it L**, therefore, very Miital>le for tnwelings and for other materials that are used to remove moisture from sui faces, Huck, an uneven weave giving u gfKjd surface for the abnorption of water, makes good towels, and, decorated with do^igiis in damask weave, may Ije very tiand*<nme. Many linens in plain weaves are available for clothing, or embroidery, while the coarse Russian crashes are becoming popular for decorative purposes. The texture of linen is such rha! the header kinds hang well in folds, lie flat on a table, and are very artistic for many purposes. The old test for iden- tifying linen by moistening the finger and putting it under the cloth is not always a sure one, since the moisture will not come through a heavy Uuen, or one with much starch in it, and it will come through a sheer, tightly twisted cotton* A better tesi is to put a drop of olive oil on the cloth and pre.ss it l>etweeji blotting papers* The linen becomes more transparent than the cotton. There is a peculiar leathery feeling alx>ut good table linen, which cotton will not give, and the luster is different, nlthtnigh this is diHirult to describe^t It is more tliflirult to choose me<lium-pnced linen wisely than t4> chcK>si» I he finer and more exixvisivc* grades, iKH-atise suKstitu- tion for stn>rig filler antl vaiious finishes may l>e used to lower • C ornrll Riadiug-Coursi? for tlic Fiurm Home, Bull. 45. t I niv. of III, Bull. 15. I TEXTILES 315 the priee whilo they rnaiiitfiiii iUv appearance* Shoppers fejr instituiiooM ;ls wel! its (or the Fiuirio are uften laekin^ in alnlity to jinl|;;e und rcinsequejitl}' liiiy towels and table linen whieh will not give satisfat'tory^ wear. Without training^ the only safe procedure is5 to kec*p strietly to relialile finns rather tlian to be attraete*) l>y what seeni to be l^etter values at. lower priees elsewhere. Many housekeepers prefer to buy the un- bleached tablecloths and bleach them for themselves. There 18 economy in this, heeause the ehemieal bleaching used almost exclusively for methum graders, weakens the fiber. The quality to be avoided is poorly spiuij Hat, rather thin yarn, heavily sized, the cloth loosely woven and light in weight, sized and beetled so that it looks substantial and glistening.* Characteristics and uses of some common lifwn fabrics.