 A Brief History Of
Fine Swedish Table Linen
Tablecloth By: Calle Redhe
Linen
itself has been featured in history since Prehistoric times. Egyptian
culture used linen as a basic cloth as well as for costume.
Archaeologists have found samples of linen, dating back to 4200 BC.
Linen that is now used in fine Swedish table linen was processed in much
the same way, back in 642 AD. Unfortunately, few pieces have survived
from that time.
By the 1500's, a damask linen was imported by Holland and Flanders. This
linen was used for table cloths by the wealthy.
This tradition was replicated in the
seventeenth century in Sweden. Fine Swedish table linens were owned by
wealthy Swedish families - they were ornate and decorative. And it
wasn't until the 1800's that table linen was used as an everyday table
cloth. |
From the seventeenth century, Halsingland,
Sweden began to produce both flax and linen. It was in 1730 that a man
by the name of Stephen Bennet set up a linen factory of sorts with about
eighty looms. The quality of the damask created was high, but the
factory stopped producing fine Swedish table linen in 1845 when it
closed down.
In terms of producing the linen, most histories agree that men were
given the responsibility of the heavier work—carrying and lifting and
transport of materials. Women were taught from a young age about the
craft of linen. Many of the children and older women were in charge of
less delicate jobs, while those with manual dexterity and stamina were
given the task of making the higher quality fine Swedish table linens on
one of the many looms. Prior to weaving and spinning, the women would
color the flax.
Bleaching the fine Swedish table
linens was difficult, as many of the dyes
were not colorfast.
Some of the natural dyes that were
utilized were from natural findings—leaves, lichens, moss, and bark. In
the rare occasions when other colors were requested, they could buy
colorings—logwood, gambier, indigo, and Farnock (from a tree).
The complicated process of weaving fine Swedish table linen was not
without good results though. One story goes that an owner of a
weavery-Calle Redhe-- used to go to Norway to sell his fine Swedish
table linen. In one particular summer trip, he met an older woman of
about seventy years old. The woman came up to Calle and asked him if he
was indeed Calle Redhe, to which he replied yes.
The woman was delighted to find Calle as she herself had bought a fine
Swedish table linen from Calle's father in 1948 just after she was
married. Now, recently widowed after fifty-seven years and returned to
Norway to live she was delighted to learn she could finally buy some
napkins woven from the same loom as the tablecloth. She had her
tablecloth with her and purchased matching napkins.
Fine Swedish table linen has a long history behind it, but it's the
story of the owners and their families are what enrich their legacy. And
with the long-standing tradition of linen making and weaving, you too
can probably find something to match your great-grandmother's linens. |
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A characteristic often associated with
linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur
randomly along its length. However, these are actually defects
associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent
diameter with no slubs. When being washed for the first time, linen
shrinks significantly. |
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About the Author:
Calle Redhe is the owner and Master Weaver at Redhes Weavery in Bjorbo,
Sweden. Redhes Weavery was founded in the mid-1940's and has become renowned
for keeping alive the ancient Swedish traditions of patterning and quality
most evident in the overshot weave cloths they produce today. He makes it
easy for all to own table linens with the air of royalty. To learn what
colors and weave are available visit:
http://www.fine-swedish-table-linen.com | Read more articles by:
Calle Redhe | This
article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com
Linen Tablecloth | Table Linen
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