A while back, I ordered a ton of $3/yd linen/cotton herringbone. It looked
and felt like pure linen--very silky--until I washed it. It FULLED.
Unwashed, it had been very lightweight, very thin, (it felt like about 3.5-4
oz, from what I remember) and a bit loosely woven. Washed, it's thicker
than denim (though still pretty loosely woven; it didn't really shrink much)
and not at all silky. It's still pretty breathable and surprisingly easy to
work with (especially for hand-sewing, because of the looseness of the
weave) but it's a completely different fabric than what I'd bought; in terms
of drape and hand you're more likely to mistake it for wool than for linen.
The leftovers, of which I have a ton, are excellent for making mock-ups of
fulled wool garments, since they have pretty much the same stretch and
thickness.
As a matter of fact, I was just sitting here putting things up for sale, so
if you're curious you can see a dress made out of this stuff:
http://www.formfunction.org/for_sale/rr.html
Both the outside and the lining are made out of this fabric, but the metric
ton of hand-sewing that went in to it went quickly and easily and didn't
cause any blisters! Couldn't say the same for a 100% linen cote of a similar
washed thickness that I made around the same time.
All said, I don't find a cotton/linen blend too objectionable for outerwear,
but I wouldn't want it directly against my skin, and I wouldn't wear it when
it's over 85-90 degrees F. And if it's wonderfully silky and beautiful when
you buy it, then make a dry-clean only garment out of it!
-E
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