 | At THE LINEN SHOP we like to think of different ways to use our fabric. Add this page to your favourites to keep updated on our ongoing projects and news from the shop. Scroll to the bottom to read our 'Linen Shop Articles', which includes tips and information about Linen.If you have a photo of a project you've finished using our fabric we would love to hear from you. Or send us your thoughts and suggestions of what you would like to see made out of our fabric.Snow
This January we had more snow then we'd previously had in 20 years! It looked beautiful against the palm trees, flax, bamboo and eucalyptus. Festive Decorations These linen decorations are very sweet - an alternative to baubles and tinsel. Parcel Cushion
Printing Workshops
During the demonstration at our special birthday event in September we block printed onto tea towels made from our 'Landscapes - Clay' fabric. This is a particularly good linen to print and dye with. 10th Birthday CelebrationsOn the 10, 11 and 12 September we held a special event at our West Sussex shop to celebrate 10 years of trading. Thank you to everyone who made it. Our weaving, spinning and printing demonstrations were very successful, and particularly interesting was the spinning, demonstrated by Diane Wood. Diane spins her own linen yarn which she then weaves. Visit her website by clicking here.
Spinning Linen
Linen is made by spinning flax. Fibre is extracted from the stems of the flax plant and undergoes several processes (see right hand image above) before becoming a 'strick'. It is very soft and shiny, and looks like long blond hair. The fibres are separated, layered and rolled onto a distaff, an attachment to the spinning wheel. This process is known as 'dressing' the distaff. Ribbon is used to hold the fibres in place to stop them tangling, while the fibres are twisted away by the pulling motion of the spinning wheel. Linen Covered Notebook
Another make-yourself idea - a notebook cover made from bits and pieces from a Bag of Linen Bits, available to buy online. This was handmade by a Linen Shop customer who kindly showed us what she'd made from our linen. The pieces she'd used had scalloped edges, which sewn together look like a hilly landscape! Bathroom Rag Rugs
Linen is very absorbent and dries quickly, so making a rag rug out of our fabric is ideal for a bathroom mat. You can buy balls of stripped linen in our shop for £4 each. Knit with thick needles to quickly create a homemade rag rug. 5 balls makes one mat measuring roughly 16cm x 28cm. Handmade Companions
Choose a little friend from our range of Jack Rabbits, Ballerina Mice and Karate Kittens. Available to buy in various colours from the Online Shop. Handmade in the shop by Trudi, £23.50 each. Early Woven Samples from Fran's Archive Fran handwove these samples when she studied at Surrey Institite of Art and Design. Bessie our Post War Industrial Sewing Machine Returns to Work
Having come out of retirement reliable Bessie is a pleasure to sew with. Bessie was used in a Jaegar factory before coming to the Linen Shop 5 years ago. She was put away for a short spell but is back up and running. So far we've used her to make our 'Coastlines' range of summery tote bags, which are now available to buy online. Handwoven 100% Linen Scarf
Laura has finished weaving a one-off scarf. It is a lightweight striped scarf with shades of warm yellow, blue grey and dusty pink. After weaving it went through a finishing process to soften it up and smooth it down. £141 from our shop in West Sussex. Images from Fran's Sketchbook  One source of inspiration for Fran's woven designs came from washed up pebbles. Colourful Linen Belt
Trudi's belt was made using various linens from our collection. It is based on a design she found in her 'Golden Hands' collection of sewing magazines from the 1970s. Embellished Linen Skirt
Fran has decorated her linen skirt using her new 'embellishing' machine. It works by punching needles through layers of fabric and forcing the displaced fibres to join together. The fibres create a matted texture underneath the fabric, leaving the decorative surface layers to stay put without any stitch marks or glue. Coastlines Range of Summer Tote Bags
We've created a range of tote bags perfect for sunny times from our 'Coastlines' fabric collection. Durable enough for carrying heavy books or use as an alternative to plastic shopping bags. Now available to buy online. Ruffle Scarf This scarf uses a technique known as hairpin crochet. It uses 4 balls of striped linen. Made by Trudi. Patchwork Drawings
Make texural drawings out of scraps of fabric. Trudi made this using a Bag of Linen Bits and a Bundle of Patchwork Pieces, available online. Inspiration was found outside the shop window. Decorate Anything with Buttons
Bring new life to an old cushion, accessorize a pair of jeans or customise a bag. All our buttons are handmade in the shop using stainless steel forms. Packs of Assorted Buttons are available online, or visit us for a wide range of individual buttons, ranging from £1.25 to £2.35 each. Easy Patchwork Scarf
Laura made this easy to sew patchwork scarf using a Bundle of Patchwork Pieces. It's a simple and personalised way of making a beautiful one-off scarf from our fabrics. And at only £10 it's cheap too! Images from Fran's Print Portfolio
Fran's portfolio shows a variety of printing techniques, including hand block printing and silk screening.
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