New Menorca Crinkle linens (and sewing tips too)
New season means new fabrics! With our southern hemisphere spring so close we can smell it, here come all the lovely, light and colourful new arrivals.
This week, we’re releasing our Menorca Check crinkle linen range. We’ve long, loooong, looooooooong been a fan of crinkle linens so finding these beauties was definitely a ‘hit-the-jackpot’ moment. They’re available in three colourways (L-R) – Sunset, Turquoise & Aqua.
Menorca Sunset
Menorca Aqua
Menorca Turquoise
Colette used Menorca Sunset crinkle linen to make a modified Vali Top (from Pattern Fantastique), reducing the ‘V’ at the neck, straightening the side seams and removing the ties. This make got all the summer holiday ticks in what was some very warm waeather.
Speaking of holiday, crinkle linen makes for truly excellent holiday wardrobe wear. Here’s a great holiday tip for both crinkle and regular linens. Pack a spray bottle in your luggage and to freshen up your linen pieces, lay them on a flat surface and give them a light spritz. Brush your hands down your garment to flatten and soften the creases and crinkles. Do this the night before you plan on wearing your garment, hang it to dry overnight and in the morning, you’ll have a lovely relaxed look to your garment.
We love crinkle linen for loose-fitting dresses, skirts, breezy tops, caftans, skirts, scarves and wraps, as well as our Tosca Tunic, Coni Tunic, Silva Shirt Jacket, Helga Shirt, Ola Tunic, Athina Top and Eva Dress patterns.
When it comes to sewing with crinkle linen, we’re frequently asked for sewing tips and tricks so here are a few that we recommend when using this fabulously textured fibre. Most importantly – don’t pre-wash and don’t press before cutting out your pattern. The texture of crinkle linen tightens after a wash and this will affect the sizing of your garment. The beauty of this fabric is that it reacts to the warmth of your body and relaxes as you wear it. After making and washing, hang your garment to dry to re-invigorate the crinkle. You can also give it a very light steam to loosen the texture.
This really is one fine summer fabric! You can shop the Menorca range and all our crinkle linens online.
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Too late – I washed this fabric and have not yet cut out my pattern. What do you recommend? BTW I washed it because I found it to be sort of scratchy. Will it soften with subsequent washing?
Hi Liz,
If you have already washed it, you will need to steam iron gently back into it’s original state, before cutting it out. The high twist crinkle yarn helps give this linen the lovely crinkled texture. Try adding ½ cup of pure vinegar instead of washing powder in your next wash, after that use regular washing detergent of your choice and always dry your linen away from harsh sunlight
Any tips for how to cut the crinkled linen out? I bought some crinkled linen frommyou previously but when I cut it out it looked all jagged and I haven’t dared to sew it up.
Hi Jane. Due to the texture, it’s not unusual for a crinkle linen to look a little jagged at the edges after cutting. We would suggest cutting/sewing it it as you would any fabric.
Maybe a stupid question, but I’ve always pre-washed and dried my linen fabric before cutting to eliminate any unexpected shrinkage. How to I account for shrinkage (especially in length) with crinkle linens?
Hi Nancy,
If you’re concerned about shrinkage in length, we would suggest to cut your garment a little longer in the length etc. You can always shorten afterwards. As mentioned crinkle linen settles back into shape after wearing and we would also recommend gentle washing in cold water and definitely no tumble drying etc.