Natural Fibers

There are natural, manufactured and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers are derived directly from natural sources. In this category there are cellulosic and protein fibers. Cellulosic fibers are derived from plants for example linen and cotton whereas protein fibers come from animals for example silk and wool. In upcoming posts we will dive into the various types of wool and discuss manufactured/manmade and synthetic fibers, so stay tuned!

Linen

Linen is one of the oldest textiles fibers used by humans throughout history. Linen is a long staple, cellulosic bast fiber as it is derived from the stalks of the flax plant. Linen is stronger than cotton and dries more quickly however, it is more prone to shrinkage and wrinkles. Linen absorbs and wicks away moisture well which is why it is popularly used for summer garments and bedding. Some other bast fibers are hemp, ramie and jute.

Cotton

The most popular and commonly used cellulosic fiber in soft home is cotton as it is a very versatile fiber from which a wide arrange of fabric qualities can be achieved. Cotton is a seed-hair fiber derived from cotton plants. Seed hair fiber means that the fiber comes from the area surrounding the seed of the plant and ginning is process in which the seeds are separated from the cotton fibers.

Cotton fibers are classified by staple length: Long staple, Standard/Medium staple and Short staple length. The longer the staple length the finer and lustrous the yarns made from those fibers will be whereas shorter staple cottons tend to be coarser.

 To learn more about the different types of Cotton check out our Cotton post!

Silk

Silk is a high luster, filament, protein fiber that is derived from the cocoons of silk worms. Filament refers to fibers that are a long continuous length.

 For cultivated silk, in order to obtain the silk fibers, the cocoons are unraveled. In order to get an uninterrupted length of fiber when unraveling the cocoons, the cocoons are submersed in hot water before the moth has the chance to chew its way out from the center. When the silk worm is creating these fibers it actually produces two strands simultaneously coated in a protein called sericin. The term sericulture comes from this sericin protein. Raw silk has the sericin layer intact and degummed silk is with the sericin layer removed.

Wild silk is silk taken from cocoons after the moths have left. So the fibers tend to be shorter due to them having to be spun together to make longer lengths they produce a more textured yarn. One example of wild silk is Tussah silk .

Dupioni Silk refers to thicker, uneven, 2 ply silk which comes from two silk worms in one cocoon or two attached cocoons.

Silk doesn’t use Thread Count or GSM but “momme” to refer to the quality. See our post to learn more as well as the differences between satin, sateen and silk!

We offer wide range of products in these natural fibers. Below are some of our favorites! Browse LinensNow to discover more of our quality home textiles, priced right.

 Linen

Our Valeron® Estate Cotton Linen Window Panel is available in both single and double width sizes. These window panels are made out of a 52% Turkish cotton / 48% linen blend and feature not only a cotton liner but also a cotton flannel interliner. The interliner not only adds insulation and further help block out light but also adds to the drapeability of these luxurious panels.

 Cotton

Our OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified Brielle Home Marisol 100% Cotton Comforter Set is crafted of a lightweight diamond matelassé fabric with a botanic floral print on the face and a solid white 100% cotton percale reverse.  The Marisol Comforter set pairs well with many of our Brielle Home decorative pillows.

You can browse our full offering of 100% cotton comforters here on LinensNow.

Silk

Our Valeron® Estate 100% Silk Sheet Set & Pillowcases are 19 momme, made in Turkey and woven in a sateen weave. The combination of the sateen weave and luxurious silk fibers give these sheets a beautifully subtle sheen and (literally) silky soft hand feel.