Welcome to handdyedlinen.com

We are a UK internet based company.

 DYED ANTIQUE LINEN

We specialise in hand dyed linen and have been dyeing antique linen for an number of years. Our antique linens are used successfully  by some of the top  UK and international interior designers and decorators. They have been incorporated in upholstery projects, wall covering, curtain and cushion making and are also used for making ladies' and gentlemen's clothing. We do not  publish pictures of these projects since we feel that our clients have the copyright to their work. Our linens and fabrics have been published in several leading magazines and have been used in major film and theatre productions. The beauty of our fabrics is that they give an instant ' lived in ' appearance and feel.
 In the 19th and early 20th century  linen was often woven by continental peasant farmers in winter time when there was little work on the land. They used locally grown  raw materials and the flaxen and hemp were of different qualities and consistencies depending on the area where the they were harvested. Sometimes various flaxen/hemps were mixed when weaving resulting in the variety of the end product. These differences in flaxen are accentuated with dyeing and give interesting patterns. Most of our linen was made on home looms and are 70-80 cm wide and vary in length.  When wider fabrics were needed  2 or 3 original 70 cm wide lengths were sewn together. We  have wider linens in stock, these also vary in length.  In various parts of continental Europe  young ladies from a 'well to do background' were given a supply of linen on their wedding day as a dowry that should, in theory, last them a life time. These rolls of linen were displayed in linen presses and the doors of these cupboards were left open when visitors were around so that they could see the wealth  of the family. With the introduction of machine made linen and popularity of cheaper cotton the tradition of home woven linen disappeared. We are fortunate to have a good stock and are also able sometimes to buy old collections. We stock and hand dye metis ( French machine woven half linen, half cotton) or other linen/hemp mixtures in varying degrees of weight. Some of our antique linen has been previously used as bed linen. Many of these sheets measure 300 x 200 cm. We  wash all linen at 90 C, sometimes several times, to remove any impurities and to stop it from future shrinking.
 The dyeing process is labour intensive, there are a total of 15 stages involved and sometimes more when dark  or layers of colours  are used. However the result is that we produce a unique product which enhances any upholstery, curtain making or other design project. Please note that our fabrics age over time and that depending on usage a unique 'patina' will develop due to wear and the influence of sun light. This makes our linens unique.
 All our fabrics are sold without any expressed opinion and the colours may change or fade due to usage,  wear and tear and the influence of sun light.
Please note that  regrettably we are unable to supply direct to the end user. We do business with interior decorators and specifiers exclusively. Please contact us on info@handdyedlinen.com for any inquiries.