European linen from Thea & Sami

Have you seen the gorgeous European linen from Thea & Sami?

Thea now stocks three types of linen, each one very different to the other, I blogged Versaille natural unbleached linen previously here. Now it's time for a little bit about Thea's new stock Provincial and Petersburg (don't you just love the names).


Petersburg (above) is probably the sturdiest of the three but still has a lovely soft feel to it. Perfect for all types of crafts and definitely a winner for homewares. I love that the weave is tighter than some linen, making it perfect for embroidery. The combination of texture and shades of natural colour will make Petersburg perfect for my embroidery series on fish, more of which are coming soon.


Provincial, in my opinion, is a rare find. The colour is stunning and it's incredibly soft. When Thea first sent me a swatch of this one it was like stumbling across a delicate piece of fabric from a bygone era (ok, maybe I get a little over excited about these things). While it is more delicate than Petersburg it's as sturdy as any linen making it perfect for crafts, homewares and the weave is tight enough to create a detailed embroidery.

The highlight of Petersburg and Provincial is that they're both pre-shrunk!

Head to Thea & Sami to stock up.

And if you're also a linen enthusiast click here to dredge up previous rants on the subject.

australian bass

Australian Bass hand-embroidered on hemp and yak hair

Did you fish a lot as a kid? We did, at crazy hours of the morning for 6 hours plus at a time. We even have trophies for it which is kinda funny for 3 girls. The best bit was the element of surprise waiting to see what type of fish would fly out of the water. The worst bit was a toss up between peeing into a bucket in a dingey in the middle of the Broadwater or smelling like dried live bait and scales for most of the day.

I think this Australian Bass is in desperate need of a frame, could make a nice gift for a fisherman/woman, because everyone knows one of those right?

(btw: The hemp and yak hair is from Duckcloth and while it's not vegan friendly it is divine to work with, it has a super soft texture compared to most linen and/or hemp blends)

The Linen Quest: Duckcloth via Missy P

A little while ago Penny aka MissyP from so sew poppy kindly sent me some swatches of linen she purchased from Duckcloth, they were just lovely and all very different in colour and texture.


Penny kindly agreed to review them for The Linen Quest and she has done a fabulous job of it! For the full run down check out this post.

The Linen Quest: a comparison

The Linen Quest is finally back! A little while ago I promised to provide a better comparison of colour so here's a little peek into my notebook. The white background should give a better comparison.

Ok, so working down each page:


1. This swatch is from a remnant I picked up a few years ago from Ewan Gardams which has since closed down and I was never able to find the same linen there again so I haven't reviewed it and not sure how helpful a review of it would be anyway. However, if I find something similar then I will.

2. Thea & Sami reviewed here.

3. Duckcloth - review from a fellow blogger coming soon! If you're in Australia and you want the superbuzzy linen (medium weight) I would suggest getting this one instead. It's the same colour and weight.

4. Sckafs - review coming soon!

5. Tessuti (white) - review coming soon!


6. Quilt Fabric Delights reviewed here.

7. Tessuti (fawn) - review coming soon!

8. Superbuzzy reviewed here.

9. Kelani reviewed here.

10. Duckcloth hemp - review coming soon! I'll also be reviewing the Duckcloth organic cottons.

If there is a linen listed here that you are desperate to hear more about leave a comment and I'll review it first.

Have you purchased linen recently? Would you like to be a guest blogger for The Linen Quest? Leave me a comment with your details or contact me directly via the email contact in my sidebar to take part!

The Linen Quest: Thea & Sami

Thea of Thea & Sami recently sent me a swatch of the linen she uses to screen print her fresh, modern designs onto. Obviously the linen is excellent quality and is now available for purchase in the Thea & Sami online store!

Name: Natural Unbleached Linen
Purchased from: Thea & Sami
Cost: $35 per metre

Service: Excellent, Thea is lovely to deal with.

Rating: This linen is 260gsm, it's very high quality and quite soft compared to other linen of the same weight. The site gives a very informative description of the linen manufacturing process and its environmental benefits. Because this is the linen used for their printed fabric, it coordinates perfectly with Thea & Sami designs.

I would personally use this linen for embroidery projects, the colour is the perfect shade for my lavender birds, embroidered pouches and notebook covers. Because it is quite soft I would also use it for my smaller softies like bunny.

Thea and Sami also have a range of organic and eco fabrics worth checking out as well as their gorgeous range of printed fabrics like Marguerite - Navy on Natural below.


Would I buy it again? Yes, especially as Thea is Brisbane based.

Have you purchased linen recently? Would you like to be a guest blogger for The Linen Quest? Leave me a comment with your details or contact me directly via the email contact in my sidebar to take part!

The Linen Quest: Kelani

Name: Natural 100% Linen
Purchased from: Kelani
Cost: $50 per metre
Service: Excellent. Kelani always impress with speedy delivery plus postage is free within Australia. They stock gorgeous fabric including an extensive range of Japanese and Australian fabric.

Rating:
This is a beautiful quality linen and is well worth the price tag. The colour hasn't come up very well in the photo above, it's closer to the shade on the far right. It's maybe a little lighter than the image on the Kelani website, although as we all know this depends on the calibration of your computer screen as well. In their description of the linen Kelani recommend matching it with Kristen Doran Winter Nest and Matryoshka Doll craft panels. It's slightly thinner than the linen I would normally use for embroidery but I think the weave is tight enough to be used in this way. It would be perfect for almost any craft project.

Would I buy it again? Yes.

Have you purchased linen recently? Would you like to be a guest blogger for The Linen Quest? Leave me a comment with your details or contact me directly via the email contact in my sidebar to take part!

The Linen Quest: Superbuzzy

Name: The perfect linen
Purchased from: Superbuzzy
Cost: Medium Weight: $23.95 (USD) per yard; Light Weight: $19.95 (USD) per yard (I bought the medium weight)
Service: Excellent

Rating:
Superbuzzy claim that they have been "searching for the pefect linen to use for our craft projects". I have to agree, I think this is a perfect linen, the texture is lovely and the quality is very good. However it's a shade darker than what I'm looking for. Having said that I do have some new projects floating around in my head that will be perfect for this linen.

Would I buy it again? Yes. Paying for shipping from America isn't ideal but as I only orderd the medium weight linen I will definitely head back to Superbuzzy to try the light weight (which wasn't available at time of purchase) and also to stock up on some fabric and trims. I think it would be fair to say that they have the best range of Japanese fabric online.

Superbuzzy's The perfect linen - medium weight

Superbuzzy's The perfect linen - light weight

Have you purchased linen recently? Would you like to be a guest blogger for The Linen Quest? Leave me a comment with your details or contact me directly via the email contact in my sidebar to take part!

The Linen Quest: Quilt Fabric Delights

Name: Taupe Linen - Sutherland Linen
Purchased from: Quilt Fabric Delights
Cost: $5 AUD per fat quarter
Service: The service is always excellent at Quilt Fabric Delights

Rating:
This isn't the perfect linen for me only because of the shade of colour but it is very nice quality, the texture is quite smooth and it was perfect for the lining and bottom section of the bag pictured below. The problem with purchasing any sort of fabric online is the difference between the colour on the screen and the colour of the actual fabric. On screen this linen looks much lighter than it is. The image below will give you a better idea of the shade of taupe.


While I did use this linen for a bag, it is only a medium weight fabric so may not be suitable for larger bags.

Would I use it again? Yes, but only if a project called for this shade of colour.

The Linen Quest

I think it's fair to say that I love working with linen. I love using it as a base for embroidery, I love that it goes with almost any fabric, and I love the look and feel of it.

What I don't love is how difficult it is to find the perfect linen for a project that doesn't cost the earth.

So, I'm on a quest to try as many different types of linen as I can find. If you can help with suggestions leave me a comment. I'm not going to keep the results to myself, I'm going to share them with you over the next few weeks so if you love working with linen or would like to and don't know where to start stay tuned...