By Lisette BC Abbott

Linen. The word alone can be intimidating if you're not a software downloads file sharing seamstress or tailor. It conjures up exotic locales, perhaps with the software downloads file sharing ocean's waves lapping at the software downloads file sharing coastline, while the sun brilliantly illuminates the pearlescent white caps of the software downloads file sharing waves. Or, at least that what it does for me. I come from software downloads file sharing a long line of non-sewing women, so when I started getting that software downloads file sharing urge to create clothes, it was almost shocking. Well, almost doesn't quite fit. It was shocking. I still rarely sew, and software downloads file sharing I just learned to knit, but I've fallen in love with materials and linen–that soft, sumptuous byproduct of the flax plant!

Linen–true linen, not the software downloads file sharing generalizing term applied to cotton and other fibers–is soft, malleable, and software downloads file sharing very cooling, wonderful in the southern climes. Because linen has been software downloads file sharing around for eons, our ancestors used the material in their day-to-day dress. Is it software downloads file sharing any wonder, then, that historical societies also use linen? These historical societies fervently pursue authenticity by using the software downloads file sharing same materials that were actually used in the past, but in today's world whether it's the software downloads file sharing greenhouse effect or what, the temperature sure feels like it's getting hotter. Frankly, modern humans aren't as used to software downloads file sharing this heat as our ancestors may have been. With our air-conditioned cars, offices, and software downloads file sharing houses, we've gotten used to software downloads file sharing always being cool. So when we participate in our hobbies, like historical societies, we still want to software downloads file sharing remain cool. That's something hard to do when we're dressing in twenty pounds of clothing and software downloads file sharing romping around in faux villages. That's where linen comes to the rescue. So while we're remaining authentic by patterning our historical re-enactment clothing on historically-accurate linen, we sure do benefit from software downloads file sharing using linen.

Have you ever been to an historical re-enactment? They're quite fun, actually. And with history now becoming "popular," there are software downloads file sharing many more from which to choose. The SCA, or Society for software downloads file sharing the Creative Anachronism, is a big organization that hosts countless historical re-enactments of the software downloads file sharing middle ages. Actually, they're not really "re-enactments," per se. The events the SCA hosts are more like "living history" tableaux. In other words, when software downloads file sharing members get together at these events, they're no software downloads file sharing longer members of the 21st century. Rather, they become the personae that software downloads file sharing they've adopted for software downloads file sharing themselves. These personae are with them during their membership in the software downloads file sharing SCA. For example, I–as Lisette BC Abbott–no longer exist when software downloads file sharing I participate in an SCA event. Instead, a middle-class persona named Lady Isabella D'Artagnon, newly of the software downloads file sharing Kingdom of Meridies, emerges. And Lady Isabella will not wear jeans, the software downloads file sharing everyday attire of Lisette. Lady Isabella wears her rectangular-sleeved linen chemise that's banded at neckline and software downloads file sharing cuffs, and which gently falls into a billowing skirt. Over this software downloads file sharing chemise Lady Isabella wears her simple overcoat that's laced up and ends just below the last rib.

Linen is software downloads file sharing prevalent in SCA costumes and at the Renaissance Fairs. However, the software downloads file sharing middle ages and the renaissance weren't the first times in history that linen's been used for clothing.

Linen's a natural fiber, and because of its natural state, it's adaptive to software downloads file sharing all environments. And to all points in time. As I mentioned earlier, our ancestors knew what software downloads file sharing they had with linen. In Ancient Egypt, Egyptians' clothing was primarily made of linen. In fact, linen was a software downloads file sharing valuable commodity, if not a downright priceless commodity. In fact, many members of the software downloads file sharing laboring class were paid in either food or clothing for their agricultural work. Nevertheless, those who software downloads file sharing had more money were able to dress up their otherwise plain linen shifts with dazzling jewelry like onyx bracelets or software downloads file sharing amethyst rings. They also were able to wear golden or shell bracelets or software downloads file sharing earrings to provide startling visual contrast to their linen shifts. However, the software downloads file sharing wealthier class didn't necessarily wear more jewelry than software downloads file sharing the poorer class. Instead what visually set the wealthier class apart from software downloads file sharing the poorer class was their clothes. Namely, the wealthier could afford to software downloads file sharing wear white or transparent linen. After all, workers were needed to software downloads file sharing thoroughly scrub the white linen so it would remain pristine. And just imagine how long it software downloads file sharing took to create cloth so fine and delicate it was transparent!

But why did linen play such an important part in Egyptian clothing? For the software downloads file sharing simple fact that linen was readily available. Keep in mind that software downloads file sharing linen comes from the flax plant. As the flax plant grew alongside the software downloads file sharing Nile River, agricultural workers harvested the plant. From there, the plant was soaked, fibers were separated then software downloads file sharing beaten to a softness, attached to a spindle where the fibers were twisted into a software downloads file sharing rope, and then spun on a loom. From that lengthy process, linen was born and software downloads file sharing Egyptian clothing was made.

Thankfully, those of us who software downloads file sharing participate in historical re-enactments or simply like to attend Renaissance Fairs need not harvest our own flax plants, soak and software downloads file sharing beat them, then spin them on our personal looms. Instead we can software downloads file sharing purchase yards of the softest material we want (or can afford!) and have our clothing made from it. If we're really lucky or software downloads file sharing blessed, we might be handy with a needle or sewing machine and software downloads file sharing make our own clothing. If not, we cultivate friendships with people who software downloads file sharing are domestically talented and beg or barter for our re-enactment clothes.

While I don't know of any historical re-enactments for software downloads file sharing ancient Egypt, there are plenty of people who strive for software downloads file sharing authenticity in ancient Egyptian-styled clothing. Think of all those wonderful A & E documentaries exploring the software downloads file sharing lives of such Egyptian luminaries as Cleopatra, Tutenkhamen, and daily life along the software downloads file sharing Nile River. And what about those fabulous Eyewitness books? Or the software downloads file sharing Treasure Chests series, particularly the Ancient Egypt or Medieval Knight kits? In our own home, my family loves to software downloads file sharing explore these videos, books, and Treasure Chests, often putting together our own, noticeably home-made and software downloads file sharing highly amateurish (but fun nonetheless!) Egyptian tunic and software downloads file sharing Templar Knight mantle. In order to produce credible and authoritative videos, books, and software downloads file sharing kits, there are real people diligently scouring history books, artwork, and software downloads file sharing fashion history researching ancient Egyptian clothing. Since many of these videos are software downloads file sharing primarily educational (while being downright fun to watch), the software downloads file sharing wardrobe mistresses or masters must strive for authenticity. The same goes for software downloads file sharing the books and, yes, the Treasure Chests. And also because credible historians are software downloads file sharing lending their names to these video and book projects, editors and software downloads file sharing the rest of the production staff involved in the making of these productions must strive for software downloads file sharing authenticity.

So fabulously historically-authentic clothing demands the software downloads file sharing material of which actual Ancient Egyptians and medieval dwellers used. Linen. While we in the software downloads file sharing 21st century need not pull our own flax plants (never cutting them as that ruined the plant), nor must we beat the plant in order to get it as soft as possible–which translates to soft material–we can software downloads file sharing and do search for the softest linen to drape around our shoulders or software downloads file sharing let fall along our hips.

We may not be software downloads file sharing Cleopatra or some fine medieval lady, but it sure is fun to software downloads file sharing play Queen for the Day. And that calls for wearing the software downloads file sharing most sumptuous and exquisite linen we can find. After all, we're striving for authenticity, too.