Linen instead of cotton as basic shirting

[Frederic Leighton]

Most of my shirts are made by Budd, and Mr Butcher's precision is impressive.

Thank you, David, for describing what to expect from a good shirtmaker in terms of consistency and reliability. That's very helpful, as my experience is limited to one single shirtmaker (and yes - after the last troubles, I do start thinking that it might be time to move forward...).
I know you're both a happy customer of Budd and a happy wearer of LL linen shirting. Did you or any other LL member have the chance to try the linen used by Budd?

[davidhuh]

I know you're both a happy customer of Budd and a happy wearer of LL linen shirting. Did you or any other LL member have the chance to try the linen used by Budd?

Salve Federico,

Budd only has Irish linen, the LL linen is Irish too. I have several shirts from both sources and made up by Budd. I'm unable to spot a difference (Budd has different colours).

Two or three more with LL cloth were made up by the old lady. This is a different style, softer in the making and more hand and needle work Not as precise, not as sharp but charming.

Cheers, David

[Frederic Leighton]

I would like to add to the secrecy by stating that really heavy linen (10+ oz.) trousers are great for colder weather too. I have experimented with that and it´s been a success. [...] A few minor problems though: they are still kind of cold and rustic to the touch, the drape is not the best, and -above all- I don´t know where to get more cloth like that!

On a trip out of London, today I discovered a fabric shop in St Leonards, a short walk from Hastings. They sell vintage fabrics, trimmings and buttons. Some suiting, some jacketing... I've seen couple of good things on those old shelves and plenty of suitable, heavy linen, mostly undyed but also in two nice shades of mustard, some nice stripes and other bits and pieces for casual trousers and jackets.

[lxlloyd]

Not shirting, But we were using a lovely lightweight GOTS certified organic Linen jersey from Lichtschatz (great for lightweight pullovers. Jersey is a type of knitting stitch, this is not the same texture as a cotton jersey t-shirt in our instance but closer to a pullover gauge) French Flax, spun in hungary, knitted and dyed in Germany. With lichtschatz (German company), they essentially will knit to order- you tell them the yarncount and discuss your intended use and they will produce the most suitable fabric for your project.

and a nice 190g/m sand coloured GOTS certified organic linen solera that was great for trousers. From a belgian company, Libeco. The linen was from France, Spun in hungary (there are only so many GOTS certified spinners!) and then everything else (weaving, dying.finishing) in Belgium. They do a lovely twill.

[hectorm]

... and -above all- I don´t know where to get more cloth like that!

I discovered a fabric shop in St Leonards, a short walk from Hastings... plenty of suitable, heavy linen.

Thank you, Frederic.
Not exactly around the corner for me, but that confirms that there´s still plenty of suitable (NPI) heavy linen to be discovered out there and it´s worth while keeping the eyes always open.

and a nice 190g/m sand coloured GOTS certified organic linen solera that was great for trousers.

Actually, there´s no shortage of lightweight linen. What it´s difficult to find is something at around 280-300g still suitable for sturdier trousers. It´s so rare that some of us at the LL have resorted to cutting trousers out of thick linen canvas destined for sailing (or even helicopter lining).

[Concordia]

What is the maximum weight you'd think of using for shirts? (And how does the LL book compare?)

[Frederic Leighton]

Back from Rome tonight - that was fun! New shirt maker; three days, three fittings. For all the time we worked on a teletta, a shirt in scrap cloth. The actual linen shirt will be in London shortly. Minimum order: 1 shirt.

What is the maximum weight you'd think of using for shirts? (And how does the LL book compare?)

The LL book has two weights; I remember the dressy white being slightly lighter than the bengal stripes, with the heavier cloth somewhere around 145 grams and the lighter 20 grams less (please correct me if I'm wrong; I saw the book months ago). I managed to find a heavier white linen, but let's see how it behaves.

[HristoStefanov]

Hello dear LL-Community,

do linen shirts shrink as cotton shirts after several washings?

Best regards
Hristo

[davidhuh]

Dear Hristo,

my shirt maker washes the linen before cutting the linen. I have not observed any shrinking so far.

Cheers, David

[Russell]

Dear Hristo,

my shirt maker washes the linen before cutting the linen. I have not observed any shrinking so far.

Cheers, David

Just to make sure I washed the lengths myself before handing to the maker.

As David reports - no shrinkage.

Regards
Russell