Today I want to talk to you guys about my current quilting obsession.
I can’t get enough of the stuff.
I’m talking about Essex linen by Robert Kaufman. Just about every other quilt I make uses it. It gives the best texture and some really great added weight. Our quilts need to actually be warm around here ;)
Essex Linen is a linen cotton blend used mostly for garments but has been quickly adopted by modern quilters. There are a few sad quilting stories using Essex Linen but so far that has never been my experience.
- Essex Linen is heavier and warmer (love that about it!) than quilting cottons
- Essex Linen shrinks more than quilting cottons
- So much yummy texture
- It’s a looser weave than quilting cotton so fraying is a concern
- Stretches easier than quilting cotton
- Extra Wrinkly and Crinkly when washed
With a few tips and precautions I say quilt away with Essex Linen!
The three colors I’ve been using the most are Steel, Flax and Black. I swear these colors go with just about any fabrics. I’ve been using it to replace my normal white backgrounds in quilts. It’s a fun change.
I buy my linens multiple yards at a time from Fabric.com:
Steel Yarn Dyed Essex Linen
Flax Yarn Dyed Essex Linen
Black Yarn Dyed Essex Linen
Here are a few tips when working with Essex Linen:
Use a smaller stitch length
I tend to put my stitch length down to about 1.8 when sewing with linen. It’s more prone to fraying and shrinking. A smaller stitch length will ensure it holds better.
Consider Pre-washing
Pre-washing will help take care of the shrinkage before you start sewing with it. When in doubt, pre-wash.
Having tested both pre-washing and not pre-washing Essex linen, I have found I actually prefer to not pre-wash. I didn’t feel it made a huge difference either way. I don’t pre-wash any of my fabrics though and don’t care to work with pre-washed fabric.
Samples of Essex Line before and after washing
Pre-washed but before final wash
Final Wash below
Never washed below
Not Pre-washed below
Post quilting and washing below
Starch it up
Starch is my new best friend especially when working with Essex linen. It really helps keep it’s shape and just makes it all around easier to cut and sew accurately. I find linen presses really nicely especially when using starch.
Starch will help it keep it’s shape as it does stretch easier than cotton fabrics. I use this starch quite liberally while piecing but buy it at the big box stores for a few bucks a bottle.
I also love the Lavender Best Press. It smells so good!
Quilt it up
If you are worried about your Essex linen fraying or falling apart consider quilting it a little more densely. Dense quilting with help hold the fabric in place so it is less likely to come loose or fray after it’s all stitched up.
Quilting it up more also helps prevent the fabric from stretching and becoming looser over time. The quilt below is not quilted very densely at all and the linen has become looser over time. I like nice flat and smoothly taut fabric on my quilts and this is not like that at all. Linen easily stretches.
Densely quilted Essex Linen below ensures there is no stretching or shifting of the fabrics over time. Just about every seam gets quilted for added stability.
The pros of working with Essex Linen far outweigh the cons and until I have any major issues I’ll keep using it!
Here are a few of my favorite Essex Linen quilts:
Double the Plus Quilt
Essex Linen in Black
Kona White
Hexie Framed Quilt Pattern
Essex Linen in Black
Playground Fabrics by Art Gallery Fabrics
Rebel Quilt Pattern
Uses Essex Linen in Steel
Cotton and Steel Sprinkles
Cotton Couture Solids
Plus Squared Quilt
Essex Linen in Steel
Lella Boutique by Moda
City Tiles Quilt
Essex Linen in Flax
Cotton and Steel bluebird fabrics
Quilty Arrows Quilt
Essex Linen in Black
Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics
I am a linen virgin, and recently purchased the color Shale. This post couldn’t have been more timely, as linen is my new facination. Thank you so much for the tips and for sharing your beautiful quilts.
Oh good! Linen adds such beautiful texture :)
I recently purchased some Moda cross weave cotton that has the exact same look at Essex linen. I mean, I couldn’t tell them apart. I haven’t sewn with the cross weave yet. Have you had a chance to work with some?
I haven’t used Moda Cross weave yet! I’m curious about how similar they are!
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Online fabric care shopping is really good.I always shop fabric care online because it save my time and money.I always shop from eZeelo.com and it is good.
Very helpful information as I’m about to use Essex on a quilt (my third) that will have a lot of negative space. Thank you!
Thank you so so much for the info on Essex. I have been wanting to use it in the modern quilts I design for myself. Your review just gave me the confidence to purchase it. Kudos to you!
I recently made the plus quilt for a daughter with the Essex Black and and Essex white (can’t remember which). The concern I have is that I pre-washed the Essex Black THREE times with color catchers and it still was bleeding grey. I finally made and quilted the quilt (it’s a king size!) and when I washed it last night again in cold water with color catchers it was bleeding grey. Fortunately it didn’t bleed onto the white, but is she going to have to wash this quilt with color catchers forever? Have you had a problem with the bleeding? This is worse than any red fabric I have ever used. Thanks for your input. P. S. The quilt is absolutely gorgeous. My quilter used modern curves for the quilting and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.
This is a new one! I have actually never experienced bleeding with Essex linen! And I use Essex black all the time! I’m baffled by this one!
Have you ever used the essex linen for binding when using it also in the background of your quilt?
I have your Double The Plus Quilt pattern – did you use another Essex Linen fabric for the white shade in your quilt or was it a 100% quilting cotton? thanks!
Very helpful article! I have 3 yards of the Flax Essex that I purchased on sale, some time ago, planning to use it for clothing! Now I understand that I could also/instead use it for quilting! Yay!
Hello,
I was wondering how to wash essex yarn dyed linen/cotton blend.
Cold or warm water?
gentle cycle?
do you put in dryer?
I wash all of my quilts in cool or even warm water. I admit, I’m willing to take risks with quilts for sure. Essex does shrink quite a bit so a lot of quilters opt to pre-wash it. I personally don’t and haven’t had issues but it does get extra crinkly after washing. I throw in the dryer also but only leave it in there until it’s just dry enough. I don’t baby my quilts very much and so far I haven’t had any issues.
I’m using the black metallic linen as a background for a large quilt. How have you or would you mark it for quilting?
ooh…that is a tough one! Your best bet is probably marking it with a Hera Marker. Depending on your lighting situation the marks should be pretty visible with a hera marker. I think they also make white chalk pencils. I don’t have any experience with them though so I can’t vouch for how well they wash out.
I’m interested in hand stitching a naturally dyed Essex quilt (with DreamWool batting) with Shasiko thread. Will the hand stitching be able to keep the fabric in-tacked or would you recommend machine quilting since I’ve heard linen is known to break at the seams more?
I would like to use Essex linen for a quilt backing, its wide so the backing won’t be pieced. It will be the only linen on the quilt. I have never worked with linen before. I dont want to ruin the fabric with pre washing, any recommendations?
I don’t care to work with anything that has to be prewashed. I had purchased a layer cake that included the yarn dyed linen squares and was just about to toss the entire thing. Your post saved the pack. I’m going to give it a try right now. I love the simplicity of your quilts. Love the zig zag stitching also.
oh thank you! Good luck! I hope it works out for you! I rarely prewash anything these days.