Are Linen Towels Worth the Hype?

 When it comes to opinions on linen towels, I've heard it all: some love them, some fear them. Some think they're too fancy. Others swear by them. Some find them intimidating to care for, something you'd only put out for company but not actually use. Others throw them into any old load of laundry. So what's the actual scoop, and more importantly, are they worth the hype of those who do sing their praises (and the cost)?

Because admittedly, linen is more expensive than cotton. A 100% linen tea towel will cost about twice that of a cotton one, maybe more if it's earmarked "European linen" (traditionally thought of as the higher quality weave, but with the more recent rebirth of American flax, I hope that's soon to change!). So I get it - nobody wants to buy a pricier towel, and use it to mop up stains, but not be sure it can be  machine washed.

So to take a step back, my discovery of linen towels started in Barcelona. I realize this sounds exotic, but hear me out. I was on a work trip, sneaking away from meetings to explore the old Gothic Quarter on foot for the afternoon. I had no map and no plan (truly, is there any better way to see a new place?), and my wandering had taken me to the absolute best places - local little outdoor markets, hidden shady squares, an unforgettable tapas lunch served on a cask barrel outside a tiny pub down an alley, and finally, to a magical home goods store bursting with My Kinds of Things, including .... stacks of French linens. I had seen these before, of course, but here, I fell in love. I loved the feel of them (this linen was pre-washed and so, so soft), the range of colors, and the way the women around me just casually accepted that yes, of course linen was the sturdiest, most practical, best thing for the kitchen! I brought stacks home.

Maybe the magic of Barcelona itself - a city bursting with warmth, kindness and friendship during my stay - softened me to linen. But the magic stuck. I went home and used those linen towels, just the way I'd seen and heard the women in the shop. I wasn't precious with them. I hung them proudly on a hook, but I also used them to mop up messes and dry my Dutch oven. I threw them in the wash and the dryer. Over and over. They came out wrinkled, I shrugged, and used them again. They got softer with every wash. They didn't shrink. They were stronger, sturdier, and more beautiful than my old cotton towels.

In search of European linens for the shop, I found my way to Helen Round Studios, based in Cornwall, UK, where Helen hand prints her own designs on fine linen in the most beautiful colors. I embroidered on these - built-in patterns to trace! - and also used them, washed them, softened them, repeat.

Maybe a machine wash is a little hard on your embroidery, but what's the point of making beautiful things if not to use them? And if a little thread wears off, it's just an excuse to stitch again. Helen's towels were just as strong as the ones I found in Barcelona. 

I was recently vending at an event, and a woman stopped by my booth, spotted some of these linen towels next to our embroidery supplies, and said, "Ohhhhhhhh linen! A good linen towel lasts forever. I've never thrown a single one of mine away." And ... I've gotta agree.