Pure Irish Linen for Church Linens

Irish linen is the traditional fiber of church linens, and for good reason: long flax fibers, an even weave that hemstitches cleanly, and a hand that only improves with laundering. We stock pure Irish linen selected specifically for altar use.

Our Irish linen

• Renaissance Linen – pure Irish linen, 60 inches wide, cut by the yard. Our flagship for fair linens, altar cloths, corporals and purificators.
• Irish Linen Purificators – machine hemmed and ready to embroider, in 12 x 12, 13 x 13 and 12 x 17.5 inch sizes.

European linen for embroidery

Alongside the Irish linen we carry Ashford Linen Twill, a European linen twill woven for crewel and hand embroidery work.

We label every fabric plainly. Irish means woven of pure flax in the Irish tradition; when a fabric is European, or a blend, the listing says so.

Swatches first

Order a swatch of any linen for a few dollars and see the weave in your own sacristy light before buying yardage.

Why here

Family-owned studio, trusted by altar guilds and 22,737 makers, over 1,000 five-star reviews, ships from our Minnesota workroom. If you are unsure which weight suits fair linens versus purificators, ask us; matching linen to project is what we do all day.

FAQ

Why Irish linen for altar cloths? The long-staple flax gives a strong, fine cloth that presses crisp, resists pilling and survives decades of laundering, which is why sacristy manuals have specified it for generations.

What width is it? Renaissance is 60 inches wide, enough for most fair linens without piecing. For very large altars see wide white linen.

Can I get it ready-made? Purificators come machine hemmed. For everything else, our altar linen pattern and beginner kit make the sewing straightforward.