About Dyed Grad

2011 info: The linen for our art and gradation dyed slings is sourced from a traditional manufacturer in Ireland, where it is woven on a famous old loom. Irish linen is amongst the finest in the world, with its finely spun yarn, its softness and strength. We then hand dye the linen using high-quality dyes to ensure long- lasting vibrant colour.

Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.

Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.

July 2011: “The yarn for our recent batch of white Irish linen is even more finely woven than previously so the wraps have a different feel. They are much softer, glide more easily and are more lightweight.”

May 2012: “As some of you know we’ve been slowing down the gradation dyeing to work on our next collection. We’re also nearly out of natural linen and there will be a few months wait until we have more ready.

2013 info: Our Irish linen is sourced from a traditional manufacturer, and woven to the highest standards. Irish linen is considered to be the best available. It is strong, durable and finely spun. The result is a wrap that supports wonderfully, wears remarkably well, and once broken in, feels silky soft. It also looks great when worn.

Of all textile fibres, linen is one of the most ecologically sound. It needs less fertilizers and pesticides than most other crops – it is low input and therefore more environmentally friendly. It is also renewable with a short growing cycle and every part of the plant is used. Flax fibre is stronger than cotton fibre and its properties were recognised as early as Phoenician times when it was used to make linen sails.

Nov 2014: The linen for our gradation dyed wraps is finely spun, light and breathable, making it a good choice for warmer climates. This high-quality fabric is then hand dyed to create beautiful, elegant and vibrant gradations. A truly stunning sling.

We use plain white and natural English linen to create subtly different effects from each colourway. The white linen is lighter and somewhat finer than the natural, which is a little more dense. Each creates a slightly different but equally supportive sling.

When gradation dyeing 100% linen, and more so when using certain colours, the dye moves into or away from the linen’s natural creases and sometimes creates thin, faded or more deeply coloured lines across it. Sometimes we seek to make a feature of this, often they are just a subtle part of the overall effect, which works well with the natural qualities of the linen and is part of the charm of a hand dyed sling.

Although we strive to make each sling to the highest quality, there may be occasional irregularities that are part and parcel of a non-mechanised process. Because our slings are hand dyed there will be some variation and each is essentially unique, colours may turn out to be slightly different to the images here. All of the dyes used in our gradations are non-toxic and free of heavy metals and other pollutants.

Your linen sling will take a short while to ‘break in’ – use it regularly and you will find it softens beautifully and becomes easier and more rewarding to use. You can also tumble dry it, sit on it, run it through banisters or sling rings, braid it… there are many ways to break in a sling!