Hemp fabric is becoming more popular because it is a versatile, environmentally sound choice. The hemp plant can be grown in a variety of soils and it is naturally disease and pest resistant; it can be cultivated with few or no dangerous pesticides. Hemp fibers are stronger, longer, and more absorbent than cotton fibers and hemp is much more mold resistant than cotton. In the early days of the United States, hemp was used for canvas fabric and was grown by many farmers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Despite its wonderful properties, the cultivation of hemp became controversial during the twentieth century. Hemp is a variety of cannabis sativa, so it is related to marijuana, but it is not marijuana. You can’t get high on hemp because it contains less than 1% of THC, the active ingredient in real marijuana. In the 1950s, hemp growing was banned in USA because the government classified all cannabis as marijuana; this ban continues to this day, but thirty other industrialized countries allow the growing of hemp. Progress is being made towards once more allowing industrial hemp to be grown in the United States.
This is good news for sewers. Hemp can be made into a variety of fabrics, including beautiful, linen-like hemp/cotton fabric. This weight of hemp is a great alternative to linen.
Versatile hemp fiber is also processed into paper and a variety of industrial products.
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