Textiles are often judged first by softness, but a working household asks for more exact language. Linen is cool and dry. Cotton is forgiving. Wool is warm, elastic, and a little mysterious.
Each fiber carries a history of labor. It remembers fields, washing, combing, spinning, weaving, mending, and use. To handle cloth well is to remember that it came from somewhere before it came into the room.
Linen
Linen creases sharply and wears beautifully. It is at home in towels, tablecloths, aprons, and summer bedding. Its stiffness at first is not a flaw; it relaxes through washing and handling.
Cotton and Wool
Cotton is the patient everyday cloth: sacks, quilts, curtains, work shirts, and linings. Wool belongs to warmth and recovery. It can be brushed, aired, darned, and returned to service many times.
The useful textile shelf is not large. A few cloths of known fiber, kept clean and mended, will do more for a room than a pile of decorative fabric without purpose.