plátno

A fabric made from yarns of plant fibers woven in a plain weave. In the territory of Slovakia, the term “plátno” (linen cloth) was commonly used to refer to smooth (undecorated) fabrics made from plant-based yarns, which also had specific names depending on their weave structure (such as rip, twill, drill, cvilich, etc.). Fabrics made from wool yarn were also woven in plain weave, but—except for mill cloth (mlynské plátenko)—they were not referred to as linen. In northern Slovakia, the main raw material for homemade linen was flax, while in western and southern regions hemp was predominantly used. At the end of the 19th century, cotton yarn also began to be used in domestic linen weaving.