Like the TV ads say, "Not sold in stores!" Hemp is not widely used (for anything) and is not widely available. Here are two links to purveyors of hemp fabrics:
http://www.pickhemp.com
http://www.hempbasics.com/store.php?crn=204
To the best of my knowledge, pre-primed hemp canvas is not offered by suppliers who sell pre-primed canvas. Of these two sources, I was unimpressed with Pickering's offerings, and there appears to be quite a marked difference in quality between textiles milled in the orient, and those made in Europe. I was quite pleased with material I purchased from the other source. There's little assurance when choosing these materials, you have to see samples, then test. Samples can be misleading, because they're all sized, fullered and pressed, which makes them appear very different when properly washed and stretched, ready to size.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth
. . . I stretch [Claessen's linen] when my studio is dry (ie not on a rainy Seattle day with the windows open!), and especially if I re-stretch even tighter when the painting is done, it doesn't sag later. I love this stuff.
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I believe linen "behaves" very well in the environment it's prepared in. It's likely your canvases would shrink quite a bit tighter if they're sent from the northwest rain forests to a very dry climate. The good news is that a little extra tension is not really a huge problem . . . far better than slacking off and sagging!