Flax is the plant that produces the fibers that are spun into linen thread and then woven into linen cloth. The flax straw will have to be retted, which is soaking it in water or, my favorite, laying it in the grass and letting the dew take care of it. If you are just starting out and don’t know if you really want to get into this yet, you can get enough material to work with from just a small space in your garden. Many museums and festivals have flax tools on display and may do demonstrations. One place to see flax to linen in action is at the Stahlstown Flax Scutching Festival in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania. 8. The process for turning Flax into Flax cloth is a little daunting, but certainly not insurmountable with a little knowledge. The process of collecting fiber from the plant is near similar to jute fiber. Flax seeds are cultivated in a fertile, well-defined, and well prepared soil with a cool and humid condition. Hi, thanks for stopping by. The oil flax stem is shorter compared to the fiber flax, it is branched, sometimes even from the base. Difficulty— Easy. Topics such as seeding, harvesting, managing pests and diseases for example. Linen, produced from flax, is known for its body, strength and variable fiber bundles. When this flax fibre is spun, and woven into cloth, the cloth is called linen. The brake, a large wooden machine, is used to break down the trash material and loosen it further from the end product. A single planting in early spring provides an abundance of flax flowers in late spring and summer, but re-seeding by this plant assures a continued mass of growing flax in the meadow or natural area. The cellulose fiber from the stem is spinnable and is used in the production of linen thread, cordage, and twine. In present the demand of linen fiber is increased incredively for this reason the production rate of flax fiber increasing rapidly. Harvest seeds by uprooting the entire plant. Their one pound package of seeds indicates it is enough to plant 400 square feet. The total plant height of the oil flax is 40-50 cm. Flax is the plant that linen is made from, and the collection at the Amherst Historical Society at the Simeon Strong House includes some antique flax processing tools. Then the flax is scutched (beaten against a board with a blunt wooden knife). It is hard to believe that what you harvest in the summer, something that looks less vibrant than the straw that results from growing wheat and rye, can produce fiber that can be made into fabric. I bought seed through The Heirloom Seed Project at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. International Subscribers - Click Here To make them easier to spread, mix the seeds with flour. That book suggests that one pound of seed is enough to plant 300 square feet. Records show the use of flax as a textile in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during the Neolithic period (from 10,000 B.C. The fiber will be separated from the straw when you break it, then it is further cleaned by scutching and hackling. Your email address will not be published. The flax plant grows best in the north of France, in Belgium and in the Netherlands. Flax stalk is a farming issue. All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers have agreed to follow our Blogging Guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts. If you want to have enough to really play with, plant a pound of seeds. 7. You will spin flax fibers to produce linen thread or yarn, to be woven or knitted into linen garments. That festival will be held September 16-17 this year, the same time as the Mother Earth News Fair in nearby Seven Springs. Sand, clay and rocky soil all contribute to best growth of this plant. Log in, Fresh clean water for life – Berkey Water Filter Review and Giveaway ». don't have an online They prefer rich soil. Flax is an annual herb and is grown as a food and also a fiber crop. Measure your planned flax plot to determine its area, and plan to sow about one tablespoon of flax seeds per 10 square feet. As flax does better with manure than chemical fertilizers, it is ideally suited to organic style of growing. Linen has been used since ancient times for all manner of purpose – clothing, twine, bags, towels, sail cloth, painter canvases, book binding thread, and more. From linen thread or yarn, fine toweling a… Find more details about planting flax at Homeplace Earth. Very few pests bother linen flax. In order to retrieve the fibers from the plant, the woody stem and the inner pith (called pectin), which holds the fibers together in a clump, must be rotted away. Planting the linen. Linen is a natural cellulose fiber and comes from the inside of the stalks of the flax plant. You will learn about flax from seed to fiber. After harvest, flax stalks are allowed to dry in open air for several weeks before they undergo threshing, or removal of seeds from the stalk by crushing open the dried seed pods. Dust the small brown seeds with flour before sowing so that you can scatter them evenly across the surface of the plot. Most flax will mature in 90 to 120 days. From Fibers and Seeds to Linen. That book … Linen is the name for flax fiber once it is made into thread. … You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $17.95 for 6 issues. Although there are many steps in the journey to linen, other than harvesting at the right time, those steps can be done at your leisure. The use of flax to linen in action is at the Landis Farm. During the Neolithic period ( from 10,000 B.C a variety of flax to plant for linen, easy! It, it is an annual herb and is used in the north France! 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