This is my second year growing
flax for cloth and I love it. I would like to share a few things I've learned and hopefully learn a few things from you too. I'm especially interested in different sources of seeds for fibre flax, and experiences growing/breeding it.
Image from botanical.com
Linum usitatissimum, commonly known as flax, is an exceptionally good source of fibre (or fib
er in the US). The seed, often called flaxseed or linseed, contains a great deal of dietary fibre, and is very popular for animal
feed and human health nuts. The seeds also make a popular egg substitute in vegan baking. What a lot of people don't seem to realize is that flax produces another kind of fibre, long strands of bast fibre are hidden within its stem, which through a little bit of magic (aka, chemistry) and a bit of work, can be transformed into linen cloth.
Although the same plant, the variety of flax grown for seed production is different than that grown for cloth.
It may be possible to use seed flax for creating cloth, but it creates a vastly inferior product I have since learned that this myth is just that - mythical and untrue. Flaxseed varieties tend to be shorter, have stems that branch (makes for uneven fibres within the stock) and has fewer, coarser fibres than flax grown for fibre. For the purpose of this
thread, I would like to focus on fibre flax.
The seed has a short shelf life so it's good to do a germination test to know how dense to sew the seeds.
Flax grows well in northern climes, with cool springs and moderate growing seasons. Basically places too far north or south for cotton, will usually grow flax with very little complaint. It requires minimal soil fertility, but the quality of the fibre is greatly improved with a application of well composted manure. In my
experience,
compost without manure does little to improve growth, resulting in substantially shorter stems, and far fewer fibres per stem. There are very few pests or diseases that attack flax. This is easily combated with a 5 or 7 year crop rotation. A small patch can be grown in the garden, or larger in the field. For the first attempt, I usually suggest about 6 to 12 square feet of
garden bed so that one can see how it grows in the
local conditions.
Flax is very popular with
my local transition movement, as it provides a
sustainable, chemical free source of lightweight summer clothing. Because of the environmental and labour issues with growing and processing cotton, linen is quickly growing in popularity. When worn next to the skin, linen cloth wicks away sweat and reduces bacteria growth that makes nasty BO. It dries quickly and feels a lot cooler than cotton in hot weather.
Image from flax wiki page
and because so many people wanted to know how to make the aprons in that video
Growing flax:
Prepare the soil late in the winter for an early spring planting. A fine seedbed is desired. Flax can handle some frost, so I usually plant mine a month or three before the last frost date. It needs a moist start for the first 40 days or so, but after that, can usually handle a drought (depending on soil depth and
root strength).
Flax does not compete well with weeds. When the flax plants are about 4 to 6 inches high is the time to weed. You can gently step on the flax and it will spring back. However, once the flax pant is over 8 inches tall, any compression of the plant will greatly damage the fibre yield. There are chemical herbicides that 'work' with flax, however, these have been shown to damage the final fibre quality and reduce yield. As flax does better with manure than chemical fertilizers, it is ideally suited to organic style of growing. Very few pests bother linen flax.
To get the best quality fibre, one
harvests just after the flowers have finished, but before the seeds form. For moderate quality fibre, one can wait until the seeds have formed, then harvest the flax. Flax is harvested by pulling up by the
roots, it is then tied in sheaves and stacked in stooks to dry.
Once dry, the flax sheaves are rippled (the seeds removed) and stored somewhere dry. They can be stored for several years before the next step, or they can be retted right away.
The fibre in the flax is called a
Bast fibre. That is that it runs the length of the stem and needs to be removed before it can be worked.
Retting the flax is actually a controlled rot. This step breaks down the hard stem of the flax making it easy to break away the unwanted parts from the fibres. This can be done by submerging the flax in
water, submerging it in running water, or laying it on the
lawn and allowing the dew to do it's thing. The first two methods cause quite a problem for the water quality and can have a heavy impact on the local ecosystems. Also it stinks. Dew retting is said to produce a finer, lighter colour fibre which, in my opinion makes a nicer cloth. How long this stage takes depends on the temperature, humidity, thickness of the stem, and lots of other little things you wouldn't even think of. It's best to ret flax in small batches and to stop early. You can always re-ret flax but you cannot unret it. Once retted, it is again tied into sheaves and dried in stooks before storing. It can be stored in a dry place for many years or decades before processing it into spinnable fibre.
Getting ready to spin:
Processing the flax is best done on hot, dry days. It involves breaking, scutching, and hackling. This is quite dusty work, and way more fun to do in a group.
Here's a
video:
And more details on dressing the distaff:
When flax becomes linen is a topic of great debate, but most people
these days say it happens when the fibres are transformed into yarn. That said, there is a lot of leeway with these terms, and only the most fastidious of people tend to be really bothered when the terms are used 'incorrectly'.
Once finished, we have two fibres ready to spin: Line flax and tow.
Line flax is the long bast fibres, this makes the best quality, smoothest, and finest thread.
Tow is the shorter broken fibres that inevitably happen when preparing flax. These are often carded or combed before spinning. Tow makes a thicker, coarser yarn that is good for outerwear, fishing nets, twine, cooking string, and all manner of useful things.
Line flax is best spun from a distaff as it's difficult to keep the fibres organized otherwise. Tow can be spun from a distaff, roving, or several other ways. One can spin on a wheel or on a spindle. Linen is strong
enough to be used as singles for both warp and weft. Knitting and crochet are more difficult with flax than with wool because of the lack of 'give' to the flax.
For a smoother thread or yarn, flax is usually wetted during spinning either with water or a sizing made with water and flaxseed. Flax is traditionally spun counterclockwise (s-twist), however, I suspect that flax grown in the Southern Hemisphere would be better spun clockwise (z-twist) like wool.
Why we spin flax counter clockwise (with an S twist)
Weaving linen is usually done in the winter or when the air is humid. Linen thread is very susceptible to humidity and will readily soak up any moisture in the air. The more moist the thread is, the stronger it gets.
There are still mills in the world that work with linen, but a lot of them seem to be in Eastern Europe and Russia now. Equipment for cotton or wool would not work with linen as it comes, because the qualities of the fibre are so drastically different. However, some mills shred the linen fibres and process it like cotton - in my opinion, too much of the benefit of the linen is lost by doing this, as it no longer retains its strength.
Flax culture, from flower to fabric by Mavis Atton - a book about growing and processing flax in Ontario.
[The magic of linen : flax seed to woven cloth by, Heinrich
Some thoughts for the future of fibre flax:
Long ago, before cotton was king, different regions had their own varieties of flax that grew well in their climate. Now there are only a few cultivars of fibre flax available, and the seeds aren't always easy to come by. As with any monoculture, the lack of genetic variability makes this crop more susceptible to disaster than it once was.
As awareness spreads of the ecological impact of what we wear, I think linen cloth will make a comeback. It's easy to wash, lasts decades, grows softer with use and causes minimal environmental pressure.
With this in mind, I think it would be of great benefit to start developing more varieties of linen flax that are better adapted to different regions. A few scutching mills here, a spinning mill there, and it would quickly become an economically viable crop again.
That's a bit about linen. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Also, it would be great to gather together as many sources of Fibre Flax seeds as possible. If you know any, please link.