Sowing our Cloth
This month we sowed 300 flax seeds of our pilot crop, taking the first step towards our journey of growing our own sustainable cloth in the UK.
To prepare ourselves for the arrival of our first flax crop, we spent time with Simon at Flaxland UK in Gloucestershire, England. Simon generously shared his knowledge with us about how to grow and process this incredible fibre.
We learnt how to sow our flax seed and he walked us through the labour-intensive 8 step process which the flax fibre has to go through, to finally achieve a yarn from which linen can be woven.
Step 1 - Sowing
Flax will grow in most soils but it’s best to plant seeds evenly spaced in an area that’s not overshadowed by trees or buildings.
Step 2 - Growing
Flax grows rapidly with very little water and no fertiliser. It requires hand weeding until the plants have grown tall enough to compete with the weeds.
Flowering starts towards the end of June and produces the most delicate blue buds which we adore!
Step 3 - Harvesting
Once the plant has finished flowering the seed bolls swell and the leaves start to turn yellow, the flax is pulled from the ground by the roots and spread on the ground to dry.
Step 4 - Rippling
The flax bundles are drawn through coarse combs to remove the ripened seed pods in a process called rippling.
Step 5 - Retting
The plants now start the process of retting (rotting), the gums and pectins holding the fibres together are broken down by moulds and fungi in the damp under layers of the laid flax, facilitating separation of the fibre from the stem.
Step 6 - Drying
The bundles are untied and laid in a field for a few days until they are dried on one side, then turned so the other side can be dried. When the crop is thoroughly moisture free, it is stacked inside to age for a few more weeks.
Step 7 - Scutching
This is a scraping action that removes most of the unwanted dust and dried gums that are stuck to the desired fibres.
Step 8 - Hackling
The final process is hackling, in which the fiber is drawn through a series of combs from coarse to fine, to remove short fibres, and straighten and further clean the fibres, preparing them for spinning.