Linen and Flax

Why not try growing and processing flax for linen?
This Summer (2018) I planted, nurtured, harvested, dried, rippled, water rhetted, and dried (again) line flax.  I am now breaking and scutching, and combing (hackling) in preparation for spinning and weaving linen.  I'm not surprised society has moved on from making linen this way.

As for myself, I seem to enjoy finicky projects and processing flax to linen fits into the more-finicky side of those projects.  I researched vlogs and blogs and a few books, and found a few videos online.  Trying this on my own, though, I decided to just go for it and if it flopped I really wouldn't be out anything.  I spent a few dollars to buy a pound of seed from a heritage seed project.  My hubby tilled a patch in our garden, and we scattered the seed and covered it.  I did a bit of weeding initially.  Then we simply enjoyed watching it grow and bloom.

Broadcasting seed

Flax is the grassy-looking patch in foreground of photo
and to the left of the garden plot.  The flax patch to the left near the trees
 did not do as well as the patch in full sun.

The blooms open in the morning and close by the afternoon, daily.

The bolls (seed pods) rattle in the wind.  I left the plants in the ground until the pods began to change from green to a golden brown.  I read conflicting information about the ideal time to harvest: one source said wait until two thirds of the stalk turned yellow, another source said wait until one third was yellow, another said to watch the bolls.











I pulled them up, bound them in bundles and stacked them in the garage to dry.

This is where I really began to deviate.  I waited until the seed pods had all turned brown--it took about three weeks.  I made an honest attempt to ripple the seeds (collect the seeds) in the way presented as traditional, using anything resembling a comb or pitchfork to draw the stalks through and knock off the seed pods.  This only sent seed pods flying everywhere and tore off the ends of the flax plants.

I decided the process didn't much resemble "rippling".  What I did instead was take a small bundle at a time and arrange the bundle so that the seed ends rested inside an open garbage bag.  Then, wearing gloves and leg protection, I rolled the stalks up and down my shins working up toward the tips of the plants rolling those in just my hands.  It worked perfectly!   And it looked more like grass "rippling" in the wind.  The seed pods/ bolls came of easily into the bag, and my plant stalks weren't damaged in the process (plus any leaves or dirt clods still on the stalks also came off).

Altogether, after sorting the seed from the chaff, my collected seed weighed in at four pounds!

Next came the water rhetting-- causing the plants to rot to the point of releasing the bast fibers from the stalky pith.  My father-in-law brought an old garden tub (used to make a fish pond, I think) to our house.  I plugged up the holes and put enough water in it to submerge two batches of flax.  I had it in full-sun and covered with a plastic painting tarp.  I have no idea what the temperature was.  Both batches began to bubble within 24 hours and the first batch finished in about four days, the second took a bit longer because the weather cooled a bit.  Again, I had no idea what I was doing or looking for.  The information I read gave, again, conflicting experiences/ opinions.  I simply checked it daily by picking up a few pieces and rubbing the root-end with my thumb to see if the green skin came away from the inner stalk.  Then took it out to lay in the sun to dry.

I don't have a flax break, so I have been breaking it by hand a little at a time.  This will work for now, since there isn't an overwhelming amount this year; however, if I plant all four pounds of seed next year . . .

Breaking it by hand is a little like pinching the edge on a pie crust.

Then I take a little at a time and scutch it--that is, I knock the pith/ stalk out of it.  Again, I don't have a scutching board or sword.  Perhaps it is the wrong thing to do, but I found a butter knife worked well against my thigh.  Using the non-cutting edge of the butter knife, held against my thigh, I hold the broken flax in one hand lying on my thigh (wearing tough jeans), lay the knife over it and then pull the flax up until all the pith is out.

I had the good fortune of finding two flower frogs (antique metal pin things for flower arrangements) with very fine teeth/pins, which work perfectly for combing the flax.  Then I twist the fibers into stricks.  I was surprised to find the fibers measuring about 30 inches long after combing.  I also am saving the tow (the fibers which come out as I comb).

As I scutched the flax, it did curl (like the ribbon on a gift when curled with scissors) counter-clockwise, and then straightened when I combed it.  I had read that it should be spun counter-clockwise.  Can't wait to try spinning!