# Flax to linen



## *Andi

Not a fruit or vegetable ... but something to grow ... :sssh:

So I did it ... I ordered some flax seed ( hope it goes better than the cotton )

I want to try my hands at flax linen ... (I must put the books down ) lol

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture... I'm not getting any younger, so if I'm going try it ... why not now ...

So this what I'm doing "new" this year ... wish me luck.:flower:


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## SurvivalBill

I experimented with it last year flax is very easy to grow it did not grow as tall as I expected it to but I am pretty far north anyways I wanted to test it out for making cordage I have to say its some real strong stuff just a few fibers is all you need for thread I just left some in seed were it was just want to see if it will come back again this year...
I think it is well worth growing for thread and then into linen but you sure have to plant lots to make anything with it though if you are doing this from scratch I am just guessing but an acre may just be enough to make a shirt I think....
Good Luck With the Project let us know how it turns out...

Bill


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## *Andi

Thanks for posting ... It is great hearing how you flax project is going. 

I only ordered 4 grams of seeds ... so I will start out small and go from there. Kind of get my feet wet. 

Thanks again, I will let you know how it works out.


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## SurvivalBill

I just went to the bulk bin and got a few handfulls...


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## *Andi

Not the sea of blue they talk about in the book but my small row of flax is starting to bloom. :woohoo:


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## shellyann36

*Very pretty flower! I read and responded to your cotton growing thread and this seems just as interesting! In the past, when I think of fiber for spinning/producing clothing I always think of animal fibers or pelts. This sort of puts it into a different perspective about what you can do outside of using animal materials. Thanks! *


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## stayingthegame

*spinning*

I met a lady around my parts that spins dog hair into hats and scarves. Seems to have a lot of orders. She will take your dog's fur spin and crochet or knit it. Strange.:scratch


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## weedygarden

*your soil*

Your soil seems to be fairly red. Do you have a lot of clay?


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## *Andi

Virginia and red clay go hand in hand.  You should have seen it before we started composting and cover crops. lol

stayingthegame, that does sound strange ... but I know a few people that do it ... :dunno:


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## *Andi

Pulled the flax today ... the bottom was turning and the seed heads was more brown than gold ... (per the book... lol)

It is now in the green house to dry ... so I can save the seeds. :2thumb:


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## lhalfcent

*Andi said:


> Not a fruit or vegetable ... but something to grow ... :sssh:
> 
> So I did it ... I ordered some flax seed ( hope it goes better than the cotton )
> 
> I want to try my hands at flax linen ... (I must put the books down ) lol
> 
> Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture... I'm not getting any younger, so if I'm going try it ... why not now ...
> 
> So this what I'm doing "new" this year ... wish me luck.:flower:


are you my long lost sister i never knew about???  you post stuff that I think about all the time! lol lol I need to put the books down too...i want to try everything!!! lol 
so glad you posted this about flax to linen cuz i been hankering to try this one too.


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## NaeKid

SurvivalBill said:


> I just went to the bulk bin and got a few handfulls...


The same seed that I grind-up to put into foods from Safeway will grow the plants?!?! I had thought that the seeds are radiated (microwaved) to kill off any bugs that might be in them - also killing the germation ability of the plants ...

I think that I have a project for next summer!


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## SurvivalBill

NaeKid said:


> The same seed that I grind-up to put into foods from Safeway will grow the plants?!?! I had thought that the seeds are radiated (microwaved) to kill off any bugs that might be in them - also killing the germation ability of the plants ...
> 
> I think that I have a project for next summer!


ya it grew no problem I usually have no problems with seed I get from the bulk bins....


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## NaeKid

Really good to know - thanks!


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## *Andi

*Rippling the flax*

Rippling removes the seeds from the stems. The dry plants are pulled through a rippling comb that is a wooden or iron device that has several rows of nails sticking up. Well, I was short some ol time tools and had to come up with something new... A horse mane and tail comb worked "alright".


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## *Andi

A nice bucket of seeds to be cleaned and stored for next year.


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## *Andi

*Ready for Retting*

I'm going with water retting, in a kiddie pool. I'm ready to fill with water.


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## *Andi

lhalfcent - I always wanted a sister ... 

Flax Retting will check every 24 hours ... and should be retted in 3 - 5 days.


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## *Andi

The retting is done ... When I checked it today the fiber separated freely from the core.

And they should call it rotting the flax ... can you say gross, nasty and yucky smell.  I put it there with priming green tobacco ... yuck!

But it is done, back to the green house for a week to dry ...


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## Emerald

Can't wait to see how it ends up! The soaking you're doing reminds me of how my boss used to "rot" the luffa gourds to make the luffa sponges.


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## SurvivalBill

Looks good I tried doing it the rotting way but preferred the dry method less messy but I think you lose a bit more usable flax that way great pics by the way...I am very interested in end product what ever that may be..


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## *Andi

SurvivalBill said:


> Looks good I tried doing it the rotting way but preferred the dry method less messy but I think you lose a bit more usable flax that way great pics by the way...I am very interested in end product what ever that may be..


I went with the retting / (rotting lol) in the kiddie pool because of time. Three ta five days in kitty pool or 3 ta 5 weeks with dew.

Around here projects must be fenced or it is lost. My dogs or the dogs up or down the road. Critters, both tame and wild ... if you see what I mean. 

So the pool worked fine this time, if I had more flax to work ... well, that is something I need to work on for next year. (If all goes well this year ... lol)


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## Journey

Very neat. I look forward to seeing more.


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## dirtgrrl

Thank you Andi, this is fascinating. Please keep us posted.


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## *Andi

dirtgrrl said:


> Thank you Andi, this is fascinating. Please keep us posted.


Thanks ... Breaking the flax will be next. lol

Lots of project going on right now, I need to find my balance.


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## Graebarde

Very interesting. We grew fields of flax when I was a kid in NoDak. And they were seas of blue. One thing about flax, and the comment it wasn't very tall. Most flax grown today, in the US at least, is grown for seed only. They variety has been bred for shorter stems as they don't usually sell the straw. If you want really tall flax seed there's some places selling it that I've seen on the web (google it), but it's expensive as heck for little seed. Also you want to plant it close together (4" spacing between plants) to force it to grow taller (racing for the sun against it's neighbors). This cuts down on the side stems alot. Good luck on the rest of the project. I look forward to it. FB


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## *Andi

Thanks, Graebarde. :flower:

The flax I grew was a linen flax ... (or that is what they said lol) The packs were small with only a few seeds (maybe 20 each and I had two packs). From what info I did find, I would say the weather had a lot to do with my crop. Being a northern crop grown in the south. :dunno: But with the seeds saved, my flax patch will be larger next year and I will keep your post in mind while planting. Thanks again...

On a side note I would love to see a flax field and the sea of blue. That would be awesome ...


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## lhalfcent

*Andi said:


> Thanks, Graebarde. :flower:
> 
> The flax I grew was a linen flax ... (or that is what they said lol) The packs were small with only a few seeds (maybe 20 each and I had two packs). From what info I did find, I would say the weather had a lot to do with my crop. Being a northern crop grown in the south. :dunno: But with the seeds saved, my flax patch will be larger next year and I will keep your post in mind while planting. Thanks again...
> 
> On a side note I would love to see a flax field and the sea of blue. That would be awesome ...


can you plant the flax seed you get at the organic store? would they be tall enough stalks? i have a 5lb bag of NoDak seeds so i was wondering about that. I usually grind it up and eat it or mix in my grain recipes but gosh, to actually use them to grow this would rather cool. :dunno:


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## *Andi

Good question ... one that I can't say 100 percent sure ???

You have flax that is grown only for the seed in which to use as you do and you have flax that is grown for linen. 

But to be honest (not that I know) I would think any flax would give you linen ... maybe not the best linen but some to play with a see...

You will have to try it and let me know.


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## lhalfcent

*Andi said:


> Good question ... one that I can't say 100 percent sure ???
> 
> You have flax that is grown only for the seed in which to use as you do and you have flax that is grown for linen.
> 
> But to be honest (not that I know) I would think any flax would give you linen ... maybe not the best linen but some to play with a see...
> 
> You will have to try it and let me know.


yes indeedy.... another project on my list...
i swear we are immortal Andi... it will take eternity to get all this done.


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## Graebarde

lhalfcent said:


> can you plant the flax seed you get at the organic store? would they be tall enough stalks? i have a 5lb bag of NoDak seeds so i was wondering about that. I usually grind it up and eat it or mix in my grain recipes but gosh, to actually use them to grow this would rather cool. :dunno:


They should grow ok I would think. Planting them closer together causes them to grow taller than they might originally grow. I would say the only way to find out for sure is to try it. Sounds like a cop-out I know and appologize for that, but there are so many variables that go into getting a crop of anything, to just say yeah it will would be wrong. Proababilites with the NoDak seed is it's a seed variety base, so don't expect the five foot plants, but crowding them will help keep side stems to a minimum. Let me know what you come up with.

(A side on buying bulk seeds for garden plots, I use to by the beans from the grocer to plant in the garden (pinto, great northern, reds and blacks) with good results. The bacteria was the same for all, and only needed a small packet initally. In a few years you don't need it at all as it's in the ground. LOTS cheaper than the seeds from the catalogs for sure.)
FB


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## Graebarde

*Andi said:


> Thanks, Graebarde. :flower:
> 
> The flax I grew was a linen flax ... (or that is what they said lol) The packs were small with only a few seeds (maybe 20 each and I had two packs). From what info I did find, I would say the weather had a lot to do with my crop. Being a northern crop grown in the south. :dunno: But with the seeds saved, my flax patch will be larger next year and I will keep your post in mind while planting. Thanks again...
> 
> On a side note I would love to see a flax field and the sea of blue. That would be awesome ...


Well that's not much seed to start with, but... And I agree the climate probably had a lot to do with success. Plant it early so it grows in the cooler time rather than into the heat of the summer. It's about a ninety-day crop from emergence to seed I think (depends on variety of course). But flax was grown in VA before cotton ever was.

On the fields, the bloom was beautiful, with blue flax, yellow sunflowers or sweet clover or mustard, shades of green for wheat, barley and oats. Sigh.. No blue seas here, but then where I'm at now at least we have trees...
FB


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## Graebarde

Just an addition to the growing of flax for seed and fiber. The best fiber comes from the plant BEFORE the seed ripens, hence you can use the seed for oil or eating from the early harvested fiber plant, but it won't be viable seed. When the plant has ripe seed, it still has fiber, but not quality fiber and is harder to process. I read this after posting and thought I'd pass it along. That said, it might be a good idea to leave a portion of the plot/field to go to seed for the next year? FB


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## *Andi

Graebarde said:


> is harder to process.


:gaah: You can say that again ... you tube makes it look so easy. lol But I still working with it.


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## SurvivalBill

thanks for that will try that next go around and see if that makes a difference for me... does make sense though don't it....



Graebarde said:


> Just an addition to the growing of flax for seed and fiber. The best fiber comes from the plant BEFORE the seed ripens, hence you can use the seed for oil or eating from the early harvested fiber plant, but it won't be viable seed. When the plant has ripe seed, it still has fiber, but not quality fiber and is harder to process. I read this after posting and thought I'd pass it along. That said, it might be a good idea to leave a portion of the plot/field to go to seed for the next year? FB


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## AdmiralD7S

*Andi said:


> :gaah: You can say that again ... you tube makes it look so easy. lol But I still working with it.


So, Andi, having a few years gone by, how about an update? How did the first year go? What are you doing today, method and volume? What did you do with your linen? And the grand question...was it worth it?

Sent from my iPhone usi


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## *Andi

AdmiralD7S said:


> And the grand question...was it worth it?


I think it is always worth it... anytime you can add to a skill set. The growing part was rather easy. (cool weather worked best)

The process of taking the plant then making it into something you can use was not as easy as posted on YouTube but I did get a small amount to play around with. My spinning wheel is a wool style wheel and that was a interesting. (to say the least but so was the cotton )

I will check and see if I can find the picture, but it was only a hand full at the best. (But) I did learn a few things.

1) You need a small patch, not a small row.
2) Start working on the processing tools you will need as the plant grows. 
3) You can never do to much research... 

Go for it... knowledge, is the key.

Best of luck and keep us posted.


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## weedygarden

I have my great grandmother's spinning wheel (made by her brother from an apple tree) and an Ashford that I bought about 30 years ago. I have spun some wool, but then, I got busy with more of my own education, raising a child, teaching and life. I remember that it was not necessarily that easy, but I believe it is as much about getting a rhythm as anything. I also had a moth infestation in my bags of wool that migrated to my closet. What a disaster. I had some lovely professional clothes that were destroyed! 

Reasons I wanted to grow some flax in my garden: I have seen the flax fields in bloom in North Dakota! Gorgeous! I have wanted to spin some flax into linen. Skills! I am always interested in learning new skills.

Relative to spinning linen: I like natural linen fabric, but I have seen linen in all colors in the fabric stores. I have died wool with natural dyes: onion skins, berries, etc. I have died wool with koolaid! Yep, it makes very nice colors. I don't think I have ever used store bought dyes for wool. But I am wondering if you have tried to dye your linen. 

We need a prepper get together where we can practice things like this!!


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## lhalfcent

*bought some flax seed for linen*



*Andi said:


> Not a fruit or vegetable ... but something to grow ... :sssh:
> 
> So I did it ... I ordered some flax seed ( hope it goes better than the cotton )
> 
> I want to try my hands at flax linen ... (I must put the books down ) lol
> 
> Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture... I'm not getting any younger, so if I'm going try it ... why not now ...
> 
> So this what I'm doing "new" this year ... wish me luck.:flower:


hey I got inspired by this thread hehehe
and purchased 4oz of Marylin Flax Seed... it is for growing linen as it has a larger stem shaft and suppose to be easier to process. I got it from http://www.woolgatherers.com/FlaxSeedPage.htm 
they are in wisconsin ... should get them in a bout a week in time for spring planting cuz they like cool weather apparently.. excited


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## Genevieve

I had a friend in Texas send me some seeds and one was called Wild Blue Flax. Is this the same as yours?


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## *Andi

lhalfcent said:


> hey I got inspired by this thread hehehe
> and purchased 4oz of Marylin Flax Seed... it is for growing linen as it has a larger stem shaft and suppose to be easier to process. I got it from http://www.woolgatherers.com/FlaxSeedPage.htm
> they are in wisconsin ... should get them in a bout a week in time for spring planting cuz they like cool weather apparently.. excited


I look forward to a seed to thread post!



Best of luck and let me know how it works out!!!


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## lhalfcent

got my seeds!!! can't wait to plant them and grow linen flax!!


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