Linen fabric has been a valued clothing item of the upper classes for centuries now. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks loved to wear linen clothing, Huguenots took this trend to England and New Ireland and from there it spread like wildfire around the globe. In this article we will dive into the process of making this fabric and let you know all the interesting and technical stuff so get ready to know all about this sumptuous, soft and supply fabric that is used in making linen curtains and other textile items.
The Source of Obtaining Linen
The cellulose fibers that grow inside the stalks of the flax plant, also known as Linum usitatissimum, are used to make linen fabric. Basically it’s a vegetable and also the oldest cultivated plant in human history. The stalks are of a woody, reedy interior and the exterior is more fibrous and sinewy.
The Flax Plant
Flax plants are grown once every year, which means that it’s valid for one growing season only. It takes around 100 days to produce, starting from planting and ending at harvesting. Flax plant is a very self-sustainable plant which requires very little attention and water during the course of its growing, unless the weather is particularly warm or dry. Flax plants are not compatible with hot temperatures so the warmer countries grow this plant in the winter season. It blooms and has the best quality in cool and damp environments. Flax plants require a lot of natural and organic elements like deep loams and alluvial soils such as near River Nile, Indus River and others.
When fully matured, the flax plant is about 3-4 feet tall, with gleaming greenish-blue leaves, pale blue flowers and on rare occasions the flowers blossom in red color. This amazing plant is not only known for producing the best fabric in the world, it’s also a great source of obtaining flaxseed oil. The seeds are also rich in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fibers.
Types of Flax Plant
The two main reasons for cultivating flax plants can be either linen or flaxseed oil. But there’s no such way by which both can be extracted from a single plant. For the best quality fibers the plant must be harvested before it matures, which means poor quality seed oil. Vise-versa, if the harvest is prolonged then the fibers deteriorate but the oil is of top quality. For our need, which is the top quality linen, we need to yield the variety that grows taller, slender and has lesser branches. The top criteria is to grow taller stalks in order to extract very long fibers from inside of the stalks, which when spun into making linen fabric has less breakage and a smoother and finer feel. For the top quality oil, linseed variety is the best, its short with many secondary branches which ends up in more yield as more seeds are grown.
Harvesting of Flax Plant
When the stem turns yellow and the seeds become brown, it’s a clear indication that the plant is ready to be harvested. If the plant is harvested before seed germination then the fibers turn out to be extraordinarily fine but then it means that the farmer has no seeds for the next cultivation and is dependent on other sources. Another way to obtain the longest and the best quality fibers at harvesting is to pull out the entire plant, rather than cutting from base. This part will also ensure that the sap stays inside that plant, as it prevents the plant from drying out making the quality of the fibers go down significantly.
Even though the agriculture industry has flourished and is now very advanced and fast paced, the machines are still unable to harvest with the roots intact. The hand pulled plants have the best quality fibers which lead to a resilient and expensive fabric. This fabric is loved by many homemakers and interior designers to make linen curtains, and bedspreads.
After Harvesting Process
Linen making is an arduous task and this can be proven by the after harvesting processes which require precision and good understanding of the crop. The next step after harvesting is to let the stalks dry for several days before threshing them. The removal of seeds and leaves from the stalks can be done by hands or by a machine as well. After this the malodorous and foul smelling task of retting comes in. This step requires separating the fibers outer part from its woody interior. There are many ways to do it like the most popular one is water retting which produces the best quality fibers. The water source is stagnant so the bacteria decompose the pectin that holds the fibers together. Ponds, bogs and streams are best for water retting. It can also be done by dew retting where the water source is not abundant. Tank retting and chemical retting is also widely used, each process having its own effects on the fibers.
Scutching is the next step that allows the woody stalks to break free from the bast fibers. It’s done by passing the retted stalks, now called straws, through a roller that breaks the woody stalks into tiny pieces that makes the removal easier. A wooden knife is scraped down the length of the fibers, plucking all the wooden pieces away. At last the fibers are now free, named stricks, are ready for spinning. They are spun on a foot powered flax wheel in the most traditional way but industrial machines can also do the job. The spinning is done by connecting these fibers to spreaders, which makes rovings that are ready to be spun.
Now the process of weaving begins in which the linen is woven into sheets. The threads are interlaced horizontally and vertically on a loom. When the sheets are ready they are reeled into bobbins that are then ready to be dyed and made into linen curtains, bedspreads, home apparel and clothing.
Ending
Linen fabric is the best fabric as it's not only eco friendly, it’s plush, has a beautiful natural color, extremely breather, durable, supple and wearable in any weather. In this article we explained in detail the hard work that goes into making this fabric and it’s worth every penny we spend.