From Field to Fabric: The Traditional European Process That Takes Flax To Natural Fibre

Have you ever wondered what goes into making buttery soft and laid-back linen? It all starts in the flax fields of Western Europe, where the process of turning a simple plant into luxurious fabric is done with care, love, and a whole lot of attention to detail. From the moment the flax is pulled from the ground to when it’s spun into yarn, every step follows the traditional process to maintain superb quality.

In this post, we’re diving into the journey of flax—from field to fabric. You’ll see why linen isn’t just another fabric. It’s a timeless treasure that gets better with age, especially when you care for it just right. Ready to learn about linen?

Pulling

The first step in harvesting flax is all about pulling the entire plant right out of the ground—yep, no cutting here. That’s because the fibres stretch all the way down to the base of the stem. To do this, we use machines called flax pullers (yes, they really do what they say on the tin). These clever machines grab the flax around the middle, pull it up, and then lay it down in neat rows, known as swaths, as they move along.

Retting

Once the flax is pulled and laid out in those tidy rows, it’s time for a natural process called retting to kick in. This is where soil microorganisms get to work, breaking down the plant tissues around the fibres, which is crucial for later, when those fibres are extracted. During this process, the straw starts changing colour from brown to grey. 

Turning

Any guesses for this part? Turning is quite literally flipping those swaths over. It’s a key part of the retting process, helping those microorganisms do their job more effectively. Usually, this flipping happens two or three times, especially if the swaths are on the thicker side.

Baling

Once retting has done its thing, it’s time to gather up the stems. The swaths are rolled into bales, similar to hay, which keeps the straw preserved and makes it easier to handle later on. These bales can be stored for use until it’s time to turn flax to fibre. 

Scutching

Flax fibres are hiding in the outer layer of the stem, and scutching is the process that frees them. It’s a mechanical process that removes the woody bits of the plant, called flax shivs. The best part? This can be done anytime, even years after the flax is harvested, because those bales keep everything in good shape. By the end of scutching, you’re left with short and long fibres, seeds, and shivs, and absolutely nothing goes to waste. Every part is used in some way. That’s what we like to hear. 

Hackling

Next up is hackling, where the fibres are combed, calibrated, and turned into ribbons. At this stage, flax slivers from different harvests, plots, and regions are blended together, like making a fine Champagne. This blending ensures that the yarn produced is consistently high quality while also capturing the unique traits of each batch.

Spinning

Finally, the ribbons of flax, or slivers, are stretched out and spun by twisting them together. There are two ways to spin flax: wet and dry. Wet spinning is the first-time water gets added to the process, where the fibres are soaked in heated water (around 60°C). This makes the fibres slide smoothly, creating a fine yarn perfect for clothing or household fabrics. Dry spinning, on the other hand, results in a coarser yarn, ideal for things like furnishing fabrics or sturdy cords.

And there you have it, the journey of flax to fabric. It’s quite wonderful to think that the soft linen sheets that we all know and love start as humble plants. Next time you wrap yourself in European linen, you’ll know just how much love, care and tradition went into creating that lovely, luxurious fabric.