Flax Fibre

Flax Fibre

Flax is a bast fibre and is obtained from the stem of the flax plant – (Linum usitatissimum). Latin meaning is “the most useful.”
Flax is a herbaceous annual which grows to about 1 metre in height in 3-4 months, and has attractive flowers, usually blue but can be white or pink, concentrated at the top of slender stems. After cutting the stalks require retting on the ground (the use of moisture and micro-organisms to dissolve the tissues surrounding the fibres) before being baled and stored prior to processing to clean the fibre.
The flax plant is a dual-purpose plant grown for its seeds and/or fibre.
The seed – linseed is a “superfood” packed with beneficial nutrients – omega-3 fatty acids, lignans and fibre and can be eaten whole or ground. More traditionally the seeds are crushed to yield linseed oil which is used in industry to make high-quality paint, printing ink, oilcloths and wood treatments. The remaining cake is used for animal feed. Flax fibre is a prestige fibre; it is soft, lustrous, durable and stronger than cotton but less elastic. When flax is made into a fabric it is commonly referred to as Linen.

Linen is absorbent and dries faster than cotton, it is resistant to attack by micro-organisms and its smooth surface repels dirt; characteristics that make linen clothing comfortable to wear in hot weather as they have a cooling effect on the wearer.

Linen made from fine grade flax fibres is also used to make high-quality bed sheets, table cloths (such as damasks), tea towels and lace. Coarser grade flax is used for the manufacture of twine and rope and high-class paper.

Linen was the preferred textile of the Ancient Egyptians who used it for clothing, bed linen, shrouds for mummies and ship’s sails. Romans introduced linen manufacture throughout their empire and the industry became well established all over Europe however the expansion of the cotton industry in the 1900s, due to cheaper raw materials and easier processing, reduced the importance of linen for everyday use.
We have flax fibre for sale, available in either 400 kg or 20 kg bales.