Flax

Flax is a natural product that can be used for two different purposes: rope and clothing (fiber flax) or linseed oil (oil flax). With oil flax, the seeds are used to produce oil, while with fiber flax, the fiber is the key ingredient. Flax originated in Western Europe and is still grown in Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France. It is now cultivated worldwide, with the best non-European crops grown in Egypt.

A seed grows into a fully-fledged flowering plant. The flowers turn into seed sacs, which turn brown along with the stems. Once the plant is brown, it can be harvested. A long fiber is essential for this process, so the plant, including its roots, is pulled from the ground. To separate the fiber from the bark, a rotting process is necessary, which can be done in a river or through dew retting.

The fibers are then broken, breaking the hard outer shell or bast. In the next step, the bast is stripped from the fiber (scutching), and finally, the short fibers are separated from the long fibers (hackling).