The truth about flax fibers

Like cotton, flax is a plant based fiber. However, flax is a baste fiber. Meaning it comes from the stem of a plant whereas cotton comes from the seed. Flax is one of the oldest documented textile fibers. Fragments of linen fabric have been found in prehistoric lake dwellings in Switzerland. And in Ancient Egypt, linen mummy wraps were found in tombs dating back more than 3,000 years.

The linen industry was quite large until the 18th century in Europe, until the invention of power spinning. Once power spinning was invented Flax was replaced by cotton as the most widely used fiber. Flax is a prestigious fiber as a result of its limited production and relatively high cost. It also is more environmentally friendly than cotton. Using less water for irrigation and fewer chemicals in the growing process. However there are still some environmental concerns with the production of flax fibers.

All bast fibers are produced in a specific way. The fibers extend into the root. To harvest baste fibers, they are either pulled up from the root with mechanical pullers, or they are cut close to the ground to keep the fibers as long as possible. Cut fibers are about 10% shorter than pulled fibers.

After harvesting, the seeds are removed by pulling the plant through a machine, this is called rippling. The baste fibers lay just below the outer covering or bark in bundles in the stem of the plant. They are kept together by a substance made up of pectin, waxes, and gums. In order to continue the processing, these substances must be loosened and decomposed. In order to loosen the fibers from the stalk, they must be processed through a bacteria rotting process called retting.

Fiber quality can be greatly affected by the retting process. There are three different variations of retting. The first is called dew retting. Dew retting is done in the fields where the stalks are spread evenly out across a field. The combined action of bacteria, sun, air, and dew produce fermentation. This process takes up to two to three weeks depending on climate.

Water retting is done by submerging the stalks in stagnant water, ponds, pools or tanks. This allows for the temperature and bacteria count to be more controlled. This process is used most often. Chemical retting is much faster than any other method. However, extra care must be taken or the fibers can be irreversibly damaged.

Retting can create problems with water quality if retting water is released directly into streams and lakes. Dew retting is the most environmentally friendly with minimal impact to the environment, however, it does take the longest to fully rett.

After stems have rinsed and dried the woody portion is removed by scutching, a process that crushes the outer covering when the stalks are passed through a fluted metal roller. At this point most fibers are separated and short irregular fibers are removed by a process known as hackling or combing. This final step removes any remaining woody portions and arranges the fibers in a parallel fashion.

Cottonizing reduces a bast fiber to a length similar to that of cotton. These fibers can be processed on equipment designed for cotton but they may lack some of the traditional characteristics related to hand, luster and durability.

Linen refers to fabric made of flax, but the term is misused when it refers to fabrics of any other fibers made of thick and thin yarns with heavy body and crisp hand. Because of its historic use in sheets,tablecloths, and towels, the word linen is misused since these items were typically made from flax.

Flax and sustainability

Flax has less of an environmental impact compared to cotton, flax requires fewer agricultural chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers. Irrigation is seldom required. However, the process of pulling the plants during harvest contributes to soil erosion. Removing the fiber from the stem requires significant amounts of water, but recycling is often used for the water. Depending on the retting process used, disposing of the chemicals and contaminated water are other concerns.

Overall flax is a sustainable fiber that has a pleasant hand, low pilling and linting, has great strength and durability and a thick and thin texture. Flax is more expensive than cotton to produce. However, flax is more environmentally friendly.