Cultivating Flax Linen is a natural fabric which comes from the fibres of the stalk of the flax plant (linum usitatissimum or "most useful linen"). The plant is sown in April, produces delicate blue flowers in June and is harvested in August. The subtle intensity of the violet blue flax flower is a sign of the finest fibres and these are used to produce Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen. Other varieties of flax have a pinkish – white blossom and produce poorer fibres and yarns. To produce linen, the textile flax is not cut, but pulled from the ground to preserve the long, full length of the fibres which run the entire length of the plant (80/120cm).
Rippling & Retting Rippling retrieves the flax seeds from the seed pod, which are used for linseed oil or cattle cake. Next the crop is laid out in the fields to ret, a process by which the woody bark is naturally rotted so that the fibres come loose from the main stem.
Scutching & Hackling This is a mechanical operation which, by breaking and beating the flax straw, separates the textile fibres in the stem of the plant from the woody matter which is then used for the manufacture of chipboard. No part of the flax plant is wasted. Fibres are then hackled (combed) to separate long line and short tow fibres. Line fibres then go through a process where they are drafted and doubled, until a rove (a slightly twisted sliver of flax fibre) has been formed. They then undergo the wet spinning process. Line fibres produce fine, strong yarn. Short tow fibres are dry spun and a heavy, coarse yarn results, ideal for use as furnishing fabrics, heavier apparel and knitwear.
Spinning This rove is then spun into a yarn but during this process it is soaked in warm water, which softens the natural gummy substances contained in the yarn and permits the individual fibrils within each fibre to slide in relation to each other, thus producing a very fine and regular yarn. This is called "wet spinning".
Fabric Manufacture You are now invited to take a factory tour which tells the story of design, weaving, specialist cutting, bleaching, dyeing and finishing into Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen Cloth. You can view a virtual tour of our factory on our website, or book a real tour online.
Rippling & Retting
