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Flax to Linen - a Process indeed!
Sunday, August 28, 1-4 pm
Come to see this fascinating process which turns Flax into Linen! You might even like to lend a hand with the task!
Today we take clothing, fabrics and yarns for granted. Easy to wash fabrics abound in our shops. Until the Industrial Revolution in the first quarter of the 1800's, all yarn, thread, cloth and clothing was made by hand. In our northern area of America, where cotton does not grow, we relied on linen for our washable clothing.
But what a process it is to create linen cloth from the flax plant! The old saying that "It Takes a Year and a Day to Make a Shirt" is very true!
The flax seed is planted in early spring and the plants harvested in mid summer. It must first be dried, then retted and dried again. Finally, by fall, we can begin the process of "Breaking" the hard stems, "Scutching" to rub away the stem debris, "Hackling" to comb the fibers and prepare them to be spun.
The small portable wheels we generally see demonstrated today were traditionally used to spin flax into linen thread. Once enough thread is spun, the loom is "Warped" and made ready for the weaver to produce cloth. After weaving, the gray linen cloth is usually bleached by wetting it and spreading it in the sun for weeks or months, before it is ready to be used for clothing.
As always, you will find our village bustling with residents carrying on their everyday lives. Look in on the school, visit the blacksmith, and stop in to see what is happening in the log cabin.
There truly will be plenty for Everyone today!
For more information e-mail e-mail the Museum the Museum or call 412-486-0563 and leave a message.
