I love your break. It's so elegant. Looks a lot more ergonomic than the ones we use with the handle at the end. This is a great video! Lots of good information.
I learned a few things from this, including where flax comes from; I never even thought about it growing as a plant. It never ceases to amaze me how little I know, glad there are videos like this to improve my education.
In missouri nettles and hemp were used in a similar fashion. I believe the nettles would have been retted like the flax but wondered if the hemp was done the same way. Also interested in a closer view or how those tools were made. Great video and pretty cool how after breaking those fibers handle. You mention ‘flaxen hair’, ‘tow head’ was another related descriptor.
Before retting, the seed pods of the flax are combed out. But they showed the flax harvested green, and so perhaps the pods are immature or even nonexistent in their batch. The "hetchel" is often called a "hackle", and the process is "hackling". We think of a dog "raising its hackles" when the ridge of hairs on its back are raised. The hackle tool looks similar, with spikes sticking up. Often there are two or more grades of hackle with the spikes closer together for a second run of hackling. Tow is an interesting word, since in addition to "flaxen hair" we have "tow heads", who are very light-haired people.Tow can be carded for spinning as well. It is a shorter staple fiber, and will not produce a fine thread. But it is fine for sack cloth or cordage.
It’s too bad that more of our mass-produced clothing isn’t made from linen because it seems like with all the useful byproducts and the fact that it’s an all-natural textile would be really beneficial in a lot of ways, especially for the environment, and especially because it seems like flax would make good use out of otherwise less-desirable ground. It’s such a cool material, no pun intended!
Linen breathes nicely, and so is good for hot weather. The flax plant is very pretty, and can be grown in high density, which crowds and shades out weeds. It's probably a good 'cover crop' for organic gardeners who want to discourage weeds. If your garden has defined garden beds, give flax a try! It can be pulled up and dug into the soil whenever you want to plant vegetables. The bright green plants have nice blue flowers, also.
One aspect of home cloth making in the 18th century was it’s connection to the boycott of taxed British imports patriotic women made their own or did without
Probably rainy season, I would guess. Linen processing was a big industry here (the West of Scotland) because of the damp air, due to plenty rain.This made the processing easier I think. Flax grows here and in Ireland, so it probably likes the rain. Good luck !
Linen was also made from hemp. I know it’s easy to say & not think about what was said, but the 18th century definition defines linen as being from flax & hemp.
I am thinking this entire process would also work with nettles, jute, hibiscus, shiso, which has a growth pattern exactly like nettles, and other similar plants. Thoughts?
@@maryexton7929 I asked coz I remember reading somewhere that if flax is allowed to go to seed, it would no longer be usable for fiber, so the farmer would have to decide whether he want the seeds for linseed oil or the fiber for linen. I've then just assumed that if they are growing for linen, they then leave a portion of the crop to go to seed for replanting.
@@maryexton7929 Flax that is used for textiles would not be allowed to develop seeds. Next year's seed would be produced by a portion of the flax that is reserved for that purpose.
You've neglected a vitally important detail to address in any discussion of colonial American history. Consider the state of clothing today. Most of us will buy all of our clothing from the mass manufactured fast fashion industry. People no longer understand the value of cloth because of this. The sheer labor involved is invisible to us. We don't see the people working in terrible conditions for hours upon hours to sew our clothing and receive next to no money in return. In factory work, there are restrictions about the presence of toxic chemicals in the cloth, but the same is not true for every step of the manufacturing process carried out before. What of the people who breathe those in? Who live along rivers polluted with chemicals? In this video, you've failed to mention that all the labor of 18th century American linen -- the farming, retting, fiber processing, spinning, weaving, sewing -- was often done by people born or sold into the brutality of chattel slavery. You discuss the work of flax processing as if through the lens of a small family farm, but you said it right at the start. This video was shot on a historical reproduction **plantation** -- a large estate, a place of mass production. You and I would have worn the fine, long-line linen cloth against our skin, but who do you think was wearing the coarse tow cloth against theirs?
I remember reading books about Colonial or Pioneer times mentioning that most households endeavored to create enough "linsey-woolsey" for their own family. A durable and reliable fabric, it has a long history of production among early American households; no "evil" needs to be ascribed to it. It was an honorable, durable product created from their own handiwork, whoever made it or eventually wore it. The more coarse parts were often used as fire starter. What clever people we came from!
I love your break. It's so elegant. Looks a lot more ergonomic than the ones we use with the handle at the end.
This is a great video! Lots of good information.
I learned a few things from this, including where flax comes from; I never even thought about it growing as a plant. It never ceases to amaze me how little I know, glad there are videos like this to improve my education.
In missouri nettles and hemp were used in a similar fashion. I believe the nettles would have been retted like the flax but wondered if the hemp was done the same way. Also interested in a closer view or how those tools were made. Great video and pretty cool how after breaking those fibers handle. You mention ‘flaxen hair’, ‘tow head’ was another related descriptor.
Informative! What hard work! I love linen and enjoy learning all about it!
Before retting, the seed pods of the flax are combed out. But they showed the flax harvested green, and so perhaps the pods are immature or even nonexistent in their batch.
The "hetchel" is often called a "hackle", and the process is "hackling". We think of a dog "raising its hackles" when the ridge of hairs on its back are raised. The hackle tool looks similar, with spikes sticking up. Often there are two or more grades of hackle with the spikes closer together for a second run of hackling.
Tow is an interesting word, since in addition to "flaxen hair" we have "tow heads", who are very light-haired people.Tow can be carded for spinning as well. It is a shorter staple fiber, and will not produce a fine thread. But it is fine for sack cloth or cordage.
It’s too bad that more of our mass-produced clothing isn’t made from linen because it seems like with all the useful byproducts and the fact that it’s an all-natural textile would be really beneficial in a lot of ways, especially for the environment, and especially because it seems like flax would make good use out of otherwise less-desirable ground. It’s such a cool material, no pun intended!
Linen is great! Unfortunately it wrinkles badly, and that's probably why it isn't so popular now. Not many people like ironing.
Linen breathes nicely, and so is good for hot weather. The flax plant is very pretty, and can be grown in high density, which crowds and shades out weeds. It's probably a good 'cover crop' for organic gardeners who want to discourage weeds. If your garden has defined garden beds, give flax a try! It can be pulled up and dug into the soil whenever you want to plant vegetables. The bright green plants have nice blue flowers, also.
So "fine" linen is not only high-grade, but the threads are fine themselves. Cool.
glad I found this channel
Welcome!
I wonder if you can use comb instead of wooden knife and the pins to separate the high quality fiber.
One aspect of home cloth making in the 18th century was it’s connection to the boycott of taxed British imports patriotic women made their own or did without
Am from nigeria.what season can I plant flax is it in the sunny or raining season.and how many types of flax do we have.
Probably rainy season, I would guess. Linen processing was a big industry here (the West of Scotland) because of the damp air, due to plenty rain.This made the processing easier I think. Flax grows here and in Ireland, so it probably likes the rain. Good luck !
How has no one said, “Rhett it and forget it?”
LOL!!
So labor intensive.
great video.
Thanks!
There is also the term: "tow-headed".
does tow work as animal fodder?
Linen was also made from hemp. I know it’s easy to say & not think about what was said, but the 18th century definition defines linen as being from flax & hemp.
I am thinking this entire process would also work with nettles, jute, hibiscus, shiso, which has a growth pattern exactly like nettles, and other similar plants. Thoughts?
Although I'm not a fan of this time period, it was quite educational
Glad you enjoyed!
She skipped "rippling"; the removal of seed pods.
Are the seeds allowed to mature on flax intended for linen than linseed oil?
Of course they are allowed to mature. You would need seed to plant next year, would you not?
Also, surplus seed is fed to livestock.
@@maryexton7929 I asked coz I remember reading somewhere that if flax is allowed to go to seed, it would no longer be usable for fiber, so the farmer would have to decide whether he want the seeds for linseed oil or the fiber for linen. I've then just assumed that if they are growing for linen, they then leave a portion of the crop to go to seed for replanting.
@@maryexton7929 Flax that is used for textiles would not be allowed to develop seeds. Next year's seed would be produced by a portion of the flax that is reserved for that purpose.
Tow-headed is short blonde hair 🤯
God loves you have a great day
You've neglected a vitally important detail to address in any discussion of colonial American history.
Consider the state of clothing today. Most of us will buy all of our clothing from the mass manufactured fast fashion industry. People no longer understand the value of cloth because of this. The sheer labor involved is invisible to us. We don't see the people working in terrible conditions for hours upon hours to sew our clothing and receive next to no money in return. In factory work, there are restrictions about the presence of toxic chemicals in the cloth, but the same is not true for every step of the manufacturing process carried out before. What of the people who breathe those in? Who live along rivers polluted with chemicals?
In this video, you've failed to mention that all the labor of 18th century American linen -- the farming, retting, fiber processing, spinning, weaving, sewing -- was often done by people born or sold into the brutality of chattel slavery. You discuss the work of flax processing as if through the lens of a small family farm, but you said it right at the start. This video was shot on a historical reproduction **plantation** -- a large estate, a place of mass production.
You and I would have worn the fine, long-line linen cloth against our skin, but who do you think was wearing the coarse tow cloth against theirs?
The word "plantation" does not mean a farm worked by slaves. And most work done in 18th century America was done by freemen.
I remember reading books about Colonial or Pioneer times mentioning that most households endeavored to create enough "linsey-woolsey" for their own family. A durable and reliable fabric, it has a long history of production among early American households; no "evil" needs to be ascribed to it. It was an honorable, durable product created from their own handiwork, whoever made it or eventually wore it. The more coarse parts were often used as fire starter. What clever people we came from!