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Belgian Linen Production Process |
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From flax comes linen
Linen is made from the fiber of the flax plant. Flanders, the westernmost region of Belgium has proven for centuries to be ideal for flax cultivation due to its climate and topography. The production of fine linen has long been associated with Belgium.
The flax growing cycle is brief, with only 100 days between sowing in March and harvesting in July. The plant flowers very briefly, dotting the fields with blossoms of violet, blue and white. Each flax plant blooms for one day only.
The Process:
• Harvesting - Flax must be treated carefully, so to preserve the full potential of each plant, flax is never mowed but must be uprooted. Until the second half of the 20th century, this was painstakingly done by hand. Today, mechanical grubbers do the work.
• Drying - After harvesting, the flax is stacked in hedges to dry. Once dried, the seeds are removed. The seeds provide oil for dyes, paint, cosmetics and more.
• Retting and Turning - The woody core and pectin which binds the fibers together must be allowed to naturally decompose in the process known as retting. This was once done using river water to speed the natural breakdown process. Today, for ecological reasons, retting is no longer performed in rivers. The preferred method still requires the intervention of Mother Nature as the flax is spread out in the fields and exposed to rain, dew and sunshine for several weeks.
• Scutching (stripping) and Hackling (combing) - During these mechanical processes the fibers are separated from the outer layer (shive), and then graded into the short fibers (tow) which is used for coarser yarns, or the longer fibers (line) which will be used to create the finest linen yarn.
• Spinning - Drafting and doubling, or carding, elongate the long or short fibers into sinuous "ribbons." These are then plied together on spinning looms in differing weights and thicknesses. The fine yarn is "wet spun" to impart a smoother, shiny appearance. The tow are commonly "dry spun" yielding a less regular and napped yarn.
• Weaving, Bleaching and Dyeing - Before any weaving, the linen yarns are inspected for strength, evenness and pliancy. The great speed of today's power looms demands close tolerances on these properties. After weaving, each yard of fabric is examined and quality tested. Bleaching linen requires consummate skill—enough chemicals to remove any pectin or shive residue, but not so much as to compromise the structure of the fibers. After bleaching or dyeing, various treatments to make it crease- or soil-resistant can be applied.
Characteristics of Linen
Linen is soft, yet strong and durable. With use over time linen becomes softer and stronger. Linen is highly breathable and can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp. It easily passes moisture to the air so that the fabric remains cool and dry to the touch. Flax remains colorfast and launders easily with appropriate products - never use harsh enzyme-based cleaners on your linen. Linen has the advantage of being non-allergenic and flax requires far less use of pesticides and fertilizers than other crops. The fibers are recyclable and eventually biodegrade.
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Why Linen
Linen is healthy
Because of its natural fibers and production process, linen is specially formulated to be hypoallergenic. Sleeping in and wearing linen will help you avoid common allergic reactions found with other fabrics, particularly synthetics. Linen is also considered antibacterial or "pure". Linen was used for bandage materials dating back to ancient Egypt.
Linen is highly breathable
Linen is naturally thermo-regulating. It is insulating in the cold, and cool and breathable when it's warm. Linen breathes easily and research has demonstrated that a person who wears linen sweats 1.5 times less than when wearing cotton and two times less than wearing a synthetic such as rayon.
Exceptionally long lasting
With proper care, linen is one of the few fabrics that actually gets better with age. It becomes softer, smoother and more lustrous. Table linen regularly passes from generation to generation.
Belgian linen is the very highest quality
Belgian linen producers control the whole production chain from the field to the finished linen fabric. To obtain quality linen, you have to use fine and regular yarns; the more threads per inch in the warp and weave, the higher the quality, as well as fewer slubs.
Linen is a specialty in Belgium and finishers train for a lifetime. Certain qualities of Belgian linen need up to 15 different types of processes to achieve the amazing hand of Belgian linen. |
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