Flax or linen fiber is strong, absorbs moisture, has no allergenic properties and softens with continued use. It has a wide variety of applications. It is used in clothing, furnishings, household fabrics, water buckets, yarn and rope.

Flax has been grown and used for cloth since 8000 B.C. Textiles found with the Dead Sea scrolls were identified as being linen (flax). The linen textiles found in the Qumran Cave 1 in 1949 were used as scroll wrappers, protective covers for jars and linen cord.

Flax growing was an important industry in Flanders for many centuries until the cotton industry and mechanization provided competition. Flax is still grown in many parts of the world, such as Ireland, western Europe and Russia.

Textiles: Qumran Caves
Photos of linen cloth found in the Qumran Caves, that are thought to be wrappers for some of the Dead Sea scrolls.

From Flower to Textile
The Libeco site describes the process of turning the flax plant into linen fabric.

Irish Linen
Irish spinners and weavers create delicately woven cloth in intricate designs.

fibrex Quebec
fibrex Quebec is currently the only textile flax fiber mill in North America. The flax crop is harvested in August using a flax puller, and left to ret in the field for 10 - 14 days. It is then turned and left for another few weeks. The fiber is then baled and sent to the mill where it is processing with a Belgian-made flax scrutching line. This crushed the plants, removing the woody part and strips the long bast fibers. fiberx is currently working with the Canadian and US textile industry to develop linen and hemp textiles.

Flax Folklore
The Flax Council of Canada presents some interesting uses for flax.