About the event

Join Simon from Flaxland in exploring the many uses, benefits and nutritional values of Flax. On this one-day course, you will learn how to grow and process this wonderfully versatile plant as well as how you can use it to create a range of household and industry products.

Your course will take place in the beautiful surroundings of our inspiring six-acre wildlife gardening and food growing hub in the centre of Bristol, Grow Wilder. It will be delivered in combination of talks and practical exercises.

What is Flax?

"Flax is an annual plant that produces long, strong fibres that have been used to make linen textiles for at least 8,000 years". "It is ideally suited to the UK climate and was part of our industry up to relatively recently". Flax stems produce one of the strongest and most versatile plant fibres. The nutritional value of its seeds and the qualities of the oils extracted from them also have multiple uses.

Learning outcomes:

• Learn what Flax and linseed are and their many uses.
• Gain an understanding of the history of flax.
• Cover the topic of Flax Renaissance and re-discovering Britain's forgotten crop; why we should be growing both it as artisan craft and on farm scale.
• Gain knowledge of the growing retting and processing.
• Gain knowledge of rippling (deseeding flax) threshing and cleaning grain.
• Build practical skills working with hand blocks and combs to break scutch and hackle flax.
• Learn how to make a distaff.
• Spinning with a drop spindle.
• Make rough twine and learn other uses

About your tutors, Simon and Ann :

Simon and Ann are artisan have been natural fibre growers and processors since 2008. Their business, Flaxland, supplies flax seed for growing, fibre, processing tools, workshops, education shows and events.

Credits

Quotations:

Weald and Down Land Living Museum, https://www.wealddown.co.uk/course-news/flax-processing/

South West England Fiber Shed, https://www.southwestenglandfibreshed.co.uk/producers/flaxland/