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Flax Fiber

Flax Fibre for fine quality linen

The flax fibres

Flax fibres are bast fibres: they are contained within the stalk, surrounded by a fine layer of bast. This is why the retting and scutching operations are necessary to extract these fibres. Formed according to a complex process, it is their composition and architecture that confer on flax its properties.

The formation and the position of the fibres in the stalk

The flax fibres develop throughout the entire vegetation of the plant. Their evolution is a complex process, which is very much affected by external influences, the quality of the soil and the growing conditions. If you examine the cross-section of a flax stalk under a microscope you can generally distinguish several circular areas from the outside to the inside of the stalk:
epidermis / cortex / xylem / wood

 

Flax fibre is exceptionally adaptable: the length and fineness can be changed in many different ways through mechanical and chemical processes. The fibres are suitable for processing in various spinning techniques.

Additional information on flax line and flax tow may be found here