How Linen is Made |
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Linen manufacturing is a complicated and lengthy process which requires great skill at each stage of production:
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Cultivating Flax Linen is a natural fabric which comes from the fibres of the stalk of the flax plant (linum usitatissimum or "most useful linen"). The plant is sown in April, produces delicate blue flowers in June and is harvested in August. The subtle intensity of the violet blue flax flower is a sign of the finest fibres and these are used to produce Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen. Other varieties of flax have a pinkish – white blossom and produce poorer fibres and yarns. To produce linen, the textile flax is not cut, but pulled from the ground to preserve the long, full length of the fibres which run the entire length of the plant (80/120cm). |
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Rippling & Retting Rippling retrieves the flax seeds from the seed pod, which are used for linseed oil or cattle cake. Next the crop is laid out in the fields to ret, a process by which the woody bark is naturally rotted so that the fibres come loose from the main stem. |
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Scutching & Hackling This is a mechanical operation which, by breaking and beating the flax straw, separates the textile fibres in the stem of the plant from the woody matter which is then used for the manufacture of chipboard. No part of the flax plant is wasted. Fibres are then hackled (combed) to separate long line and short tow fibres. Line fibres then go through a process where they are drafted and doubled, until a rove (a slightly twisted sliver of flax fibre) has been formed. They then undergo the wet spinning process. Line fibres produce fine, strong yarn. Short tow fibres are dry spun and a heavy, coarse yarn results, ideal for use as furnishing fabrics, heavier apparel and knitwear. |
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Spinning This rove is then spun into a yarn but during this process it is soaked in warm water, which softens the natural gummy substances contained in the yarn and permits the individual fibrils within each fibre to slide in relation to each other, thus producing a very fine and regular yarn. This is called "wet spinning". |
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Fergusons' Factory |
Weaving |
Examining |
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Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen is located in Banbridge, County Down, at the heart of what is known as The Linen Homelands. Thomas Ferguson Irish Linen is located in a modern 35000 sq ft site which it shares with it's sister company, Franklins International. |
To weave a superb Linen Damask, it is essential to use a superb raw material - pure natural linen yarn, spun from the harvest of the flax plant into long, fine, strong fibres. Linen is actually stronger when wet than dry, and so it is important that the fine yarn is as strong as possible when being woven. |
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