How linen is made

Have you ever wondered how linen is made? It takes a few steps to create this fantastic fabric. From harvesting the fibres to weaving the fabric – the process to create linen is an interesting one. Find out what the production process looks like.



This natural fabric is made from the fibres of the flax plant. After harvesting the flax plant, it goes into the process of drying. As soon as this is done, the plant gets exposure to water, to make sure the fibres will be released. In the old days people used water from the river to make the fabric wet. Nowadays we use a more ecological way to make the fabric wet: by spreading the flax over a field, which is moist because of the rain. 



Then the fibres are separated from the straw. Short fibres can be used to make a rope; long fibers are excellent for making linen. By spinning, the separate fibres connect with each other. The fibres that are too short or too long are being removed. The so-called ribbons are spun into yarns by using a spinning machine.



The next step? Checking weather the yarns are good in terms of firmness, flexibility, and evenness. If the quality is good, the weaving of the fabric begins. Some linen products are delivered in a characteristic “rough” state, while other products will be bleached and dyed to create the desired colour tone.