• thijs belgers and michaèl brandt line out the field on foot
  • measuring the distance between rows for the oil flax
  • the fibre flax field being sown using the seed drill
  • the oil flax field after sowing, before raking
  • raking the top soil layer on the fibre flax field after sowing
  • weeding by hand between the flax seedlings
  • the tiny treffler is pulled with ease by hand, on foot
  • the individual treffler hooks rake between the flax rows
  • young fibre flax 17 days after seeding
  • volunteers dressed in 'boerenkiel' for the flax harvest
  • the flax is pulled root and all, straight up out of the soil
  • pulled flax is laid on the field in an even spread for retting
  • sheaves of retted flax ready for storage and processing
  • preparing the flaxseed for sowing
  • the stewards took turns pushing the seed-drill
  • the seed-drill cuts a groove for the seeds to fall into
  • freshly sown flax rows on the river clay seedbed
  • the sprinkler placement rotates to supplement moisture levels on the cultivated fields
  • concentration during sowing paid off – neat rows of flax emerged
  • close up of the linen stewards’ flax seedlings 11 days after sowing
  • the first weeding session took place at the end of may
  • field thistle, grass and saltbush are a common occurrence early on
  • cutting out the thistles with a weeding blade
  • the second weeding session took place mid june
  • the average height of the flax field at bloom, photo courtesy of christoffel de bruine
  • seed pods forming in early july signal the approaching harvest
  • the shared stewardship community working together
  • pulling the flax straight up from the clay ground
  • a clear view of the intact roots
  • laying out the first flax spread
  • spreading the flax into an even two-knuckle-thick layer
  • freshly pulled flax laid out in spreads along the field
  • the retting flax reconnecting with the soil; loose seeds starting to germinate
  • lifting the retted flax loose to air dry the underside
  • rolling the retted flax to form sheaves
  • flax sheaves air out on the cleared field
  • dried seedpods ready to be rippled
  • moving the sheaves with human energy and a pair of wheels
  • sheaves stored dry and ready for the winter at De Horsterhof
  • a collective flax-work day at the linen stewards' flax shed in nijmegen
  • the rippling bench and manual flax brake (behind)
  • seed pods collected from rippling the harvested flax
  • the hand-driven flax brake uses fluted rollers to scutch the flax, breaking up the woody bast
  • woody shives scattered on the shed floor after scutching with the flax brake
  • improvised stricks of scutched flax await hackling
  • hackling and hackled flax
  • hackled flax is twisted into a flax strick awaiting spinning
  • the yield of the 2022 flax harvest was shared equitably amongst the stewards
  • unloading the flax cargo from the moving-truck
  • laying down the sheaves in a spread as if on the field
  • lenno vermaas shares his knowledge with the linen stewards
  • loading the sheaves into the processing line
  • spreading the flax for even processing
  • industrially scutched flax
  • woody shives are collected along the processing line
  • the shorter hackling tow or ‘klodden’
  • a compressed 40 kg bale of the shorter hackling tow
  • the flax plant is utilised in full with the exception of the root tip, pictured here
  • 14.4 kg of long fibre from 2021
  • 17.7 kg of long fibre from 2020
  • hand-twisted stricks of scutched flax ready to be shared amongst the linen stewards
  • roelof gathers the heddles to remove the completed textile from the loom
  • the emerging textile in progress on the loom
  • close-up view of the warp and weft
  • view of the warp behind the heddles (in progress)
  • linen warp threads on the rapier loom during sampling
  • close-up of the warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads in a twill sample
  • checking for loose threads
  • the selvedges are trimmed on the loom directly after weaving
  • tending to the warp thread
  • the first linen samples rolling out
  • a selection of the different types of weaves
  • potential partners get acquainted with the linnen kavels
  • attendees sharing their curiosity and support in this next step towards a generative local linen value chain
  • getting up close and personal with the diverse range of weaves
  • visiting the linen stewards’ current flax field, neighbouring where the flax grew in 2019
  • lunch with field-fresh tomato soup and much food for thought
  • placing and puzzling the pattern pieces for best fit
  • tracing block pattern pieces onto the fabric
  • button fly and seam construction
  • a hand-sewn five-pocket detail
  • participants from the linen project community
  • basting with contrasting thread for secure seam sewing
  • show and tell of the hand-sewn garments
  • linseed oil and press cake – photo by thijs belgers
  • the flax seed pods ready to be threshed
  • breaking the seed pods with threshing-flails
  • a winnowing mill is used to separate the husks from the seeds
  • pressing linseed oil from the linseed meal
  • the miller explaining the stamping mechanism
  • a fresh press cake or lijnkoek
  • preparation of the flax and birch pulp in the Hollander beater
  • pressing the flaxpaper
  • removing the pressed paper, making it ready to dry