Work with us become a linen steward
For the upcoming season we invite you to become a linen steward. Sign up via connect@thelinenproject.online. On March 30, there will be an information meeting via Zoom at 19:30. On Saturday, April 11, starting at 10:30, we will meet for the first time during the flax sowing moment at Horsterhof in Duiven (Arnhem region).
As a linen steward you work together with a group of approximately 20 to 25 participants who are collectively responsible for cultivating and processing flax. Costs are shared including land lease seeds and cultivation guidance. We make decisions collectively and share responsibility for the entire process. The yield is distributed fairly and each participant further processes the flax according to their own needs.
Who is it for
We invite a diverse group of participants: farmers, makers, designers, artists, craftspeople, researchers, students, and curious minds. People with backgrounds in agriculture, fashion, textile, design, heritage or sustainable economy as well as anyone who wants to deepen the relationship between land and material. Experience with flax is not required. What matters is commitment openness and the willingness to learn together.
The trajectory
From early spring through winter we follow the rhythm of the flax. From April until the end of August we work together in the field at the Horsterhof. In April, May and early June we weed several times, usually on Saturdays. In July we harvest the flax.
From September the winter work begins and we process the harvest step by step: retting, breaking, scutching and hackling until the fiber is ready to spin. We work by hand in principle. Only when the yield exceeds what we can process together do we collectively decide to use mechanical processing.
The exact dates are not fixed. We follow the growth of the flax and move with the conditions of the season. In collaboration with experienced stewards there is space for experiment, exchange and reflection. At the end of the year we share our experiences and results in a collective gathering.
Engagement
Participation requires a one year commitment. During this period you share responsibility with the other stewards for the flax, the process and the collective harvest.
At the start the contribution is 150 euro.* This covers the land lease, organic seeds, cultivation guidance and manual processing at the LiBarn at the Horsterhof including the use of available tools.
Not included are any costs for mechanical processing at Van der Bilt in Sluiskil. This only takes place if the yield exceeds what we can process manually together and is always a collective decision. Additional workshops or masterclasses such as spinning, papermaking or weaving are also not included in the basic contribution.
About The Linen Project
Since 2018 The Linen Project has explored how a production chain for local linen in the 21st century can take shape both industrially and manually. From the understanding that everything is interconnected The Linen Project investigates how the linen chain can serve as a model for a new economic system. A system that is no longer centered on financial growth but on values such as collectivity, care, proximity, sustainability, reciprocity and appreciation for all involved partners. Instead of focusing on transaction the emphasis is on relationships. Relationships with each other and with nature. An important part of this is linen stewardship.
Do you have a question? Get in touch via connect@thelinenproject.online
*If this amount presents a barrier for you please let us know and we will see what is possible.
Photography: Sophie Dries