Love for Linen

A throw is just a throw until it’s a Belgian linen throw. Centuries of craftsmanship and textile knowledge, dedication and precision have woven these fibers into a lustrous linen that is more of an art form than just a blanket.

Known for it’s breathability and quality, linen is one of the most sought after and prized, naturally cultivated fibers. It’s often woven into tailored shirts, fitted sheets or hand-loomed throws, but to get there you must start with the flax plant. 

With three quarters of the world’s flax production coming from Europe, it’s only fitting that we tip the cap to our Belgian friends. The country of Belgium can get a bad wrap for its primarily gray and gloomy disposition, but this North Sea climate is responsible for producing an extremely prosperous soil necessary to grow flax. For being such a nutrient dependent plant, the naturally occurring rainfall and morning dew are often substantial enough that much additional watering isn’t necessary. Through this culmination of environmental factors, the flax is able to grow at an extremely fast rate with the first signs of life sprouting in as little as two weeks. This is vital, as the sunshine of Spring is short-lived and the Summer harvest is just around the corner. 

It’s as if nature is telling us that the time has come. Fields of flowers bloom creating a sea of delicate blues along the landscape. This moment of beauty is worth admiring as with the blink of an eye it all vanishes. The petals drop and the seed pods swell, leaving the golden stems of the plant signaling it’s time for harvest. 

First the plants must be pulled from the ground. This must be done firmly, yet gentle enough not to damage the fibers. It’s imperative that the plants be pulled rather than cut as this preserves the natural sap and retains the luster that Belgian linen is known for. From here the stalks are bundled together and laid across the soil. This is where the final stages of the harvest will occur as the sun drys the plant in preparation for the mills. 

Once the stalks have dried and the seeds have been removed it’s time for the retting process, where the stalks are soaked in water dissolving the natural pectins that bin the plant together. Through this process the fibers of the plant begin to detach themselves from the stem. Once the flax as been retted, it is then rolled into bundles and stood upright for one final drying period. At this point, if done properly, the flax can be stored for decades at a time or immediately begin the process of breaking, scutching and hackling.

This three step process is how the wood stalks separate from the flax fibers so they can be woven into lustrous yarns. 

Breaking is when the flax is pulled through large rollers comprised of wooden blades where the woody stalks are broken down into smaller pieces and they fall away from the fibers. From here the fibers are scraped to remove any further bits of stalk (referred to as shives). This refining process goes through one final step step called hackling, where there fibers are pulled through thousands of metal pins, ensuring the extraction of only the finest fibers. The fibers can now be spun into the yarn that the linen is woven into. It’s an incredibly laborious task with much of it being done by hand and at the whim of the environment. 

Through this balancing act and bond with the natural world, we celebrate the hand woven and incredibly lush linens from the Belgian countryside.