Flax’s annual cycle “From the garden to the golden belt”

Flax is a plant fibre that has accompanied mankind for an eternity. The Bronze Age should actually be called the Flax Age, that’s how important the material was for the development of mankind. And yet the “hoar” is hardly ever processed today, even by experienced hand spinners. In four modules, we will therefore follow the path from seed to textile and bring flax and linen back into our lives.

Dates

GROWING AND LEARNING TO SPIN FLAX – Module 1 / 23.+24.03.2024 10:00-17:00
Whether you have a windowsill, a balcony, a garden or a whole field, you can lay the foundation for your own fabric. With seeds and lots of knowledge about growing and caring for flax, you can grow your own at home and watch your fibre material grow. We will also plant a piece of land together. Once the seeds are in the ground, it’s time to start spinning. You will learn how to use a hand spindle and spinning wheel to turn straw into gold.

HARVEST AND BLUE DYING – Module 2 / 13.+14.07.2024 10:00-17:00
Approximately 100 days after cultivation, the flax is ready to be harvested. We will harvest the field together, set up the flax for drying and examine different flax varieties. We will also learn everything that is necessary for the next step – roasting – so that your flax can slowly become more and more of a raw fibre material at home. And because flax and indigo make such a beautiful combination, we will continue to work together on our golden threads and dye some of them with natural indigo. We use an environmentally friendly fructose indigo pulp for this.

HECHELING AND BREAKING – Module 3 / 07.+08.09.2024 10:00-17:00
The fibre is born from the now grey stalks. We will crush, hackle and card to turn our own flax into spinning material. Traditionally, there was a feast after the crushing, so we will also celebrate together and of course continue spinning.

WEAVE – Module 4 / 12.+13.10.2024 10:00-17:00
After a busy period of cultivation, harvesting, fibre extraction and, of course, spinning, we now reap the rewards in the form of our first garment, which we have accompanied from the seed. Using simple hip looms, we will create a scarf, a belt, a small bag or simply a piece of textile.

Drawing a Thread

The former weaving and spinning mill Ebensee is the hub of the project, which addresses the history of the working world of women, role attributions, social achievements and controversies.
More about the project at salzkammergut-2024.at