Visiting the former mine site at Waingroves was the starting point for this project. Learning that rope for the local mines had once been made nearby from plant fibres such as flax and hemp inspired me to begin growing flax myself in Riddings.
Front Garden Before Planting
The front garden plot in Riddings, Derbyshire, UK, before the first flax seed was sown in 2024.
First Flax Seedlings
The first flax seedlings emerging through the heavy garden soil, marking the beginning of the growing cycle.
Growing Flax In Riddings
The Riddings Community Flax Project began with fibre flax growing in my front garden in Derbyshire.
Flax In Flower
Delicate blue flax flowers appearing among the crop during the growing season.
Growing A Fibre Crop
Flax grown closely together encourages the long straight stems needed for textile fibre.
The Flax Harvest
Flax is pulled rather than cut so the full length of the stem can be kept for fibre processing.
Flax Stooks Drying In The Garden
Bundles of harvested flax standing upright to dry in the Riddings front garden.
Rippling The Flax
Harvested flax pulled through a metal ripple to remove the seed heads before the stems move on to retting and further processing.
Dew Retting The Flax
Harvested flax laid on the ground for dew retting, where moisture and microorganisms begin breaking down the material that binds the fibre to the woody stem.
Storing The Retted Flax
Bundles of retted flax stored dry until there is time to continue breaking and processing the stems into fibre.
Learning To Process Flax By Hand
Processing reveals the soft fibre hidden inside the dry flax stem and has become an important part of my material research.
