Up to fifty years ago every farmer grew his own plot of flax and every cottage garden presented a pretty picture in Summer when the little blue flowers opened on the flax.
In Autumn the flax was pulled not cut, and saved by binding into sheaves and treated in much the same way as oats is. It was kept up until Winter.
Then the work of converting it into cloth began.
The flax was first placed in a pool of water and left there for a certain number of days. It was then taken up and set to dry on the grass.