Linen

High school (ages 12+)
Making & Design

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/linen

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the botanical classification?Bast fiber from the stem of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum
2. What is the production process stages?Cultivation, harvesting, retting, scutching, heckling, spinning, weaving
3. What is linen made from?Linen is made from the long, fine fibers of the flax plant, also called Linum usitatissimum.
4. How is linen made from flax stalks?First the flax stalks are soaked or left to rot in dew, a process called retting, which loosens the fibers. Then the stalks are dried, beaten to remove wood (scutched), and the fibers are combed (heckled) to separate the long strands. Finally the clean fibers are spun into yarn and woven into fabric.

Bast Fibers: Strong, fibrous material derived from the inner bark of certain plants, like flax.
Thermoregulation: The ability of a fabric to help the body maintain a stable temperature.
Tensile Strength: The resistance of a material to breaking under tension or pulling.