The flax and the wool were spun at home; the stockings were knit; the shoes were often untanned hide nailed upon heavy clogs.
The cloth made of flaxand cotton was called fustian; for which article Manchester was famous, as well as for laces.
Hemp of flax may not be watered in any river or stream where animals are watered.
Every person with 36 acres of agricultural land, shall sow one quarter acre with flax or hemp-feed.
The corn is held in a convenient handful, like flax on a hatchel.
On poor land, for a flax crop three bushels per acre, applied after the plants were up, and when wet, produced a great crop.
Salt, lime, ashes, and plaster, are good applications to flax after it has come up.
Why, I remember when they'd have those big corn shuckings, flax pullings, and quilting parties.
They would sow acres after acres of flax, then they would meet at some house or plantation and pull flax until they had finished, then give a big party.
I speak, and throwing up my untidy flax head) "that sweet Nancies are looking up in the world.
Husband and relatives were the only visitors; the mistress of the household remained here all day with her slaves; she directed them, superintended the house-keeping, and distributed to them the flax for them to spin.
Was it not enough that one should find in her a woman who could spin the flax to make garments, and who had learned how to distribute duties to the slaves?
The beautiful maiden took the flax from her head, wound it round the stem of a slender birch, grasped the spindle, and began to spin.
She took out the spindle and unspun flax and looked in once more.
She put her hands to the unspun flax on her head and remembered the spindle that was lying unfilled on the grass.
Nor shall I be able to spin fine flax for his shirts!
When they got there she sat down under a tree and pulled the fibers of the flax from her head with her left hand, and with her right hand let down the spindle so that it went humming along the ground.
Then Betushka, clasping her hands to her head, where the unspunflax was twined, burst into tears.
Before the sun sank behind the woods all the flax was spun, even that which was left over from the day before.
Betushka had no distaff, so she wound the flax around her head.
She took down theflax and laid it with the spindle in the little basket.
And down by the weaver's croft I stole, To see if the flax were high; But I saw the weaver at his gate With the good news in his eye!
How will he laugh outright When he sees his dwindling flax field All full of flowers by night!
At present we are like the separate filaments of flax before the thread is formed, without strength, because without connection; but UNION would make us strong, and even formidable.
What becomes of the flax that grows with that flax-seed?
They renewed the rewards of silk, and put great penalties upon every neglect of makingflax and hemp.
Yet flax and hemp grow no where in the world better than there.
Experts say that in no other country can flax be grown with a fibre so strong and yet so fine as in Ireland.
It is well known that for flax growing and for linen bleaching Ireland is ahead of all countries.
It seems to be the country of all others that is best suited for the growth of flax out of which the finest linen fabrics can be made.
The flax which was brought in vessels from Holland was prepared for use in Cromarty, and distributed by boats along the coast to Wick and Thurso.
Flax seems to have been widely grown, and rushlights were then a luxury.
Mackenzie attributed to her spinning flax on the distaff, which exhausted too much of the saliva; and therefore he recommended to her parents to confine her totally to the spinning of wool.
It is then put into the fire; and the flaxbeing burnt out, the cloth remains pure and white.
The reverse of the work (Illustration 55) shows a surface of flaxthreads couched with silk, for which reason the method may be described as reverse couching.
With regard to the thread to work with: The coarser kinds of flax are best waxed before using.
Linen is a worthy ground-stuff, which may be worked on with flax thread, crewel, or silk, but they should not be mixed.
That is to say, the silken thread only dips through the linen at the points in the pattern, and is there caught down by a thread offlax on the under-surface of the linen.
In flax (Linum) by the folding inwards of the back of the carpels a five-celled ovary becomes a ten-celled fruit.
Elsie, who was sitting flat on the stone floor of her cottage, sorting a quantity of flax that lay around her.
Such as were industrious took the work with thankfulness, and were paid for it; those who were beggars by profession, never kept their word to return for the flax or the wheel.
The flaxthus spun was afterwards woven, bleached, and made into table-cloths and towels for family use.
The ceremony of the lighted flax still takes place at the exaltation of the popes; these words are addressed to them: Sic transit gloria mundi.
Smoking flax will breed a flame, and the flame may illuminate a world; Where is he who scorned that smoke as foul and murky vapour?
