We’ve had two lovely things happen this month… well there’s been lots of loveliness, but these are to share.

Llieinwe Exhibition at Waterloo Tea shop, Whitchurch road

Until June 5th

We were offered the space in this lovely little local tea shop (also good coffee, lovely food and nice people). We have tried to show the people and the skills involved in the process of growing and transforming flax to make linen yarn. There’s photos of the team, samples of the flax in all its stages, the tools, the yarn and artworks including stitch, dye and print.

Print is included because Lino is made from linseed – most people don’t realise! We held a lino workshop in the Making n Mending space a few weeks ago. It’s the most democratic, simple and sustainable print method, used for over 100 years by artists for campaigns, protest and information as well as art.

Along with the exhibition is Global gardens seed giveaway, with packs of flax for visitors to take and join in with our flax growing.

Sharing day at St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life

As part of our partnership with the National Museum in growing the flax, we wanted to share the project with the public. We’d experienced in the last two years how interested and engaged people are by it, especially kids and men! It’s the wooden tools and manual skills that captures them.

So on Easter Monday we went with all our tools, flax, linen samples and enthusiasm for this wonderful plant and its produce.

We had a group spinning out in the spring sunshine, little kids learning to make cordage, bigger ones going for it breaking the retted flax with the Beast of Machynlleth, and had lovely chats with so many intrigued, astounded and super interested people from so many places around the world. We had our woodcrafters from #Goodshed community project visit, to see their new little all in one hand tools in use. They’re made with scrap wood and we’re playing with the shape to make them easier for smaller hands. They’re also making drop spindles and hopefully we’ll soon have some hackles!

We’ll be back there to plant as soon as the ground dries out enough to be lightly ploughed… it’s been a very wet March.

We’ll also be back in June with more demonstrations and bundles of flax and tools for visitors to be able to share the flax love.

We’ve been translating into Welsh and looking for colloquial terms. Here’s the list so far. We also found out that the stars of Orion’s belt are known as ‘The Virgin’s Distaff’!

Meanwhile, I’ve planted my first lot of the season, a little plot 2 x 1m. I’ve also started spring dew retting of last years under retted crop.