104. Linen: The Once and Future Crop for an American Textile Economy with Heidi Barr and Emma DeLong of the PA Flax Project

Today’s guests are Heidi Barr of Kitchen Garden Textiles and Emma de Long of Knee High Farm, who have joined forces in the Pennsylvania Flax Project, aiming to revitalize the flax for linen industry in their region for the benefit of both urban and rural communities. Their goals are to create an industry built on the principles of radical inclusion, environmental stewardship and social justice, and to create clean jobs across the industries of farming, milling, weaving, cut and sew manufacturing.

Their story as a team begins on March 12, 2020 when the two met to have a conversation about a natural dye project. Their chat quickly turned into an enthusiastic musing about the possibilities of Pennsylvania grown linen and the Pa. Flax Project began. In this episode we chat about the history of linen in this country and the challenges of reinstating it as a viable domestic industry, creating connection in a globalized economy, and issues with product transparency and consumer awareness. Heidi and Emma are excited to expand their commitment to the local economy and textile supply chain, recognizing that local self reliance and choosing to produce natural fibers on regenerative farms is an important step towards a healthy future. 

Topics Covered:

• The history of textile production in the US
• Heidi and Emma's journey to growing flax domestically
• The process of turning flax in to linen fiber
• How linen compares to other natural fibers, particularly hemp, and the impacts on our soils
• PA Flax Project's process to regionalize flax seed varieties
• Rethinking the wedding industry, and the desire for domestically-grown and sewn gowns
• Consumption culture and the influence of social media
• The next steps for PA Flax, and their crowdfunding goals

Resources Mentioned:

• Magic Fashion Trade Show
• Chico Flax Episode
• Amy DuFault Episode
• Crowdfunding Campaign

Connect with the PA Flax Project:

• Their Website: https://paflaxproject.com/
• Square Yard Project
• Heidi's Company, Kitchen Garden Textiles
• Emma's Farm, Kneehigh Farm
• @paflaxproject on Instagram
• PA Flax Project on Go Fund Me

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Original music by John Kingsley @jkingsley1026

Statements in this podcast have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not to be considered as medical or nutritional advice. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should not be considered above the advice of your physician. Consult a medical professional when making dietary or lifestyle decisions that could affect your health and well being.