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What’s happening on the farm – instagram news

mallonlinen

Tradition restarted. Growing & processing flax regeneratively in Co. Tyrone.
Member of the Nature Friendly Farming Network & Fibreshed Ireland.

Blossom and blue sky at the farm yesterday. Waiti

Blossom and blue sky at the farm yesterday.
Waiting for the first swallow to arrive, we’ve seen them around Lough Neagh so it won’t be long. There’s still a bit of frost in the mornings but it’s feeling like the end of a very long winter.
We had a great day firing up the scutching turbine. We were sure this fibre was over retted when we had it out on the field. It rained day after day and we just couldn’t get it dried but it’s actually some of the best we’ve processed, a gorgeous colour and coming out beautifully clean.

#flaxprocessing #rettingflax #mallonlinen #irishgrown #irishgrownflax

'The volunteers marvel at what can be achieved whe

'The volunteers marvel at what can be achieved when they pull together as sheaves, stand together as stooks...' @abbyoliveirawriter @thegaiafoundation

We've just spent a couple of days in Clonakilty at the kind invitation of @kathykirwan_theartofnature . She had suggested to a few people that they might plant some flax around the town. She said the general response was 'Sounds good, how can we help? ', it snowballed a bit and so we found ourselves in the @fernhillhotelandestate, a roomful of people talking about how we might plant flax in plots all over the town.

It was the perfect venue, having just won Best Sustainable Wedding Venue. The ONeill family and their team walk the walk. You can see it in the gardens, the food, the composting, the solar and all the little touches., and in the way they support their community through projects like this.

@clonakilty_tidytowns have helped to find the plots. They have been active in the town for decades, and it shows. Not just in how the town looks but in how the community acts, that 'how can we help' attitude. They see the problems of fast fashion first hand at the recycling bins, they get it.

The project won't be short of expertise, @talamhbeo , local farms, the Women's shed @clon_mens_shed @seedsandstuff.ie and Fernhill grounds team were all there getting into the technical details.

Creative forces @anneharringtonrees and @annie.scallan are supporting, organising, designing and inspiring. @hazel_hurley_ listened, drew, and beautifully captured the journey so far and the hopes for the future.

@geataarts hosted an evening session where we plotted and planned surrounded by their spectacular Samhain masks, all made from natural materials. Imagine costumes made from flax fibre.

Our friend Malu @fibreshed_ireland spoke about their mission to rebuild textile production in a better way. This is Clon making a start.

Momentum is building in Clonakilty thanks to the power of community, a fair bit of conviviality and the force of nature that is @kathykirwan_theartofnature

Thanks for the best welcome and hospitality. Feels like the start of something amazing.

We’ve planted a tree in the orchard in memory of D

We’ve planted a tree in the orchard in memory of Daisy who spent her whole life here on the farm and died this week, aged 16.
If you’ve ever visited you may have noticed her quietly pottering around the yard.
If you sowed flax or joined us for a harvest, she would have supervised your work from the sidelines, helping herself to the odd flaxseed.
If you took a photo, there’s a good chance she managed to make her way into the shot.
She’ll be very missed around here.

The winter solstice marks a turning point in the y

The winter solstice marks a turning point in the year, when we look forward to the brighter days ahead and a stretch in the evenings. We’re incredibly grateful to @yvettemonahan @thegaiafoundation for these beautiful images that capture the journey through the seasons here on Mallon Farm so well.

#wintersoltice #mallonlinen #naturefriendlyfarming

The Mallon Linen Field to Fabric Box Developed to

The Mallon Linen Field to Fabric Box

Developed to tell the story of growing and processing flax into linen. The box contains a selection of flax fibre in all forms, hand spun linen yarn, a swatch of linen and a fact sheet about our processes. Find out more through the link in our bio
#regenerativeagriculture #flaxtolinen #naturefriendlyfarming #traditionrestarted #sustainabletextiles #flaxprocessing

It was such an honour to welcome the Prince and Pr

It was such an honour to welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales to Mallon Farm this week, not only to discuss our flax farming and processing methods but also to showcase other people’s creations from flax grown and processed here on the farm, including:

Louise McArthur’s designs using plant dyed hackled flax as fringing and as dolls’ hair
Regine Neumann’s flax paper for the Linen Biennale 2023
Ann Harrington-Rees’ handwoven basket crafted from our good tow fibre
A range of composites and felts made from flax

Even without spinning and weaving, flax can be used in so many innovative ways and we’re very proud to be part of this community.

All were displayed alongside Yvette Monahan’s stunning photos for The Gaia Foundation’s We Feed The Uk campaign and Abby Oliveira’s moving poem inspired by the farm.

#collaboration #SustainableTextiles #LinenHeritage #flaxprocessing #WeFeedTheUK #InnovationInRuralCommunities #CircularDesign

It means a lot when people take an interest in our

It means a lot when people take an interest in our work. Hosting a visit from The Prince and Princess of Wales really gives us confidence that this emerging community of flax growers and processors are starting to make an impact. We spoke about the importance of nature friendly farming, of putting sustainability right at the heart of all our processes and of the need for collaboration to build a better and fairer textile system. Thanks to @princeandprincessofwales and their team who made it all such an enjoyable experience. Thanks to Tiernan Stuart, Mario @mournetextiles, Amy and Joel @kindredofireland for coming along and demonstrating how a sustainable supply chain, based on shared values, might function.

He sowed the seed. Our journey into flax has been

He sowed the seed. Our journey into flax has been supported by many friends and family, but as we bring in the last of the flax from the field we are reflecting on how much our Dad and Charlie’s father-in-law, Alan Keys did to help us. He got excited about the idea along with us, he showed us how to sow the seeds and he was there for every sowing and every harvest.
He found the wood for the mill floor. He found the scutching turbine and he made all the windows in the mill by hand. He invented tools and techniques. He sought out people who knew about flax and machinery and he brought back golden snippets of information, or often he brought them to visit.
He told stories, sang songs, opened the wine and encouraged us to enjoy the moment and ‘let the handbrake off’. He was a reformed intensive farmer turned passionate conservationist, always sharing his seasonal observations: when the swallows arrived and left, which flowers the bees were working, where the salmon were spawning.
He was passionate about caring for our rivers and advised us on how to develop environmentally responsible retting methods, sourcing an upcycled cheese vat for us to use as a retting tank.
We lost him in June but felt his gentle presence in the field as we harvested the last flax crop he planted, with a sense of loss and also gratitude. He sowed the seed.

Day 7. The first shoots have appeared! #flax #re

Day 7.

The first shoots have appeared!

#flax #regenerativefarming #naturefriendlyfarming #irishgrownflax

Sowing our 2025 crop of flax. The tool we use to b

Sowing our 2025 crop of flax. The tool we use to broadcast the seed is called a fiddle. We fill the canvas bag with seed and then walk the field moving the ‘bow’ from side to side. But first of all, we lay a sheet down and do a trial walk past to see if we’re happy with the seeding rate and if we need to adjust the settings on the fiddle. It was brilliant to have @louisemcarthurdesign here and thanks so much for all your help! Traditionally it takes 100 days until the flax is ready to harvest so the countdown is on. 🤞 #regenerativeagriculture #flaxtolinen #mallonlinen #naturefriendlyfarming #traditionrestarted #flaxtolinen

We didn’t quite know what was going to happen when

We didn’t quite know what was going to happen when we sat in our wee shed last year with Rosie Bristow and Tiernan Stuart and joked about setting up some kind of robot wars event. It was just an idea that if we could get a group of people with different skills together we might be able to sort out some of the flax processing challenges. Then The Gaia Foundation set up The Clean Blue of Linen exhibition by Yvette Monahan, and the amazing people at Belfast Exposed said we could use their space, and it happened to coincide with the NI Science Festival. Things seemed to just fall into place thanks to a lot of people who said yes when we asked for help. The Ulster Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers brought their wheels and spent hours patiently showing the rest of us how fibres turn into yarn. Then we got stuck into developing the two different automated spinning machines. The idea is that these machines will allow farmers and small scale processors to get to Yarn stage. It will be a low cost way for many more people to get involved in flax production. What Rosie, Nick and Tiernan are doing is really important and the way they are approaching it, offering open source designs, working collaboratively and with purpose is the sort of radical shift we need. We are completely overwhelmed by the response to this event. People traveled long distances, gave us their time, energy, and wisdom, missed the rugby and important meetings. Fibreshed Ireland brought folk from all over the country. Hares Corner Co operative brought their bio mimicry insights. The Minister Andrew Muir called in and spent time talking about the role that fibre crops might play in the future of farming. The Climate Co Centre supported the event, highlighting the importance of diverse and low input farming systems for climate resilience, biodiversity and water quality. We keep getting asked “How do you scale?”…maybe the answer is through community. Thanks 🙏

What a treat to catch an all too brief glimpse of

What a treat to catch an all too brief glimpse of some of our fellow flax enthusiasts @oxfordrealfarmingconference. This event sets the tone for the year a head. Full of hope, inspiration and new ideas. It's intense but fun, so many brilliant conversations. We are refreshed and ready for the challenge ahead, knowing we are part of something much, much bigger and unstoppable. @flax_project @zoegilbertson @straw_into_gold @fantasyfibremill. Thanks to @nffnuk for introducing us to this brilliant event.

With thanks for all your support in 2024 and best

With thanks for all your support in 2024 and best wishes for 2025!

Catching up on plenty of winter jobs this week. We

Catching up on plenty of winter jobs this week. We’ve done lots of scutching and machinery maintenance. It’s running nicely and we’ve built up stocks of processed fibre. We’ve also been busy setting up new storage areas, tidying round the farm and planning for the year ahead. #flaxtolinen #mallonlinen #traditionrestarted #regenerativeagriculture #naturefriendlyfarming #flaxprocessing #scutching #regenerativetextiles

Processing flax in our restored scutching machine.

Processing flax in our restored scutching machine. The flax has been harvested by hand, retted in rainwater and dried before being fed into the scutching turbine. The machine breaks the stems and then removes the outer parts of the plant to leave the lovely long fibres ready for the next stages of processing…hackling, spinning and weaving. #regenerativeagriculture #flaxtolinen #mallonlinen #traditionrestarted #scutching #flaxprocessing

What a pleasure to spend some quality time with th

What a pleasure to spend some quality time with the amazing Rosie Bristow @straw_into_gold of @fantasyfibremill. We did a LOT of talking and some hard physical labour weighing down the tonne of flax that we just put in the tank (she's strong!). We pored over our collection of research. We cooked and ate from our latest veg box from @thevegcollectiveni. Rosie tuned an old guitar and sang some songs about flax (she has a beautiful voice). We did some scutching. We shared our thoughts on the big picture for a sustainable industry and the brilliant report from @zoegilbertson. We analysed the tiny details of the machinery. We kicked around some joint project ideas. We love this natural fibre community, the open sharing and exchange of knowledge is always useful. It's so encouraging and energising to spend time with people on the same mission. #regenerativetextiles #regenerativeagriculture #sustainablefashion #sustainabletextiles #collaboration #linen #flax

The flax this year has been a great lesson in resi

The flax this year has been a great lesson in resilience. It’s a reality of farming that some years are better than others. It’s why we rotate a variety of crops; not just because it’s good for soil and nature, but also because it’s good for financial resilience.

There are usually a number of reasons for a crop not thriving as well as previous years. Sometimes it’s hit by weather, like in 2021, when we had to harvest early because strong winds had caused large parts of the crop to fall. Wet weather in early May this year meant that we sowed later than usual and this year’s crop has had to fight hard against weeds.

When things like this happen we also review our soil analysis to see whether the choice of field may have played a part.

While the yield will be less than last year, we still have plenty of stock built up from previous harvests to process. What has grown this year looks to be quite fine, so it will be interesting to see what the fibre is like. There’s a chance that while there isn’t a large amount, it might be of nice quality.

We include a card with every order that gives you all the details about the flax or yarn you’ve bought, including the year it was grown.
So if you receive an order of flax grown in 2024 you’ll know it came from a small but resilient crop!
#flax #naturefriendlyfarming #flaxtolinen

Blue skies and warmer weather here have been great

Blue skies and warmer weather here have been great for retting last year’s crop. This is the process of breaking down the flax to separate the fibre from the outer layers. We can fit about an acre’s worth of flax in our retting tank. We’ve been told it takes 11 nights for the flax to reach the perfect stage but a lot depends on variables like the weather and temperature of the water in the tank. We check the flax twice a day looking for the point when the fibre comes away easily from the outer core. Timing is everything. Take it out too soon and it will be difficult to scutch. Leave it until it’s over retted and we could lose a lot of the crop. It’s a process that requires you to hold your nerve…and your nose - the smell of retting flax is quite something! In the past our instinct has been to remove the flax early rather than risk losing the whole crop, but it’s weaker when wet so we now follow the advice we were given by Eugene McConville from McConville’s Flax Mill and Museum - when you think it’s ready, leave it another day. #flaxtolinen #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativetextiles #naturefriendlyfarming #riverfriendly #mcconvillesflaxmill #rettingflax

Sowing flax. We use a traditional tool called a fi

Sowing flax.
We use a traditional tool called a fiddle to broadcast the seeds. It has a bag which is filled with seed and the fiddle is carried over the shoulder. At the front is a “bow” which is moved from side to side, releasing the seeds as we walk up and down the field. We work out the seeding rate by broadcasting a sample onto a sheet and then counting the seeds per square metre to see if we need to adjust the settings on the fiddle. It might take a bit of time and a few goes to get the correct rate but it’s important for the success of the crop…sow too sparsely and the weeds compete, sow too densely and the stems can “lodge” or fall over. Traditionally it takes 100 days for the crop to be ready for harvest. #traditionrestarted #mallonlinen #regenerativeagriculture #flaxtolinen #naturefriendlyfarming

A lovely highlight of last year was when Regine Ne

A lovely highlight of last year was when Regine Neumann @growing_material_for_art visited the farm with the stunning rain jacket she had made using paper made from our flax fibre. Regine held a residency during the Linen Biennale @linenaliveni where she experimented with our flax tow fibre and created the most beautiful range of papers including the rain jacket. Our flax growing and processing journey has connected us with so many amazing people and we are continually blown away by what can be created using flax when it is in the hands of people like Regine. To pull our flax wearing a jacket made from it is a very special thing indeed. Thank you Regine! #flaxpaper #sustainablefashion #naturefriendlyfarming #flaxtopaper #regenerativeagriculture

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Helen and Charlie Mallon, 22 High Street, Moneymore, Magherafelt BT45 7PD (By appt only)

E: enquiries@mallonlinen.com T: 07899913537

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