We’re regenerating the earth, our communities, and our textile systems.
Rust Belt Linen Project
Creating conversations around where our clothes come from, and collecting data to support a bioregional linen economy with community flax plots within 250 miles of Cleveland, Ohio.
Flax = Linen. And we are making local linen.
Did you know…
Over the last few decades, 100% of flax-to-linen production has gone overseas. There is currently no flax or hemp textile production available in the United States.
We want to bring this gorgeous natural fiber back.
The Rust Belt Linen Project: a Community-Grow Project
Over the past five years, farmers, artisans, and community members have worked together to experiment with growing and processing the Flax plant in order to make local linen.
This year, we are hoping to grow at least 50 different flax plots all over our bioregion.
We are growing flax in our bioregion in order to:
1. Connect people to the land and its gifts.
2. Create conversations around the material origins of our clothing.
3. Build a community of stewards with educational opportunities for soil health and regenerative philosophies.
4. Provide opportunities for experimentation with home-grown fiber.
5. Collect data and samples to support future research on viability of local linen through published reports and visual showcase.e all the difference.
Meet our 2024 growers! 52 Individuals, schools, and community gardens!
Abbe Turner (Newark, OH)
Alora Cinicola (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Alyse Capaccio (Reading, OH)
Weavers Guild of Cincinnati Amber Ostaszewski (Cincinnati, OH)
Amy Garbark (Pittsburgh, PA)
Broadlawn Farm - Beth Sheeler (Gates Mills, OH)
Bell Tower Brewing Co. -Annie Williams (Kent, OH)
Colleen Fitzpatrick (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Dara Pond (Moundsville, WV)
Debbie Christensen (Cleveland, OH)
Devan Horton (Bellevue, KY)
Fine Points Yarn Store (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Frayed Knot Farm (Newbury, OH)
Emma Kline (Columbus, OH)
Emma Turner (Cleveland, OH)
Olney Friends School - Hanna Vera (Barnesville, OH)
Hannah Reed (Newbury, Ohio)
Frostville Museum - Hannah Matthews, North Olmstead, OH
Isaac Coblentz (Amesville, OH)
Liberty Farm Yarm, Janel Franks, (Hartford City, IN)
Jessica Zuik (Shaker Heights, OH)
Joy Bridy (Cleveland Heights, OH)
jt Richardson (Columbus, OH)
Karen Weeks (Delaware, OH)
Kat Novak (Akron, OH)
Kathryn Schmidt and Kaiti McGinn (Ann Arbor, MI)
BeetRoot - Katie Pfohl/ Ryan Fulton (Buffalo, NY)
Katy Dement (Swissvale, PA)
Kelcey Saunders (Cleveland, OH)
Kristina Walter (Shaker Heights, OH)
Laura SanBoeuf Paris (Pittsburgh, PA)
Lauren Voight (Gates Mills, OH)
Lauren Brush (Verona, PA)
Hale Farm and Village - Lisa Pettry (Bath, OH)
Mackenzie Saltsgiver (Salem, OH)
Crown Point Ecology - Maddie Robinson (Akron, OH)
Margarita Benitez (Kent, OH)
Melanie McClintock (Detroit, MI)
Salem Farm Market - Melissa Thomspon (Salem, OH)
Michelle Asher (Solon OH)
Nic Campeotto (Cleveland, OH)
Kelly’s Working Well Farm - Paige Rutz (Bainbridge, OH)
Paloma Robinson (Wooster, OH)
Sally Erickson Wilson (Birmingham, MI)
Sara Guren (Waite Hill, OH)
Sarah Silk (Pittsburgh, OH)
Sarah Sparkman (Detroit, MI)
Harmon Community Garden- Susie Nist (Aurora, OH)
Super Moon Farms- Timur (Wakeman, OH)
Hiram College Field Station - Zack Fox (Garrettsville OH)
Krysta Peterson (North Royalton, OH)
Karen Showalter (Athens, OH)
From Field to Fabric, we are remembering where our clothing comes from.
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How it all started: The Original Project: The Cleveland Flax Project of 2018-2020
Video from The Cleveland Flax Project, 2019-2020. The Rust Belt Linen Project is building on the momentum of this previous project, hoping to bolster a community-grown seed bank and interest in the flax economy.
In 2018, we partnered with Frayed Knot Farm , a regenerative flower farm just outside of Cleveland, OH, to grow 1/5 acre of flax to be processed into linen. We’ve been iterating on this project for 5 years now, and every year we’ve seen different impact taking different forms in our communities.
Throughout the course of this project, we’ve had deep and meaningful conversations with so many community members on the importance of “materialism” in the sense of being connected to the materials we use and their origins, as well as establish a baseline of data for appropriate seed varieties, generating interest amongst farmers, other producers ,and funders, and the potential of full-scale, regenerative flax industry in the future of this fibershed.
As makers in our area continue to use the linen yarn in their One Year, One Outfit projects, we are seeing a greater interest surging in the flax-to-linen process.
Currently, there is no commercial bast fiber being grown in our fibershed. Our region is ripe with alpaca and other protein-based fibers, which provide a great clothing option in the cooler months, but our region also has warm summers where local linen would provide a light-weight option that takes up natural dyes well.
What if textiles could be the next steel in our Rust Belt Region?
It’s a strong possibility, and we welcome a collaborative approach to make it Local Linen a reality!
Whether you are a farmer, fiber enthusiasts, designer/maker, or interested consumer… if you’d like to hear more about the future of local linen in our area, we would LOVE to invite you to be a part of that conversation!