Previous I had found it very cathartic to slip the flax fibers off the stem by hand, few stems by few stem. Enjoyable, cathartic, relaxing....if one has the time! This year I had planted a plot about 6'x10' of the Nathalie variety of flax. I bought the seed from Landis Valley Farm and Museum in Lancaster, PA. I wanted to process the flax in bulk, by the fistful as they used to do, but with the tools that I have. Previously I had slipped the fibers from the stems and then just brushed the fistfulls of clean, flat fibers with my hand cards. This time I pounded a fistfull of retted, dried stems with a rubber mallet, and then hackled them, followed by using the handcards to brush the fibers fine and clean. Worked well! Also, I really could feel a difference in the coarseness between the thicker, blonder stems that grew on the outside of the patch, vs the shorter, thin stems inside the patch. I picked all the stems earlier than normally recommended to try to get flax as fine and soft as I could, and let me tell you! Those fine stems were definitely easier on the hands than the thicker, coarser stems! The thicker stems turned out more blond, but with blondness, came coarseness, so I was really pleased with the softness of the shorter, fine stemmed, grayer flax. I think if I grew all thicker, coarser stemmed flax, that a flax break would save the hands, but could be hard on the shoulders lifting the break over and over. I look forward to blending the shorter fibers on the hackle with other fibers, or plying the longer line flax with other fibers, to make a soft yarn for knitting or crocheting, as I am not a weaver.....yet? Fall days are perfect for this!