You probably know flax as a favorite of today’s crunchy health-food scene. But it has a long history — some 30,000 years’ worth — in textiles.  This weekend in Western Mass., flax enthusiasts have gathered to crowd-source wisdom about how to grow their own garments.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Carrie Healy interview one of the conference organizers, Michelle Parrish of Amherst, Massachusetts.