Welcome to our 2020 Common Threads Virtual Exhibit!
This exhibit is a joint effort by museums, historical societies and local artisans of the Kings Hants Heritage Connection* (KHHC) to create an on-line exhibit of the production and use of textile fibers and industries from the past, the present and the future.
Over the next eight weeks we will be sharing our stories on the KHHC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/KingsHantsHeritageConnection/) as well as KHHC member sites. Topics to be covered will be weaving, dying, needlework, knitting and crocheting and so much more! If you have any questions or ideas, or know of a local artist near you, leave a comment below!
*The Kings Hants Heritage Connection (KHHC) is a regional affiliation of museums, heritage groups, archives, and individuals with a vested interest in the heritage of our community. The KHHC operates within Kings and West Hants Nova Scotia. For the past twenty years the group has worked collaboratively to advance the issues of historical preservation, promotion, education, advocacy and appreciation.
KIngs County Museum Before electricity, sheep shears were used to collect the fleece from the sheep. Imagine getting a haircut with these scissors! http://novamuse.ca/Detail/oects/167553 
Can you imagine, before the use of electric shearing clippers, having to do this with “shears” (a.k.a. scissors) like these from Randall House Museum in Wolfville? 
Randall House Museum Collection
aApair of hand carders from our permanent collection here at in Wolfville. Hand-carding is a traditional method that is used in the production of wool. Carding serves multiple purposes: it cleans, disentangles, and straightens wool fibres and results in something known as a batt. The batt helps increase the ease and speed of the spinning process!
Joke of the Day:
Where do sheeps go to get their wool cut?
To the baa-baa shop!
Common Threads week 1: FLAX Production. Unlike cotton and wool with their short fibers, flax grows as a tall plant with each fiber being up to 1 meter long. To produce these long, sturdy fibers you would put them across a flax break, chomping the grooves up and down to break apart the outer husk and loosen the inner fibers. Next you would move to the flax hackle, which is much less dangerous than it looks. By pulling the fibers through the sharp rows of teeth over and over you would continue to loosen and line them up, preparing them to spin. To see more from this virtual exhibit check out the @kingshantsheritageconnection page for other participating artists and museums. To see flax production in action check out @rossfarmmuseum.e
Watch as the sheep is “processed” to begin the production of useable textile. Thank you to Paul and Marilyn Cameron of Hawthorn Hill Farm for recording their spring sheep shearing
Here is a great descriptive story of shearing and processing wool from Red Rope Farm
