Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Fiber tools: flax hackle

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  • This is an 1800s-era flax hackle; the creator of this item is unknown. After flax has been broken and scutched, it is hackled to remove the last of the plant material. A handful of flax stems or a strick is pulled through the long metal teeth until a fine, smooth fiber remains. The strick is then ready for spinning. This hackle was designed to be hand-held and used a a brush. Flax fiber still remains stuck in the teeth. This tool was collected by Ayleene Bryon and donated to the Southern Highland Craft Guild.