Join us June 28th and 29th for our Wood Chips Hats demonstration weekend.
Making your own hats has been a common practice in New Ross since the community was first settled in 1816. At that time, both straw and "chip" hats were very fashionable in England and Europe. While some hats were shipped to Nova Scotia, their high price meant that they were typically only affordable to wealthy individuals. After seeing the imported hats, resourceful women figured out how to use local materials to create wonderful reproductions. Wood chip hats were particularly time-consuming and difficult to make, so they were reserved for special occasions. The chip hats of Lunenburg County have always been normally made out from woven strips (or 'sheens') of yellow birch.
The know-how to make these hats was handed on from one generation to another. Even now, there are people who still know how to do it. During our Wood Chip Hat weekend, come watch a demonstration on how this type of hat was created.
