before there was mills what was used to make thread?
Before there were mills and factories, people made thread at home on spinning wheels. Check this site for more information and a picture of a spinning wheel.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_wheel
Before mills existed, people used spinning wheels to make thread at home. The spinning wheel is a device that has been used for centuries to twist together fibers to create thread. It consists of a wheel that is turned by a treadle or hand crank, which then spins a spindle. As the spindle rotates, it pulls fibers onto it and twists them together to form a continuous thread.
Using a spinning wheel, people would prepare the fibers by carding them, which involved combing the raw materials to align the fibers. Then, the prepared fibers would be attached to the spindle, and the spinning wheel would be set in motion. The spinner would draw out the fiber, adding twist as needed to strengthen the thread. This process would be repeated until a sufficient length of thread was created.
Spinning wheels were commonly used in households for spinning various fibers, such as wool, cotton, and flax. They played an essential role in textile production before the advent of mills and mass production. With the invention of mills, spinning technology advanced, and larger quantities of thread could be produced more efficiently.