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Cloth Making Menu
An Introduction
Who Did What?
Clothier
Woolstapler
Dyer
Willower
Scribbler
Blender
Carder
Slubbing
Spinner
Quilley Winder
Warper
Weaver
Finishing
• Burler
• Scourer
• Mender
• Fuller
• Tentering
• Raiser
• Shearer
• Presser
• Factor

Finishing

West of England cloth went through many processes after being woven. Finishing includes scouring; burling; fulling; raising; shearing; mending; brushing and pressing.

Snooker Cloth (samples of this cloth at various stages can be seen in the Museum)

After weaving, a billiard table cloth underwent the following processes in order to achieve the finished fabric.

1. Scoured and cleaned
2. Carbonised, with sulphuric acid to remove vegetable matter
3. Neutralised to remove acid
4. Dried
5. Cleaned and mended
6. Milled – felted with soap
7. Washed to remove soap
8. Potted – cloth left overnight in near boiling water.
9. Surface of cloth raised with wire teasels
10. Dressed with natural teasels
11. Washed on a West of England gig to polish and set down surface
12. Cloth dyed
13. Cloth back on West of England gig
14. Cloth dried
15. Cloth sheared
16. Steamed and pressed