Cloth Glossary

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Below is a list of the processing names used in the manufacture of cloth.

The textile industry was huge around the Stroud five valleys and many of the old mills from that day are still in use, either as housing or industry. The ‘Cloth Mills’ menu takes you to information and photos of the old mills.

BillyThe term usually given to a machine for spinning abb or weft yarn but sometimes applied to the scribbling machine.
BurlingProcess of picking the burrs and knots caused by broken threads from the woven cloth
CardingProcess of disentangling the wool in preparation for spinning.
Cutting/ShearingThe cutting of the nap of the cloth by shears or shearing frame.
DrawingA final check to eliminate any loose threads and to mend any holes in the cloth.
FullingThe process of cleansing and felting the cloth. The fulling mill is sometimes known as a walk or tuck mill.
JennyThe name given to Hargreaves’s spinning machine.
Knapping EngineA variation on the gig mill whereby the nap was raised in a series of small knots at regular intervals along the cloth.
MosingThe nap of the cloth was raised by teasels being moved across the cloth in one direction.
PressingThe process of finishing the cloth by pressing it between papers.
GiggingThe nap of the cloth was raised by teasels being moved across the cloth in two directions.
ScribblingThe process of breaking down the knots and lumps in the wool, later performed by machine.
SizingThe application of diluted glue to the threads before they were fixed to the loom.
SlubbingSpinning abb or weft yarn.
TwillyingBy using a cylinder called The Devil this process removed dust and dyewares from the wool before oiling and scribbling.