It was alot of work and took many steps to make clothing from wool. Every family member helped. Children helped with the cleaning, teasing and carding of the wool.
- Shearing
A sharp knife (or large scissors) was used to cut the wool from the sheep. - Cleaning
The wool was washed to clean off the dirt and the oil from the sheep's skin. - Teasing
The wool was pulled apart to pick out grass, straw, and burrs that were stuck to the fleece. - Carding
The wool was brushed to untangle it and get out the knots.
carders have sharp teeth
to get out the knots - Spinning
A spinning wheel was used to make the yarn. Strands of wool fibre were twisted around each other and spun into yarn. The yarn was wound around a spool.
- Weaving
Cloth was made by weaving the yarn together on a loom. - Dyeing the wool
Clothing made from wool or linen was not very colourful. The yarn or cloth could be dyed different colours by using bark, nuts, roots, leaves, flowers and berries to make the dye. Sometimes the yarn was dyed before it was woven into cloth so there would be more than one colour in the woven cloth. - Making clothing
Woolen cloth was sewn into dresses, shirts, jackets, pants and other clothing. Yarn was knitted into scarves, mittens, caps, shawls and stockings.
LINEN CLOTH was made from the flax plant. The stems of the flax plant were soaked and
separated into strands which were spun into thread. The threads were dyed and then made into linen
cloth on a loom.
RECYCLING
Used flour or sugar sacks were bleached or dyed then sewn into shirts, dresses, petticoats, sheets and towels. Women made their own patterns and remade clothing to fit the next person who wore it. Clothing that could no longer be used was made into quilts, cut in strips and made into rugs for the floor or used as rags for washing dishes and floors.
updated 2013