Tag Archive: fiber processing

Quaker Homespun Supplement: Manufacturing Serge in 1728

This post is a supplement to my series on Thomas Fox, a Quaker who ran a family serge-making business in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The description of serge is from a… Continue reading

Quaker Homespun, Part One

When we look at the Industrial Revolution, it’s easy to find the dates of important inventions — 1764, spinning jenny; 1785, power loom — but it is harder to find out about how… Continue reading

Tales Told by the Hemp-Dresser

Imagine yourself in rural France on a cool autumn evening in the 1840s.  After the work of the harvest, what would you do for entertainment? You might find yourself outside in the dark,… Continue reading