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 →