Fulling and Finishing

Fulling shrank the cloth considerably - in the early 16th century it was accepted that a 32-yard cloth would shrink to 25 yards - so as it dried, the fabric had to be stretched (or tentered) on fulling racks to restore some of the length and remove wrinkles. The matted effect of the cloth was often enhanced by raising the nap with teasels (since iron-toothed combs were considered too rough), and clipping the resulting fuzz with large shears.