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The City of DuBois
Chapter 6
Page 035
CITY OF DUBOIS Page 35
shades were fast colors. After the yarn was thus prepared, it was
taken to the weaver who wove such patterns as the owner would
direct. The cloth was then brought home and the good wife laid on
her patterns and cut out coats, vests and trousers for her men folk
and made dresses and skirts for herself and daughter. However,
before making this into clothing, the woolen cloth had to be shrunk
or "fulled" as they called it. Very frequently a party was made of
this fulling process. The young men of the community came to the
house of an evening, the floor of the kitchen was cleared and chairs
placed in a circle around the room. The chairs were fastened
together with a rope so that they did not get too far back. The
woolen cloth was thrown in a heap and hot water was poured over the
cloth which was thoroughly soaked. These young men then took off
their shoes and stockings, rolled up their trouser legs, seated
themselves in the chairs and commenced to kick the webb of goods
back and forth for a period of an hour, or more, which gave it the
shrinking desired for making clothing.
Sewing machines had not been invented at that time and
all clothing was sewed by hand.
After the clothing had been worn out, the parts not too
much worn were cut into patches and sewed together by hand until a
sufficient number had been made to make a hap for bed covering. This
hap was filled with a coarse grade of wool known as "hiplocks" cut
from the sheep and washed and carded into a felt like cotton batting
now in the stores, and after this was done a quilting was held at
which the neighbor women came and helped the housewife get the hap
ready for her bed. The stockings and mittens were knit by hand from
the wool spun as before stated.
Another grade of cloth was made, known as
"linsey-woolsey", which was a woof of flax and a warp of wool. Thus
was the pioneer occupied in providing himself a home and the means
of living.
THRESHING
In the winter time the farmer threshed his grain,
either with a flail, or by having it tramped out by his horses or
oxen on the barn floor.
The tramping out process had come down from ages. The
grain was laid, with the heads in, in rows around the barn floor and
the horses or cattle were caused to walk over it in a circle until
the grain was thoroughly threshed out. The straw was then
rolled in bundles and stored back in the mow or bay. Fanning mills
were of home construction, not very efficient, but they beat the old
process of throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind
blow the chaff out of the grain.
HOUSEKEEPING
Of course the housewife had to keep her house clean.
Carpets to gather the dust and dirt were not known for many years.
The floors were scrubbed once or twice a week with soap suds and
fine sand. The result of the scrubbing was that in a few years the
boards of the floor would be worn through, and the floor would have
to be replaced.
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