Example of the effect of fulling on woven woolen cloth. Note the loose, irregular weave of the unfulled cloth on the left in contract to the tight, very uniform weave of the cloth after the fulling process has been completed.

Fulling is the process of beating woven woolen cloth while wet to cause the opposing fibers to interlock and form a more homogenous textile. The following is a short step by step summary of the entire process:

• The sheep are shorn.
• The wool is spun into yarn.
• The yarn is woven into cloth.
• The woven cloth is lightly washed to remove excess lanolin.
• The cloth is fan-folded and placed in the tanks of the fulling stocks.
• The fulling hammer (foot) repeatedly beats the cloth in one direction of the weave causing the weave to tighten and the wool fibers to interlock. With each impact of the hammer, the cloth bundle rotates slightly against the curved bottom of the tank.
• The cloth is removed from the tank and turned 90º and the hammer beats the weave of the cloth in the other direction.
• This process is repeated until the desired weave is attained.

• Schematic drawing showing the various components of the fulling process.

  When the desired weave is attained the cloth is washed again and stretched to dry on tenter’s stakes.
• After the cloth is dried it can be dyed or bleached to attain the desired color.
• After the desired color is attained the surface of the cloth can be treated to attain the desired finish.
• The cloth can be raked with teasels to raise the nap and create a fuzzy finish like mohair or the surface of the cloth can be trimmed to create a flat almost shiny surface like a modern dress suit.

Steps 1 through 3 would have taken place somewhere in proximity to the Mission Santa Inés quadrangle. Steps 4 through 12 would have taken place in or immediately around the fulling mill at the Santa Inés Mission Mills complex. Other related activities believed to have taken place at the Mills site include: drying the cloth on tenter’s stakes, dying the cloth, and combing the cloth with teasels.