Where the term spinster comes from
Before the industrial revolution all spinning and weaving was done at home. Each family member would have one of the many tasks that go into the making of cloth. Spinning was one of these and being a highly skilled and time consuming occupation the women who did not marry would became the spinner. Hence the term 'spinster' was coined.
Kissing shuttle
Early in the industrial revolution the flying shuttle was used to carry the weft thread across the fabric. The weaver would replace the bobbin and suck the thread through the shuttle's eye.
At the same time they would suck lint (small cotton fibres) into their lungs as well as pick up germs from the other weavers. To stop this practice a new method of threading was invented but it actually took an act of Parliament to ban the old 'kissing shuttle'
Where the term MUNGO comes from
The word "mungo" is an old textile term rooted in the Latin: inutile utile ex arte' meaning by a skill or art made useful .
The modern term is "shoddy" and is used when waste fabric is ripped up and re-spun into a yarn for recycled fabric. The quirkiness and the incidental 'Africanness" of the word 'mungo" has been 'made useful' in our name.
Where the term Sunday school comes from
In the 1800 's, Sunday was the day in the week when young textile apprentices (often as young as 9) would receive formal education in reading and writing. Hence the term Sunday School.
*** What is Percale? Percale is a closely woven plain-weave fabric often used for bed linens. The term describes the weave of the fabric, not its content, so percale can be a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, 100% cotton, or a blend of other fabrics in any ratio. A percale weave has a thread count of about 200 or higher, it is made from both carded and combed yarns.
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