The primary use for teasel was not for raising the nap on woven fabrics, but for carding the wool before it was spun and woven. Raw wool is tangled and messy. Teasel was used to align the raw wool fibers, a necessary pre-step so it could be be spun more readily and evenly without jamming, lumping, or breaking.
It was so difficult to duplicate the properties of teasel heads that they were used in machinery right up until the 20th century.
It was so difficult to duplicate the properties of teasel heads that they were used in machinery right up until the 20th century.