From Wool to Burel
When the shepherds send us the wool, it arrives already washed of dust and natural grease, in bales of 200kg, very dense and compact. The bales go into a machine called a Wool Opener or Wool Mixer, which opens the fibers and mixes the colors while softening it. After this process, it is set aside in a room to rest for a few hours, before the carding process begins.
Carding
We work with three carding machines in Belgian machines that are over 100 years old, which started out steam-powered, then switched to naphtha, and only later were adapted to electricity. The carding machines mix the fibers to achieve uniformity in color and texture. They tame and orient them in the same direction to form the web in small strips, bristling the fibers to create a roving. The roving is not yarn, as it does not yet have the necessary strength.
The Wiring
The roving coils are placed in the spinning process to create the twist and stretch, forming the yarn to the desired thickness, depending on the type of fabric, whether it's burel, blankets, flannel, or other textiles.
We transfer the straws that come out of the cardboard wiring to bobbins (on the winding machine), and some of these bobbins are then passed onto bobbins (on the bobbin winder).
Weaving
It's time to start weaving.
The looms are fed with bobbins and spools to be transformed into swatches. The swatches, when they come off the loom, are weighed and measured, and then go to quality control where our spoolers scan the fabric with their eyes to cut knots and any stray threads that may have ended up with a different thickness.
The Finalization
The finishing process consists of several steps that stabilize the fabric, varying depending on the type of fabric desired.
The so-called miracle of the textile industry transforms sherry into the final fabric, with the softness, color, and resistance we see in fabrics for clothing, decoration, and architecture. The fabric is beaten in a fulling mill, moistened with hot water, which causes it to shrink by about 30% to 40%, felting and gaining the desired density.
Only after this long and meticulous process do we have the burel that you know.
