A beetle is a heavy hand tool for punching or beating. Beetling is a process applied to woven linen, and to cotton fabrics made to resemble linen. It produces a hard, flat surface with a high lustre and makes the fabric less porous. The fabric is wetted and winds around an iron cylinder as it passes through a machine in which it is pounded with heavy wooden mallets.
Beetled fabrics look good as traditional roller blinds.