1. Brushing brings threads that have been moved by pins or stitching into line and order, making surfaces smooth again; fringes and hanging tassels can be brushed to remove any crinkles or tangles.
* Cloth that is fluffy and deliberately raised on one or both sides has been mechanically finished, given a final ‘brushed’ finish. This is achieved by placing the fabric between two brush rollers spinning at high speed for as long as needed to achieve the required level of ‘brushing’. This makes the fabric feel warmer and softer, but in lesser quality fabrics will have some detrimental effect on longevity, as an element of the fibres has been taken out of the body in order to make the finish.
* The brushed finish creates a softer fabric and adds both texture and pile, which reflects the light, making the fabric look ‘deeper’ or ‘chalkier’ in differing light and shade.
* Brushed fabrics tend to show creases less, and good quality cotton twills are easy to manage as well as being warm to touch and hard wearing. They look good quilted and work really well for loose covers, upholstery, curtains, cushions, bed valances, bedheads, etc.
* Flanelette is brushed plain woven cotton: it’s soft, and comforting for bedding and for children’s nightwear.
* The same brushing technique used to treat cotton is often used for woollen fabric and may be called fleeced..
2. The best wall painting is brushed, with the markings of the brush showing that it’s been hand done. On stone and on plaster, brushed paintwork creates a soft, very slightly uneven finish with the direction of the brush visible and any shine removed – a similar effect to traditional lime washing.