The flying shuttle was developed by John Kay in 1733, and was one of the key developments in weaving that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. The Memorial to John Kay in Bury, Lancashire, England John Kay (June 17, 1704 – 1780) was the inventor of the flying shuttle, which was a key contribution to the Industrial Revolution. ... Events February 12 - British colonist James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia. ... Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn made of fiber called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ...

When weaving on a loom, the shuttle carries the yarn that forms the weft through the fibres of the warp. When weaving was performed on a handloom, the width of cloth that could be woven was restricted by the reach of the weaver, and required the use of two hands. Two weavers were needed to operate larger looms. The flying shuttle enabled the weaver to propel the shuttle through a wider strip of cloth with a single hand, and allowed the other hand to perform the combing to compact the cloth. This speeded the process and thus increased production. A Turkish woman in Konya works at a traditional loom. ... The simplest shuttle is a flat, narrow piece of wood with notches on the ends to hold the weft yarn. ... Yarn. ... Weft or woof is the yarn which is shuttled back and forth across the warp to create a woven fabric. ... The warp is the set of lengthwise threads attached to a loom before weaving begins. ...

With increased speed and production, the demand for yarn rose, and thus this early invention spurred the textile industry in Great Britain. Initially, production outstripped supply, and weavers were put into competition for the limited supply of yarn. The technology was seen as a threat because of this, and Kay's innovation led to machine wreckers attacking his property. Kay also suffered because his invention was used by others without his getting any royalties: the trials that he faced led him to leave for France, and he died without getting any lasting benefit from his invention. invention: something that you invent In general terms, an invention is an object, process or technique which displays an element of novelty. ... It has been suggested that Textile manufacturing be merged into this article or section. ...