Museum of Science and Industry

A poem by Lisa Childs, Tracey Green, Marie Johnson and Helen Clare.

 

Here you’ll see a cotton boll

Growing on a plant -

And that’s just the beginning

Of this, our cotton chant.

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see raw cotton,

Rough with a hint of smooth -

Pull it, play with it, touch it

You’ll find it’s bound to soothe.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see the carding combs,

Pulling the cotton straight -

They’re big spikey paddles.

It’s starting to look great.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see a sliver

Long and soft and light.

It feels just like a little lamb

All fluffy and white.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see some slubbing –

It’s long and starting to thin.

It looks a bit like spider’s legs –

It’s almost time to spin.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see some cotton thread,

Strong and ready to weave.

Can you think what it could be?

It could be a sleeve!

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll see a shuttle

That travels through the loom –

It’s shaped just like a bullet,

so watch it go.... Zoom!

 

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll find a weaving loom,

Big and bold and loud –

Weaves the threads into a mesh

For cloths that make us proud.

 

 

 

 

Here you’ll find some printing blocks –

They were made by hand.

The detail is so precious.

Don’t they all look grand!