Early on, weaving was a tedious process. It was as time-consuming as it was difficult, as there was no real mechanical support. The first major advancement in weaving technology was the introduction of the loom which facilitates warp and weft arrangement. Thanks to this innovation, the height of technology in its day, cloth could be produced faster and with far greater quality than before. The loom is manually thrown through the warp shed, after this the threads are pressed together.
Historians generally consider the fly shuttle to be the next big step in weaving development.
Invented in 1733 by John kay in England, the fly shuttle automatically passes the loom. This makes the weaving process quicker and easier, and allows for the fabrication of extremely broad cloth. Earlier on, this would have required two weavers, passing the loom through the lengthy warp shed. The yield of this new system was double that of the older hand-picking technique. It can be safely said that the Industrial Revolution largely developed from this point onwards.