<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia . See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions . (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia . See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions . (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The flying shuttle was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution . It allowed a single weaver to weave much wider fabrics, and it could be mechanized, allowing for automatic machine looms . The flying shuttle, which was patented by John Kay (1704--c. 1779) in 1733, greatly sped up the previous hand process and halved the labour force . Where a broad - cloth loom previously required a weaver on each side, it could now be worked by a single operator . Until this point the textile industry had required four spinners to service one weaver . Kay's innovation, in wide use by the 1750s, greatly increased this disparity . </P> <P> In a typical frame loom, as used previous to the invention of the flying shuttle, the operator sat with the newly woven cloth before him or her, using treadles or some other mechanism to raise and lower the heddles, which opened the shed in the warp threads . The operator then had to reach forward while holding the shuttle in one hand and pass this through the shed; the shuttle carried a bobbin for the weft . The shuttle then had to be caught in the other hand, the shed closed, and the beater pulled forward to push the weft into place . This action (called a "pick") required regularly bending forward over the fabric; more importantly, the coordination between the throwing and catching of the shuttle required multiple operators if the width of the fabric exceeded that which could be reasonably reached across (typically 60 inches (150 cm) or less). </P>

What invention allowed a single weaver to weaver much wider fabrics