In a typical Metsovo house there were always two low wooden beds on opposite sides of the fireplace, called “basia”. They were covered with woollen blankets and pillows. Woollen rugs decorated the walls behind the basia and the hearth.
Before going to bed, men and women closed all the windows and doors and covered themselves with heavy woollen bedding and blankets. Vlachs did not have different clothes for summer and winter; they wore the same clothes day and night and did not wash or change clothes on a daily basis.
Fulling tub west of Metsovo. The water flows through the wooden pipe to the “tristella”, a cone-shaped tank
Water mill in Vovousa, early 20th century (Foundation of the Museum for the Macedonian Struggle)
The woven fabrics worn in winter were thicker, fluffy and warm. They were cleaned in special water-powered facilities by the river. Fabrics were initially soaked in the water to swell up; they were then placed in fulling tubs (large round wooden bins) where water rushed over them at high pressure. They were left there for several hours and, thanks to the friction caused by the water, the wool swelled up and turned into a thick felt-like fabric. The fabric used to make the shepherds’ capes was left in the fulling tub for approximately 24 hours. Fulling was also done using the “mantani”, a water mill that moved two large wooden beaters in the shape of hammers: using the power of water, the beaters worked the fabric that had been in the water for 24 hours.