I'm really going to have to read up on Orwell's essays - up to now I've only read his books. The discussion, above, has inspired me!

But back to the fabric topic; how about "Cotton on," meaning to understand - probably belatedly - what someone else is talking about, or doing.
E.g., "It took me a while to cotton on to the fact that you were drowning, not waving."

I'm immortal until proven otherwise