My mother did my older sisters hair that way. Thank goodness my hair refused to curl. If I remember correctly, she dampened the section of hair and used the rag/cloth like a roll curler. She wrapped the hair around the rag ( in the center)and when the section was all wound up, she tied the 2 ends of the cloth into a loose knot. Forgot to add she did it the night before so the hair dryed that way by Sunday morning.