They could have been referring to "carding". It is a process done on many fibers to prepare them for use from the raw form.
Here is a link that explains it. At the bottom of the first page continued on to the second.
http://www.villagequiltworks.com/ima...ttingChart.pdf
The physical act of carding is kind of like pulling. They lay the fibers on a brush that looks like a big curry brush used in animal grooming. Then another brush is pulled over the first one. It aligns the fibers and removes vegetable matter. Very common in much older quilts then the 50s and 60s though. However the process is still done today so maybe if your friend was brought up in an agricultural community it could have been carding.
Edited to add, it is my understanding carding was hard tedious work.