'Clouting' means 'patching' ~~ originally with a patch of cloth, tho here obviously, as a later analogous development of the word, with a leather patch. 'Clout" is a variant of 'cloth', especially to mean a piece of cloth used for a specific purpose, as here for a patch. The term 'dishclout' for 'dishcloth', tho now a bit old-fashioned, is still probably at least semi-current and certainly not incomprehensible.

~Michael~