Textiles of Elizabeth de Burgh's Household

It has been a long while since I wrote anything for my blog. I have been spinning yarn like mad, weaving a little, doing some living history, teaching SCA classes, and writing 3 courses for Pennsic 45.

I taught a class on natural dyeing at Hrim Schola, in March 2016, which was a lot of fun. I will write a post about that later, particularly because I will be doing a lot more natural dyeing for a line of yarn I will be selling at farmers markets this summer.

Samples for my natural dyeing class at Hrim Schola, 2016

For Pennsic 45 I am teaching 3 courses:

e Constructive Feedback: How to Give it and How to Take It (Aug 8th, A&S Tent 5 @ 2pm)

e Textiles of Elizabeth de Burgh's Household (Aug. 11th, A&S Tent 3 @ 12pm)

e Motley, Checks, and Rays: Non-Monochrome Cloth (Aug 11th, A&S Tent 3 @ 2 pm)

The last two classes are based on the textiles found in the published household account books of Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare[1], the archaeological record from the same period in Europe and England, and other visual & written records of the time. The class Textiles of Elizabeth de Burgh's Household  covers what textiles were used within her household, from cloth-of-paris, to textiles for the livery of her household, textiles for her personal use, ecclesiastical textiles, tapestries & bedding.  The class Motley, Checks and Rays: Non-Monochrome Cloth covers how to use the household account books and other sources in your SCA experience, from shopping to dressing a entire household in a more period manner.  This class will primarily focus on wools for clothing which were far from the monochrome cloth we see in the SCA.

 The sources for these classes present problems for researchers. The archaeological record is literally fragmentary. We can learn about weave structure, fiber content, and sometimes color from the small fragments that are found in England's digs. However we cannot find the full width of the cloth, its intended purpose, nor anything about maker or purchaser. Here the written record and visual can fill in.  In the household account books, listings sometimes included the weaver or drapers name, for whom the fabric was purchases, its intended use, and even the length and width of fabric.  However it often lacks the details such as fiber content because that was simply understood by the accountants of the time.  The visual record does not give fiber content, no weave structure, but it can show how fabrics were used.

When these sources are viewed as a whole, we can create a reasonably complete picture of the fabrics of the large and prosperous household of Elizabeth de Burgh.  While it is not a perfect record, short of time travel, we will never truly have a complete picture.

What follows but one example of what we can learn from the household account books of Elizabeth de Burgh:

"This roll contains the measure of cloth for the livery of Lade de Burgh, 18 Edward III (1344). For the knights, 1 green cloth which measures 24 ells in length and 5.5 quarter ells in breadth [61.875 inches]; another, striped, which measures 23 ells in length and 1 ell in breadth....."[2] This continues for 8 knights not listed by name.

In the year 1344, cloth was commissioned or doled out for the livery of Elizabeth's household. I say commissioned because the total length of fabric given out in the full 1344 listing is 2144.75 ells[3] (2680 yards) for a very large contingent of knights, esquires, yeoman, grooms men. clerks and ladies, pages, middle clerks and ladies, serjeants, and little clerks. It is very likely to be impossible to simply walk into the largest markets in London and order this much yardage in the colors and patterns listed in the account books.  Nor are prices listed with particular listing. In other places the textiles are listed, along with intended purpose, with purchase price including fulling.  So where applicable costs are listed but not in this case. 

The other possibility is this is cloth they had in stock, had order by commission previously. This is a very real possibility because previous entries do list the same types of cloth with prices and fulling costs. Additionally the end of this listing for the knights says "Sum of cloths 8. And they contain in length 189.25 ells. And there remain 20 ells."

We can make an educated guess that this was also wool, rather than linen, cotton, or silk. The archaeological records support wool, wool was grown on Elizabeth de Burgh's estates in large quantities, and most convincing, a previous entry tells us "Purchase and making of cloth for livery.....Making 8 cloths for knights at £1 15 s each with 4 s for shearing, £14 4s....."[4] Although this listing is from November 1339 it lists 8 cloths for the knights with shearing. Shearing and fulling would only be done on wool. 

Further, we get this tantalizing detail from the same November 1339 listing "Silk bought for Robert de Glemisford for making stripes in the said cloths 9s."[5]  (Does this then mean that Robert de Glemisford was her weaver?) The silk mentioned was used to highlight stripes/rays of the period according to the contemporary English archaeological record.  Bands made of silk and wool survive in 12 extant examples. 5 date from the 2nd quarter of the 14th century, 7 are from the late 14th century.[6]  The archaeological record can tell us details about warp and weft, fiber content, weave structure, and color but can only give us a general picture of what the textiles of Elizabeth de Burgh's household were like because the fragments found do not directly correspond to the textiles the written record.  However they are worth considering.....

This is but a taste of these two classes. Come and find out more.

Handouts for all my classes will be available online via email after Pennsic 45.

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[1] Ward, Jennifer (editor and translator), Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare (1295-1360) Household and Other Records, Boydell Press, @2014, ISBN# 978-1-84383-891-3

[2] Ward, Jennifer (editor and translator), Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare (1295-1360) Household and Other Records, Boydell Press, @2014, ISBN# 978-1-84383-891-3, page 72

[3] ells are 45 inches long

[4] Ward, Jennifer (editor and translator), Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare (1295-1360) Household and Other Records, Boydell Press, @2014, ISBN# 978-1-84383-891-3,page 39-40

[5] Ward, Jennifer (editor and translator), Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare (1295-1360) Household and Other Records, Boydell Press, @2014, ISBN# 978-1-84383-891-3, page 40

[6] Crowfoot, Elizabeth Frances Pritchard & Kay Staniland, Textiles and Clothing 1150-1450,  The Boydell Press and the Museum of London, Rochester NY, Copyright 2001, ISBN# 0-85115-840-4, page 55

A Tale of Three Crafts Shows

Over the course of the last week I've participated in three very different craft shows to sell my hand spun yarns, hand dyed yarns, hand woven goods, some felted jewelry, and hand spinning yarn kits.  This is the postmortem for the  events.

My table from one of the events

My table from one of the events

Show One (listed in no particular chronological order)

One show was badly organized, had a high table price ($90), suffered from bad weather, but most importantly the organizers had not advertised it at all.  No website, no newspapers, nothing.  It was held in a church and I don't think the congregation knew about the fair either.  It was organized by a third party that runs shows as a business.  There were some signs on the road leading to the location but only in the day of the show. This site did not charge an entrance fee for shoppers (some events/sites do). I think we had only 30 people though the doors and only 9 vendors total.    The organizer was not on site for much of the event.

Now with the craft fairs that are not jurried, and cost less than the $200-$300 table fee, you can expect some representation from Mary Kay and similar businesses.  In this case, of the 9 vendors who attended, 3 of us were actual crafters and the rest were of the Mary Kay or Solar Power Programs sort.  So of the 30 people or so, who did come to the fair, not many would have had incentive to spread information by word of mouth on the day of the fair.  The show went from 10 am to 4 pm.  The first vendor left at 2 pm.  The rest of us left at 3 pm.  I sold one item for $15 (it was jewelry).  

On the positive side, I can say communication with the organizer was prompt and polite.  Information was complete in terms of when to show up, how to set up, and similar.  I can also say the size of the space I received for my fee was good ($90 for a 8' x 6' or $1.88 per square foot).  But, he did tell us that he advertised the fairs he ran and clearly this was not true for this event.  From what I could tell from other vendors who had worked with him before, this is a problem for all his shows.  So why were they still at this show, if they had bad results with other shows?  They had signed up for more than one show in advance for a discount on table fees.  Their money was already invested, thus they were stuck.  I had only signed up for one to see how it would go.

On a personal note, in spite of the awful nature of this show, two good things came out of it.  One was a lengthy conversation with a woodworker on how to make drop spindles and the promise that if they did try to make some for sale that they would let me beta test them.  (I will add that this couple said they they would never have found the craft show if someone else at the library book sale (1/4 a mile away) had not told them about it.  There were no no signs on the lawn of the library to direct them to the craft show.  Nor any flyers at the book sale.)  The second was that a woman who runs a fine art show in the spring (and has run it for 30 years) took my card to send me an application to vend because she liked my fine art work.

The total for this show was $90 in table fees and $15 in sales.

My fine arts works.  (Website Link)

The Second Craft Show (again in no particular chronological order)

This show is a bit of an odd ball because it is held mid week, aiming for the working lunch crowd, rather than someone on the weekend looking for something interesting to do.  It was held in a very central location, with a very high population of working adults.  So the site knows its audience, which is good.  Given the target audience this show was held over three days for a single table fee. 

The weather was also against this show, with rain mixed with snow for the three days of the event.  The site was packed with vendors which is good for pulling people in.  The set up space size was the smallest I had to work with but that too was ok, not great but ok. (6'x 3' or $5.56 per square foot which is the most expensive of the shows unless you divide that by 3 days so it is really $1.85 per square foot per day). The table fee was $75 with $25 for insurance (this was waived with proof of your own insurance).  This show also allowed me to set up the night before which was very useful but in doing so I did an inventory each evening and each morning.  The site's security was fine.

This site advertised well.  The fair was organized by the venue itself, so there was a website, radio, and print advertising .  They encouraged  me to spread the word as well, link to their website etc.  They also had signs and flyers.  The site was very well organized and the staff was helpful throughout the 3 day event.

I used a knitting stitch counter to track table visits for this event (not people though the door).  I should have thought of it sooner.

• Day one:  16 people stopped at my booth    1 sale (Nor'Easter Hit on this day)
• Day two:  23 people stopped at my booth    5 sales (Weather was rainy but manageable)
• Day three: 36 people stopped at my booth    5 sales (Weather was light flurries)

To spite the limited hours of operation and the awful weather, I did make money on this show.  A few people came to the booth on all three days to "visit" the yarn.  I handed out a lot of business cards and it seemed like the majority of the items were gifts.  Several people told me they were very happy to find things for the hard to shop for crafters in their families.  In other cases, I overheard people mentioning that the yarn was overpriced.  Its hard to compete with machines.  I wish they had asked me about the prices so they could at least understand the cost of the yarn but I understand why they did not too.

The other vendors at this show ranged from cheaper crafts to high end crafts to fine art.  I did not notice anyone selling Amway.  I found a few Christmas gifts too.

The total for this show was $115 in expenses and $250 in sales.  So not a lot of profit but still good to get my name out, learn about other shows from other vendors and so on.  I will repeat this show if possible.  

The Third Craft Show (again in no particular chronological order)

This show was also organized by the venue that hosted it.  They knew their target audience, the show had good advertising, and it had a high turn out for people who attended.  To start at the top, the site was a well known location that had high traffic on a normal day, never-mind during one of its many events (not all craft shows).  This site did not charge an entrance fee for shoppers.  The booth sizes ranged in size and price but the both were reasonable ($70 for a 10' x 4' or $1.74 per square foot).  The event was full with only a few cancellations by vendors.  Vendors ranged from the Mary Kay type to the majority being crafters with some fine arts present as well.  The show was big enough that it spilled out of the main hall and into every hallway they had.  

I suspect that the turn out for the site was 500-1000 people.  I'm not really sure since I was not close to the front doors.  The weather for this day was cold but fine.

There was on site food available for shoppers and vendors.  This is always a plus for vendors who normally pack a lunch, and guests who might stop shopping because they got hungry.

Advertising was very well done.  Signs went up around the neighborhoods near the site a month in advance.  There were a lot of signs on the day of as well.  The congregation also knew about the sale.  Vendors who signed up in advance were sent cards to hand out or mail to customers.  These mailers were free of charge.  There was also more traditional print advertising and a website. Communication was good, organization on the day of was excellent with a bonus of hand trucks available to help load in and out.

I found that if I was knitting at my booth, fewer people stopped to look, than if I was using a drop spindle.  This is not that surprising since most people don't know how their clothes are made and I've seen it happen time and time again at shows.

I had 8 sales for a total of $271 (not including deductions for table fees).  This is not a great sale day, I've done better but it is still better than a weekend of $8.75 an hour ($8.75 * 8 hours).  It was also far better than my recent Etsy sales.  I handed out almost all of my business cards, and had a number of great conversations with knitters, crocheters, and weavers.  I might have gained some students interested in private weaving lessons. I told many people of the wonders of Raverly. The typical sale was about $40 or one skein of yarn.  In some cases the items were gifts for knitters and crocheters and in some cases customers were feeding their own stash of yarn.  I think this split was about 50/50.

EDIT TO ADD: In addition one man, who had seen the booth, and taken a card at this show, called me back to order Christmas presents to the tune of $350.  Which now makes all difference.

I will repeat this show next year.

A similar set up at another show

A Few More Things and To Sum Up

Locations that host their own craft or fine art shows have a vested interest in its success and do better advertising.  Look into this before you sign up.  Do your own part to promote yourself and the show as a whole.

Table location on a site can matter but not half as much as the number of people who walk in the door.  If a show cannot give you attendance numbers for the last few years don't book.  Don't book if its low.

My Etsy card reader worked just as advertised.  Taking credit cards made the difference in more than one sale.

Every sale relied on getting into a conversation with customers about what they liked  to make, what kinds of yarns they worked with, what allergies they had, and who they made things for.  Every sale.

Spinning at the table gets far better results than knitting (even if I made good progress on Christmas gifts).  If you have a craft that can be done at the table then do it.  There was a one man with glass & a torch and he was making small figurines.  He always had an audience.

There is nothing you can do about the weather in December in New England.  Then again, no one can do anything about that either.

I need a large sign for the name of my business with a logo.  I also need a sign that says "Please touch the yarn!" since I constantly had to tell customers to do so.

For all the business cards I handed out I have not seen an uptick in site views for my Etsy store. However it has only been a few days since I completed these craft shows.  And in the end it just took one to make a huge sale.  Never underestimate the power of a business card and personal connection.
None of these were fiber festivals and so they were not quite the best target audience for my items. 

What Came Off The Loom Yesterday

A while ago I warped up my loom with 6 yards of lace weight wool.  (2 ply lace weight yarn from Hide & Hare: Romney, Corriedale, & Merino cross)  (EDIT: Since someone asked, my loom was set up for an even weave/twill with 18 epi.)  The idea at the time was to weave several samples for a long term historic weaving project.  I will post more about this in the future.  At the end of the 5 samples I still had a lot of warp left.  In truth, one of the samples was suppose to be yardage but weaving with a weft of cobweb weight (2 passes for each shed) was getting to me.  I will write more on this soon, I promise.   I used the rest of warp with 3 separate wefts of different yarns. 

The top one has a weft of Berroco Boboli Lace (42% Wool, 35% Acrylic, and 23% Rayon)

The middle has a weft of Plymouth Yarn - Mushishi (95% wool/5% silk, Colorway: 13)

The bottom has weft of hand spun teeswater wool.

All examples are pre-washing (photos of washed fabric are below).

Most of these are going to be Christmas presents for family.  I suspect that they will become table clothes and place mats, and perhaps an infinity cowl.  The fabric started as 22" wide but has shrunk between 21" and 18" wide.  Each is about 1.5 yards long.

Oddly enough the teeswater weft which was highly twisted and single ply, made the fabric do this after it came off the loom.  The corners curled up wildly on their own.  I was a little worried and thought that this would be forced to become pillows.  However it has relaxed almost completely after washing and hang drying.  During the middle ages c. 1350, many fabrics were woven with a warp of single ply z-twist and a weft of single ply s-twist to create a balanced weave with single ply yarns.  Here is a perfect example of what happens when you don't do that.

Above: Before Washing

Below: After Machine Washing

The fabrics all softened a lot after washing and they got a lot more fuzzy. The fabric in the middle, shrunk the most and fuzzed up (bloomed) the most but the colors in the weft are now a lot more visible.   And unsurprisingly the one that shrank the least, and bloomed the least, was the one with the wool/acrylic blend yarn. The historic weaving samples have washed up quiet differently and are more pleasant to work with and to look at I think,  Its more like a nice wool fabric that you might buy than the "novelty" weaves if this post. Having now washed all of these I suspect they will all become infinity cowls for Christmas presents.