Quaker Homespun, Part Five — Labor and Community
This is part five of my series on Thomas Fox, who was an English serge manufacturer in the late 1700s and early 1800s. His biography is called Quaker Homespun, and it is all… Continue reading
Tag Archive: Textile History
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Quaker Homespun, Part Three — Thomas Fox and Global Trade
This is part of a “book report” on the 1958 book, Quaker Homespun. The whole book is available online and I read it in just a few sittings, to help satisfy my curiosity… Continue reading
Quaker Homespun, Part One
When we look at the Industrial Revolution, it’s easy to find the dates of important inventions — 1764, spinning jenny; 1785, power loom — but it is harder to find out about how… Continue reading
From String to Spandex — Books about Textile History
Today we’re going to take a look at some books covering world-wide textile history. It is interesting to see how different authors organize and present this huge body of content. (I will link… Continue reading
Tracking Textile History – the Mycenaeans
When we left the fascinating archaeology of Crete a few posts ago, it was about 1450 BC. From the evidence we have it seems the rulers in the palace of Knossos were big… Continue reading
On the Trail of Sail History – the Vikings
We left off somewhere around 1350 BC, when the Mycenaean kings may or may not have been requiring plain linen cloth to be woven as a tax or tribute intended for sail use. … Continue reading
On the Trail of Sail History – the Mycenaeans
When I demonstrate weaving at historic festivals, I try to get people to see how societies have relied on textiles to do so much more than just clothe them fashionably. One example that… Continue reading
400 Years of Silk in America – Scruples and Scandals
Lustrous, colorful silk has beckoned to people in America over the centuries. Some saw it as a way to achieve self-sufficiency, others as a way to build wealth, and still others as an… Continue reading