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MedievalFurTUAClassHandoutNovember2017,KrescentiavonHelfenstein(Sheila.schmutz@usask.ca)(seealsohttp://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/MedievalFur.html)FurwasusedforwarmthasliningandtriminmostcountriesinEuropeandthenortherncountriesintheEast.Theuseoffurtaperedoffinthe1500sasglassbecamemorecommoninwindowsandcastleshadmoreheat.Luxuryandclasswasthenexpressedwithsilkandfineheavyfabricsmore.Thedetailsofthefurriertradearenotcommonlydescribed,buttheliteratureIhavefoundsuggeststhatfurpeltswereusuallycutintooblongpieces,removingthepaws,head,legs,tailandthentheoblongpiecesweresewntogetherintolargepieces,suitabletouseasaliningforacloakorgarment.Theprocessof“lettingout”whichmeanscuttingapeltintomanytinystripsandresewingthemtogethertoalterthefinishedshapeandaddtothedrapethatisusedinfurcoatstoday,wasnotdoneinMedievaltimes.Guildsinsomecountriesprescribedthesizethatamartinpeltshouldbe.Stretchingbeyondthiswasconsidered“cheating”.SumptuarylawsexistedinBritainandFrance,andforashorttimeinItaly.Theselimitedtheuseofcertaintypesoffurstocertainclassesofpeople.Outsidethosecountries,suchlawsdidnotexist,butitislikelythateconomicskeptsometypesoffurinuseonlybythenobility.However,thelowerclassesalsousedfursuchassquirreltolinehats,etc.FurwasmoreabundantinsomecountriessuchastheScandinaviancountriesandRussia,andtradeforfursfromthesecountriestoBritainandFranceandGermanywasrobust,accordingtohistoricalrecords.TheuseoffuranditspriceobviouslyalsovariedamongcountriesinMedievaltimes.AlthoughthereisminimalevidenceoffuruseinearlyVikingtimessincepaintingsdon’texistfromthatera,therearestudieswhichshowthatfurbitswerefoundoncloakclaspsinarchaeologicaldigs,forexample.Therearealsoexamplesthatsuggestskullcaptypehatsweremadeoffur.Willsdocumentthatfurliningsforgarmentswereoftenbequeathed,andtheyusuallydescribethetypeoffurused.SomenobleEuropeanpersonswouldownfiveorsixfurliningsattheirdeath.Sincefurlastsatleast25years,itispossiblethesewereaccumulatedoveralongtimeandsomemighthaveshownconsiderablewear.SomeTermsUsedinMedievalWritingsaboutFurarbed borderedguarded borderedfurred usuallymeanslinedwithfur

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WorkingwithFur(seealsohttp://munster.sasktelwebsite.net/FurSewing.html)Furshouldalwaysbecutfromtheleathersidewithaverysharpblade,suchasascalpelorexactoknifeorboxcutter.Besurethatthefurisheldupaboveahardsurfaceinyourhand,sothatyoucutONLYtheleatherandnoneofthehairs.Glover’sneedlesarepreferableforsewingfurorleather.Thenhaveswordlikeedgesinsteadofsmoothroundedges.Threadthatisheavier,suchascottonquiltingthreadisgoodforsewingfur.Asimplewhipstitchisallthatisneededtosewtwopiecesoffurtogether.Thimbles.Ifyouplantodomuchhandsewingwithheavyfur,suchasbeaver,findingathimblethatiscomfortableisworthwhile.Innuitwomenmakeawaterhardenedstiffringofleathertofitovertheirthumbknuckle.

EveninMedievaltimes,furliningsandborderswereusuallydesignedsothattheycouldbeeasilymovedfromonegarmenttoanother.Thereforeitwastypicalforastripoflinentobetightlywhipstitchedtoeachedgeofafurpieceandthenthestripwasattachedtothegarmentviathelinenstripwithlooserstitchingthatcouldbeeasilyremoved.Twilltapeina“matching”shade,darkorlight,workswellforthistoday.Ifthefuredgeisverycurved,thenbiastapemayworkbetter.

Ifyouwanttousemachinesewing,thenpurchasingleatherneedlesishelpful.Useatrimthatyouwanttoshoworhideandstitchthefurtothetrim/tapewithazig-zagstitch.Snapsorhook-and-eyescouldalsobeattachedtoalinedfurstripandthenattachedtoagarmentedgeatthesleeveedgeorneckedge.Thisisconvenienttoday,butthereisnoevidenceofthistechnique“inperiod”.Newfurshouldbe“garmenttanned”,notjusttaxidermytanned,forclothing.Garmenttanningmakesthefursofterandmoresupple.Taxidermytannedfurcanworkfineforrugsorhangingonwalls.Somemaydrapeenoughtouseasbenchcovers.Usingoldfurcoatsorstolesthatyou’veinheritedorfoundatValueVillageorvintageshopsisanotheroption.Workingwitholdfurcanbemuchmoredifficultthannewfur.Beforeyougothroughtheeffortofdeconstructingafurcoat,besurethefurstilldrapesandisn’tstifforcracking–whichhappenswhenit’sdriedout.Onceyouremovetheliningandinterliningyoucanseeiftheoppositehashappenedandthefurleatherhassoftenedtothepointofdeterioration.Usuallydeteriorationhappensfirstalongmajorstressareas–

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thearmholes,majorseams,etc.sopartofthefurmaystillbeusable,ifnotall.Youwillseewhatlookslikealargepaneloffurfromtheoutsideismanymanytinystripsoffurontheinside.Ifyoufindthatthefurisnotsuitableforgarmentconstruction,thenyoucanalwaysmakeapilloworseatcushionfromit,usingwoolfabricononesidetoaddstrengthtotheseams.Itislegaltoordertannedfurorfurproductsonlineandhavethemmailedacrossprovincialborders.Thisisnottrueforrawfur.TrytopurchasefurwithinCanadatoavoidinternationalborderissues.ForalistoffursourcesinwesternCanada,seehttp://munster.sasktelwebsite.net/CanadianFur.html.Saskatoonsourcesoftenhavehigherprices,buttherewouldbenoaddedshippingcosts.FurandSuppliesTandyLeather

- usuallystocksrabbitskins(about$30each)- sheepskinisoftennotgarmenttanned,moreforrugs- otherpeltssuchasfox,etc.occasionally(pricedhigh)

TwigandSquirrel’sWildGoods,50420thSt.West,Saskatoon- theycarrysomefurpeltsthataregarmenttanned

BillWorbFurs,Inc.,Winnipeg(onlineorderingavailable:http://billworbfurs.com/)- anytypeofgarmenttannedpeltdesired,pricesreasonable- furstripswithtapeattached

SamuelBauer&Sons,NewYorkinfo@samuelbauer.com- coldclothtape,furrier“knives”,earmuffframes,etc.- (orderingcanbedifficultandslow)

Medievalname Description Time Referencebadger (inScotland) "Medieval" 1bear Heer1961beaver 1161 1ermine 1300-1400 1ferret Sweden 2foynes polecat 1549 Cunnington&Lucas1967goat 1lamb 1lettice short-tailedweaselwhosefurturnswhiteinwinter 1lynx Heer1961marten 1300-1400 1mink AmericanminkandEuropeanmink(Britain) otter (inScotland) "Medieval" 1rabbit Sweden 2redfox 1300-1400 1reindeer Sweden 2seal (inScotland) "Medieval" 1sheep 1Whitefox "fromtheCaspian"whichseemssouthforArcticfox 1300-1400 1wolf 1zibelene atypeofmarteninRussiaandtheeast 1300-1400 1

1 http://www.fashionintime.org/history-fur-fashion-10th-19th-century/

2 https://themedievalhunt.com/tag/medieval-fur/

NotethatcoyoteandraccoondidnotoccurinMedievalEurope,althoughraccoonsdooccurinEuropesinceabout1920.

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~1471Flemish,Burgundian1490Bavaria ~1570France

1400Italy1419Burgundy 1504Germany~1250Austria

1446Germany1519Germany1442France“CourtJester”