Tailor’s Tools
What tools did tailors and pourpointiers use? The guild rules and laws on Age of Datini tend to take them for granted. Most of us have seen the famous pictures of tailors at work from the 14th century onwards. But what tools do written sources mention? One of my favourite strategies is to find medieval names for things, then mine modern dictionaries for texts which mention them.
Table of Contents
Encyclopedic Works
Scholars sometimes set out to discuss the tools used in all trades, or all liberal arts, or everything a student would need to talk about. I think Katrin Kania's book kania-kleidung-im-mittelalter reminded me that these exist. Most of these are in Latin so there may be a gap between them and the terms workers normally use!
Book II, chapter 21 of the Didascalicon of High of St. Victor (Paris. c, 1125-1130) lists wool-working as one of the seven mechanical arts and explains that this also includes linen and hemp and furs. His tools are: manus, acus, fusus, subula, girgillus, pecten, alibrum, calamistrum, chilindrum, alia qualibet instrumenta
English translation on the Internet Archive and Latin original at http://www.intratext.com/IXT/LAT0506/_PX.HTM
John de Garlande's textbook of everyday Latin for students lists "instruments convenient for women":
65. Haec sunt instrumenta mulieribus convenientia: forfices et acus et theca, fusus, vertebrum et colus, mataxa, et trahale, girgillum, excudia, rupa, linipulus, ferritorium (l. feritorium) et cupatorium, cum lexivia in lexivatorio, calotricatorium et licinitorium quod monachi dicunt lucibrunciunculum. Sed plus diligunt instrumenta viri pendentia grossa et rigida.
John of Garlande, Dictionarius ed. Scheler p. 34 https://archive.org/details/LexicographieLatineDuXIIeEtDuXIIIe/page/n45/mode/2up with commentary pp. 71, 72 and a similar passage on p. 91. New words are vertebrum et colus, mataxa, trahale, excudia, rupa, linipulus, ferritorium, cupatorium, lexivia ...
Bartholomew de Glanville's De Proprietatibus Rerum (c. 1240-1250) mentions thimbles and scissors / shears in describing animals and plants (de.wikipedia.org/)
William of Ockham (d. 1347) uses measuring cloth with a yard as an example of absolute measurement. William of Ockham, Philosophia Naturalis, IV.3
Around 1400, John Trevisa mentions scissors (Latin forfices, MED s.v. shēre n.(1)) and thimbles (Latin digitabulum, digitale, theca: MED s.v. thī̆mel n.) in his translation of De Proprietatibus Rerum. finger-stal appears in a dictionary from 1475. MED has an entry for 'pressing iron' from 1459.
The list of trades and their tools by Paulerinus (composed c. 1455 to 1471) has:
Instrumenta autem, per que exercet (sc. sartor) suam operacionem, sunt: acus, fila, forfex, ulna, nodile (gl.: knoflerz), aplanile (gl.: sstreycholecz), filatorium, digittale, forale, acuale, penna, latriculus, torculacio, longale, ceraculum et si aliquia sunt, alia eis nota instrumenta.
Unfortunately, many of these words are in the editor's paragraph on words which she could not find in any other Latin text. The glosses in Czech or German are not always helpful. The following table lists Latin vocabulary from these texts.
- acus, ūs f. "needle" JG, HV, Paul.
- acuale n. "needle-case" Paul.
- alibrum i n. "steel?" (from chalybs, -bis "steel") HV
- aplanile n. "???" Paul.
- calamistrum i n. "crisper?" HV
- ceraculum i n. "waxed tablet?" http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/ceraculum Paul.
- chilindrum i n. "loom?" HV
- digitale "thimble" Paul.
- filiatorium n. "thread-holder" Paul.
- filium i n. "thread, yarn" Paul.
- forale n. "forked timber?" http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/forale Paul.
- forfex, icis f. "shears, scissors" JG
- fūsus, i m. "spindle" (French fuseau) HV
- girgillus i m. "skein winder?" (du Cange) HV
- latriculus "?" "Paul.
- longale n. "ruler, straightedge?" http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/longale Paul.
- manus, ūs f. "hand" (HV)
- nodile n. "button-holder?" (from Latin nodus, glossed with German knoflerz which the Grimm Brothers do not know but a Knauf is a button) Paul.
- pecten, inis m. "comb" HV
- penna ae f. "quill" Paul.
- sūbula, ae f. "awl" HV
- theca "thimble?" JG
- torculacio "?" Paul.
- ulna ae f. "ell" Paul.
- "other tools of whatever sort." HV
William Caxton, Dialogues in French and English,, ed. Henry Bradley (Early English Texts Society: London, 1900) pp. 14-17, 22 https://archive.org/details/dialoguesinfren00caxtgoog/page/n36/mode/2up have nothing very helpful in their exchange between a tailor and a customer. These were composed in French and Flemmish in the fourteenth century, translated into English in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century, and lightly modernized, but they still have robes with cotes and surcotes, the pope living at Avignon, and other traces of their medieval origin.
Inventories
Most inventories from the middle ages are from after someone's death or imprisonment.
The inventory of Feu Regnault Chevalier, taillor to the duke, dated 24 March 1396 at Dijon, has one trestle to put robes (ie. suits of clothing) and a table with two trestles, the bow of chain (!) of two pieces, for cutting robes upon. ferrand-inventaires-dijon-i no. 20 p. 164 (no shears or scissors, perhaps he was too rich to bother listing them)
Item, 1 traiteaul a metre robes; (TRESTEAU "trestle") / Item, une table et II traiteaulx, l'arche de chaigne de II pieces a taillier robes dessus
The inventory of the draper Ludovico Mengozzi at Rimini (1440?) has one pair of sissors for cutting cloth, eight pairs of scissors for shearing cloth (of which only five belonged to the deceased), a table for shearing, and yard for measuring cloths (Brandi, Abbigliamento e Società a Rimini pp. 130, 131)
item unum par forbicium ad incidendum (130.xxi) pannum; item duo zaloni ad ponendum supra bancha; ... (130.xxiv) item octo paria forbicium ad cimandum (130.xxv) pannos quarum Ghiraldus asseruit duo paria esser sua et unum (130.xxvi) par esser Michaelis a tobaleis at alia esser hereditatis; item una (130.xxvii) tabula ad cimandum ...(p. 131) Item unus passus ad mensurandum pannos
Regnault Chevalier and Ludovico Mengozzi were rich, and an inventory of a poor tailor might have more details.
muzzarelli-guardaroba-medievale pp. 216-218 (7 August 1438, inventory no. 37 in brandi-abbigliamento-e-societa):
Quella dei sarti era un'arte «lizera» come s'è detto, giacché per l'esercizo di essa potevano bastare ago, filo e ditale.
...
La lettura dell'inventario di una bottega di sarto conferma l'ipotesi che si trattase di un'arte «lizera». Troviamo infatti pochi strumenti nella «apoteca» del riminese Pietro Calbelli: alcuni sacchi di lino e di cotone che servivano ad imbottire farsetti e giubboni, cotone filato, «bombice>> da filare. L'imbottitura veniva esguita tutta insieme sul rovescio del tessuto oppure riempendo separatamente i singoli pezzi una volta tagliati (O. Morelli, Fogge, ornamenti e tecniche, cit. in partic. p. 86 REGESTA). Nella bottega c'erano anche una vecchia cassa e un altro recipiente per il cotone, un strumento per preparare il cotone da imbottitura («archum ad percutiendum bombicem»), un telaio, una bilancia («stadera ad ponderandum»), un farsetto di pignolato bianco imbottito («fulcito») e un altro non ancora imbottito, un «giuparello» in allestimento, tre paia di maniche per «giuparelli» e poco altro (E. Tosi Brandi, Costume e società a Rimini, cit. p. 136 unpublished MA thesis). Ma non si trattava certo di un sarto di gran fama, di uno di quei celebri artigiani al servizio di clienti esigenti e facoltosi.
Tools: sacks of linen and cotton, old chest, receptacle for cotton, bow for beating cotton, loom, scales for weighing
Laws
Laws and guild rules don't have a lot of information on tools as far as I have seen.
Letters
Letters between Margherita and Francesco Datini have been edited and translated, but not every edition or translation contains the same letters, and there is no standard way to refer to them except sender, recipient, date. To my understanding these are loose papers not tidy bound volumes. I often use lettere-di-margherita-datini-a-francesco-ed-rosati for the Italian text. Sometimes I quote someone else's translation.
Ann Crabb, The Merchant of Prato's Wife (University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbour, 2015) p. 49 “Also, Margherita at one point describes herself as a large woman, although not as large as the woman who was using her dress as a pattern.” See “Margherita, 27 Oct. 1397” (James and Pagliano (ed.) M. Datini, Le Lettere di Margherita Datini, M. Datini, Per la tua Margherita no. 140 p. 202 [p. 219 note 1]) Complete edition from 1977 on Worldcat and select edition from 2001 on Worldcat
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
| La ciopa del Fattorino ène tagliata e no' v'è suto se no' la ciopa: arebe gradisimo bisognio de le chalze, avisami se vogli ch'io gle levi qua o vogli mandagliele de chostà. (Margherita to Francesco, 12 Mar 1394 = Rosati p.70) | Fattorino's ciopa is cut but not sewn, he has great need of hose, let me know if you want me to pick them up or you want to send them to him. (tr. Manning) |
| A Nanni di Ghuiducio abiàno favelato del fodero della moglie e dice che lo vuole che lle chapia sopra la ghamura e che sia agiato e cholle maniche e che no' sia isparato dinazi; ora, perché ela ène una dona molto grossa, manderò domane per Nanni e diroli le facia provare uno de' mia, ed io gle darò e, se le starà bene, te lo manderò che lo tolghi a quelo asenpro. (Margherita to Francesco, 27 Oct 1397) | They talked to Nanni di Guiducio about his wife's lining and he said that he wants it to fit over the gamurra and that it should be easy and with sleeves and that it is not split in front; now, because she is a very large woman, I will send tomorrow for Nanni and tell him to let her try one of mine, and if it suits her, I will send you it so you can take one off that model (tr. Manning). |
| Del fodero della moglie di Nanni e' non sano dire quelo che vogliono, e non sano quelo ène iricuto nel piano; ma io non con- pre(n)do che vuole uno buono fodere per portare a lato a le charni, ed è meglio che tue gle tolgha crespo; egli vuole ispendere insino in tre fiorini e anche più queli ti pare. Io ti manderò una ghamura de le sue: fallo fare in su quelo asenpro e fa' pendere inazi più largho che più istreto e più lungho, ché mostra che la dona sia apanata e vuole le maniche agiate e uno pocho disparato dinazi, e tu gle fa' sì largho ch'ela se posa metere agievolemente. (Margherita to Francesco, 28 Oct 1397) | As for the lining for Nanni’s wife, they seem unable to say what they want, and they do not know the difference between a coarse material and a smooth one. But I can’t see why she would want a high-quality lining when she will not be wearing it against the body, so it would be better if you bought a coarse one. He wants to spend up to three florins, and even more if you think it appropriate. I will send one of her gamurre. Make it on that model, and make it hang more broadly at the front- not tight. And make it longer. This way she will be properly covered. She wants the sleeves wide and a little open at the ends. Have it made broad enough for her to put on easily. (tr. Carolyn James and Antonio Pagliaro) |
| (Margherita to Francesco, 29 October 1397) | Nanni di Guiduccio’s wife came to see me today with one of her gamurre, and told me that it is too small for her. I marked on the shoulder how much wider she wants the new lining, and I marked it at the waist, as she wants the same width from the top down to there. From the waist down, if they think it is too broad, they should make it the size they think best. I tacked on a piece of cloth to show how much longer it should be. I put another piece of cloth to mark how far down the split in the front should be. Don’t broaden the split in the middle. Don’t take any notice of the fact that the gamurra is cut away at the front. Make sure that the lining is comfortable enough for her to put it on easily. She wants it to be black and warm, and she wants the sleeves broader and longer than these ones. (tr. Carolyn James and Antonio Pagliaro) |
- asenpro = exemplum "model"
- agiato -a "comfortable, easy
- ghamura = gamurra (Ann Crabb thinks this is worn next to the shirt like an English cote or kirtle)
- isparato = spezzato "split"?
- ora: adv. "now"
- togliere "to take off, remove"
Painters' Books
Cennino Cennini mentions gesso da sartori "tailor's chalk" (ch. B. 180 = M. clxiii, B. 184 = M. clxv)
Segreti per Colori ie. 'The Bolognese Manuscript' on Painting (circa 1400?). This is less helpful than the original translation in Merrifield's Original Treatises, pp. 466, 467 suggests (my translation below):
| Original | Translation |
|---|---|
| 157. Ad faciendum literas auratas.- Summe gissum cum quo ingessatur tabulas et ocrea i.e. cum aqua saccatoris tingunt filum et modicum et clare ovi bene rupta cum spungia aut aliter et omnia ista insimul macina per magnium spatium ... | To make gilded letters.- Take gesso, with which panels are primed, and ochre, ie. that with which taillors colour thread, and also a little egg white well beaten with a sponge or otherwise, and grind all these things together for a long time. |
Early Modern
These are easy to find, and its unlikely that tailors in the 17th century used fewer tools than tailors in the 14th century.
One of the most useful details is that raw edges could be waxed to prevent them from unravelling inside the garment (ordinance of the hosiers of Granada Tit. 110 §1, 3, 4). According to Medieval Craftsmen: Embroiders, cut edges on some medieval embroidery were protected the same way.
- The rules of the tailors, hosiers, pourpointiers, etc. of Granada and Seville
- Philip Stubbes Anatomie of Abuses (1583)?
- Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew (ca. 1590-1592), Act IV, scene III
- Braun et al., 17th-Century Men's Dress Patterns (2016) p. 14 citing Janet Arnold, Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (Leeds: Maney, 1988) p. 182 In 1595, Walter Fyshe, tailor to Elizabeth I of England, received "one pressing Iron being very well steled"
- Randle Holme (1688): If a taillor goes bankrupt, he can set up shop in the next town with "but a Needle, Thimble, his Goose (pressing iron) and Shears." III.6 p. 290, 291
Summing Up
We seem to have plenty of texts mentioning scissors or shears for cutting, awls for piercing, needles and thread for sewing, thimbles, rules or yards for measuring, and charcoal or tailor's chalk for marking. Wax and soap were widely available, and we would not expect to have sources for an ounce of wax for lubricating thread or a scrap of soap for drafting the garment.
Painters and embroiderers spread cloth on wooden frames.
I am surprised not to have evidence for pins, right angles (for drafting), or clamps (for quilting, see finley-luebeck-wappenroecke pp. 137, 138 [1]) and the evidence for pressing irons is pretty late. The late 15th century clothes from Lengberg seem to have been shaped with steam and heat, but how early and what did the early tools look like? I would like to have evidence for the knotted cords or notched paper or parchment strips to take a customer's measurements (people imply there are sources from the late 16th century onwards, muzzarelli-guardaroba-medievale p. 217 cites a book by Francesco Grisellini from 1743). I would like to have evidence of medieval equivalents of the later tailor's books with sketches of garments and cutting plans. I talked about how paper patterns are later than the middle ages in Canvas Patterns.
What Else?
Can anyone think of anything else? There must be sermons or moralizing literature.
Are there simple tools which are not on this page but which you would expect to see?
Another Vocátio will focus on pictures of tailors.
Edits
Edit 2023-05-07: Added John of Garlande
Edit 2024-01-04: Added William of Ockham (thanks Ken Mondschein)
Edit 2024-02-14: Quoted Holme 1688, tidied up formatting
Edit 2024-02-27: Added quote from M. Datini
Edit 2024-03-12: Added Muzzarelli
Edit 2024-03-23: Added Caxton
Edit 2024-06-21: Tweaked translation of a Dijon inventory
Edit 2026-03-09: Link Paulerinus, Kania, James and Pagliaro, explain how I cite letters in the Datini archive.
Strategies for mining the invetories from Dijon:
- In modern French ciseaux m.pl. "scissors"
- In Modern French cisaille f., cisailles f.pl. "shears"
# Index
CISAILLE "grand ciseau": 33, 56, 81
CISEAUL, cyseaul, cisseaul, siseaul, cisel "ciseau ou tenaille": 7, 13, 36, 41, 51, 59, 62, 64, 65
- a faire hurllez de robes: 51
- alias forsses: 36
- a macon, a masson: 13, 64
- de fer: 64
- de soie: 62
CISOIRE "ciseau": 22, 47, 65
FORCES, forsses, fources "ciseaux": 1, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 41, 44, 45, 46, 51, 55, 57, 62, 65, 68, 72, 74, 78, 81
- appellees cisailles: 81
- ciseaux: 36
- de fer: 26, 41
no. 7 "Item III yvrons et II cisseaulx" no. 13 is a mason no. 21 and 81 deal with coins no. 33 is a barber "Item VI raseurs, IIII paires de cisailles prisiez par ledit barbier : III gros;" no. 51 p. 399 Feu Symon de Saline d. April 1401 "plus(eur)s ciseaulx a fair hurllez de robes" Dictionaries suggest that this is "udulations" no. 59 is a forgeron (blacksmith?) no. 62 p. 438 "Item une paire de gans de canepin a femme ouvrez a cyseaulx de soie, une mitainnes de soie presiees : III gros " no. 64 are for masons "Item une lanterne, 1 barot de bois, une table a III piez, une forme a seoir sus, ung vielle sofflot a sofler le feu, II formes de bois, une estrille a chevaulx, une petite lampe de fer blancb, II siseaulx de fer a macon ;" no. 65 is a saddler "Item une estampe, II embotisseurs et 1 ciseaul"
dijon-i no. 20 taillor dijon-i no. 38, 42 cousturier dijon-i no. 52 chaussetier
Footnotes
[1] Edit 2022-09-12: finley-luebeck-wappenroecke pp. 137, 138 reads as follows:
(A quilted jack in Lübeck is quilted through dense cotton and five layers of heavy fabric to a total thickness of up to 4 cm) In order to compress the cotton fibres to the desired density yet still produce such perfectly straight quilting lines, the creators of these garments must have used specialized tools. As yet, no particular tool for this purpose has been definitively identified, but many known medieval tools could have ben used to achieve these results. In particular, table vises with twin screws, such as those used for woodworking, could have been used to compress the cotton for stitching and would provide a straight line along which the stitches could be laid. When compressed, the layers are quite stout and difficult to stitch through. However, during experimentation, I found that using thread, needle, and thimbles of the type used by medieval sailmakers allows for quick and precise stitching of even those thick materials. Further research is required to unquestionably place these tools in the shop of fabric armor makers.
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created and copyrighted on 2022-09-06 by S. Manning ~ last updated 2026-03-09