The Fleece of Their Flock: Homespun & the American Identity

lished a treatise to educate would-be homespun manufacturers,
including instructions on how to breed sheep, grow
flax, and make wool and linen from them. Wily, who ran a
manufactory of his own, wanted to make “the business” accessible
and even offered to teach curious colonists. 21 Not
only do these reports reveal a sense of exploration and an
eagerness to improve the quality of domestic production,
but they also include a clear call to action, “for the Encouragement
of those who shall furnish such Manufactures.” 22
Once colonists had become educated and skilled in the
homespun process, they extended their patriotism by using
colonial soaps and dyes on colonial fabric. For example,
the 1766 issue of the Wilmington Almanack included
an extensive description of a new dye. Created from the
berries of an abundant colonial weed – a sign of colonial
resourcefulness – the Almanack suggested use of the dye to
make homespun cloth more interesting and attractive, and
noted that the many people “now taken up in the Woollen
Manufactory” would find it useful. 23 Additionally, a Philadelphia
“dyer in general” named James Clark, who had
“long been in the practice of dying cotton and linen yarn
blue for manufacturers… with real indigo,” extended his
services to those in the homespun industry, promising that
commissions would be “carefully answered and speedily
returned.” 24 Similarly, a frequently published soap advertisement
guaranteed to make homespun fabrics last longer
- 54 -