"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery" — Mark Van Dorena

What Are Favors:

In the SCA we use favors for a multitude of reasons:

• Favors given by groups or royals:
  • Champions of group (Shire, Baronial, Principality, Kingdom, etc.) competitions
  • Group Officers (Seneschal, Exchequer, Marshal, etc.)
  • Court and Guard members
  • Group members (SCA landed group, guild, household, etc.)
• Favors given by individuals:
  • Indication of Fealty (Peer to student)
  • Support of friends, fighters, and consorts

• Officer favors are given for the length of service in that office
• Court, guard, and championship favors usually include an indication of when the favor was bestowed and so are kept by the recipient as a memento after the term of service
• Household, group, and personal favors are determined by the people involved in the bestowing and wearing of the favor

Support favors are given from one person to another as a token of the giver's support, friendship, love, or other personal reason. They are most often seen as fighter favors, but they can be given by anyone to anyone. These favors can be:

• Day favors: Given to be worn for the length of an event or activity
• Given because you want to show support for a person when they compete in a tournament, contest, or other activity
• Given when a person requests to compete for you in a tournament, contest, or other activity
• Consort favors: Given by a consort to the person fighting for them at one or more tournament. The favor is kept for as long as the fighter will be fighting for you
• Relationship favors: Given to anyone you are in a relationship with: family members, significant others, BFFs, etc.

What are favors?
• What Are Favors? -- by Duchess Marieke, Shire of Mountain Freehold, East Kingdom
• The History of Favors and Their Place in the SCA Society Today -- by Lady Taysia della Vuenta
• On Favors -- by Donal Mac Ruiseart. This has a GREAT section on how to request, give, and receive day favors!

How to give and receive favors

• Upon Giving and Receiving Favors -- by Countess Tessa of the Gardens, Bordermarch, Ansteorra
• Overview of Medieval and SCA Favors -- by Lady Diane de Arden

General favor information

• Bright Ideas and True Confessions: How and What to Do and Why -- Tournaments, Crown Tournament, and Carrying Favors -- by AElfaed of Duckford (Sandra Dodd)
• Favors -- by Lady Margarete of Stirlingshire as appeared in the March/April 1998 Bolt
• [History of] Favors -- by Ray Lischner
• Favors -- Stefan's Florilegium

Making Favors:

Favor Styles -- While we most often see fabric belt favors (also known as finger towel favors, for their size and shape). Favors can be large or small, and they can be made to be displayed in many ways:

• Accessories (bags, pouches, hats, belts, etc.)
• Arm bands
• Belt favors
• Bracelets
• Garb items
• Necklaces
• ???

• Cord
• Fabric
• Felt
• Leather
• Ribbon
• Tassels
• ???

• Appliqued
• Beaded
• Braided
• Embroidered (hand or machine)
• Painted
• Printed
• Tatted
• Woven
• ???

Officer Favors will include the device of that office, and can also include the colors or populace badge of your group.

Court and Guard Favors will include symbols and colors of the group and/or the royal(s) that they are in service to.

Group Favors will include the group's badge, or some meaningful design. It can also include something symbolizing the group member it is given to.

Fealty Favors will include the colors and/or device of the person the receiver is in fealty to, and possibly the device and/or colors of the person in fealty .

Support Favors will probably include the colors and/or symbol of the giver and possibly the receiver. It can include a symbol that is meaningful to both parties, in addition or instead of, the other items.

Day Favors will likely be in your colors, or your group's colors if you're a royal, perhaps with a charm or token that is meaningful to you. It can be simple or complex. Some simple ideas include:

• A tassel
• A ribbon braid
• A handkerchief (with or without decoration)

• Make sure the favor will stand up to whatever wear it will see -- an officer favor will probably not get as much stress as a fighter favor
• Make sure it can be secured in such a way that it would not be easily lost
• Make it something that is convenient for the receiver to wear
• Feel free to include useful additions, such as: pockets for authorization cards or cell phones, buttons or pins to help secure the favor, etc.
• The favor should be meaningful to you and the receiver
• Before you make a complex favor for someone, make sure that they are willing/able to wear it, and make sure it is a format and materials that they can wear.

• Nice Belt favor style -- Amtgard Ephemera & Memorabilia. Not your normal belt favor, this style looks like it will sit better on the belt and be more convenient than the normal rectangular favors
• Tutorial: SCA Belt Favor -- by Morgan Donner. Making a rectangular belt favor.
• Embroidered belt favor -- by Weiner-Gozen. Decorating a tabbed belt favor.
• Applique Knotwork Belt Favor -- by Sidney Eileen
• Cross Stitch Patterns for Caid group devices and Altavia Champion favors -- by Lynnette de Sandoval del Valle de los Unicornios (Debbie Coyle)
• Tassle Favor
• Knitted Gloves as Favours page 1 & 10 -- by Meroe M. Cahill (Rohese de Fairhurst), The Fibre Guild Of Lochac