Dear Lacemakers, At last week's annual Costume Society of America's symposium in Philadelphia, participants were treated to watching a cleaning expert pack a wedding gown with very full skirt in a conservation box. He was not wearing gloves. This prompted a question as to whether white gloves should be used. For a number of reasons, the conservation expert who was delivering the lecture recommended well-washed hands and no jewelry.
The man who cleans gowns and was showing us how to fold and pack them, with padding in the folds, said he washed his hands the way his mother did. To prevent excessive perspiration, she instructed him to use *baking soda* as a soap powder. (In some countries it is probably known as bicarbonate of soda.) This leads me to suggest that several lacemakers with the problem of sweaty hands do a lacemakers' test. It might be a good solution for the problem of high acid-content perspiration dulling (tarnishing) tools, such as needles! Or, for some lacemakers, it might mean you can make lace for longer periods of time between hand washings. I would gladly test this, but do not have the problem. I do not think baking soda would be harmful to thread, but perhaps one of our chemists could weigh in with expertise. If it works, this could be especially beneficial to lacemakers in locations with high heat/high humidity. Please report your chemical knowledge and experiment results back to the Arachne list. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace & Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
