Hi Jeri et al,
The washing warnings rang a bell, and made me shudder! Several years ago,
I had my outfit for our son's wedding made by a local couturier, and she
asked me afterwards to help with the 'scut work' of basting, and things she
thought I could manage better than some of her trainees. I did enjoy it,
and did get to do some lovely things but, one which stuck in my mind, and
which still features in my nightmares, is the lovely old hand-made lace I
was asked to dye with tea!
A lady came in with the material for her wedding gown, and also had a large
package in her hands. We enthused over the material, then I enthused
even more over the contents of the package - a looooong length of bobbin
lace, quite coarse, about five inches wide, and white. She wanted this
dyed to match her material for her dress - and I was the one asked to go
into the kitchen, brew up some tea, and dunk the lace. I did try to ask
her why on earth she couldn't match the wedding dress material to the lace,
instead of the other way round, but nothing shifted her - so off to the
kitchen I glumly went!
The lace did eventually match the dress - and she did eventually send me
some photographs! She did look lovely - but how I wished that she's
used some cheap white machine lace to dye with the tea ...
Carol - in Suffolk UK.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 11:03 PM
Subject: [lace] Plastic Storage and Some Washing Warnings
In a message dated 12/2/2007 1:50:58 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
FWIW, textiles are stored in museums in plastic that is the same as
Rubbermaid/Sterilite containers sold in the USA as they are acid free and
will not
harm fibers. I don't want to misquote the exact plastic as I have brain
fog
this morning, but they will help seal out oxidizatation and prevent acid
factors. All you have to do is make sure it is clean and away from
sunlight.
I think that safe storage and care of products in some ways was more
proactive in the past, though there was less available to use to protect.
I agree
with the "needle stuck in thread" and people not even knowing the "nap"
of
threads, etc. to facilitate execution of a project, which can also
enhance
longevity.
I hope your threads all stay safe and last a long long time...
------------------------------------
Dear Collectors of Lace and Lace Threads,
A late reply, but may be of use for you to consider in New Year.
May I suggest you still wrap your laces and threads in acid-free paper or
pieces of clean white cotton fabric? Thoroughly washed and rinsed white
cotton sheets cut to size would be a good choice. When you lift wrapped
laces out
of any storage box, the stress of gravity will then be on the wrapping
materials.
Second, plastics can attract dust and dirt and soot to the surface
(electrostatically), which will be transferred to lace. Remember the
source of
plastic, and that it eventually will break down. By using a anti-soiling
buffer
between plastic and your valuable laces, you give your laces a better
chance.
You do not want to make washing necessary. Every time you wash lace or
textiles, threads become weaker. Larger pieces require padding at the
folds, so
folds do not become creases and the threads at the creases then become
subject to breaking.
By the way, I've just noticed in a sewing magazine (again!) "Sew
Beautiful"
#118, 2008, page 69, that when they refer to washing old wedding gowns,
they
do not mention distilled water or room temperature water (they show a
picture
of a hot water faucet!). They recommend soaps that are advertised as
kind
to your hands, and a bleach. In museum conservation classes, I was
steered
clear of washing compounds that say they are kind to your hands, and I
have
become wary of all bleach formulas - the damage may take time to become
visible.
Was taught that insects may feed on lanolins and similar. Chemicals do
funny things over time. When they are combined with earlier chemicals
used in
manufacturing processes, or home formulas devised by ancestors, the
result may
be permanently yellow laces. It is an ugly yellow.
Please remember my numerous warnings. Use no bleaches. Use distilled
water
in the final rinses. The water should be so clean you'd be willing to
drink
it! And, remember museum conservators use Orvus WA Paste (Sodium Lauryl
Sulfate), a Procter and Gamble washing compound, on cottons and linens.
Jeri Ames
Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
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