As requested, I'm writing again. In case you missed the beginning....my DH put a can of gas (petrol) in my car on top of my lace display things, and it spilled. 15 pieces of my lace got spilled on as well as the board itself (foam core) that was trashed. Also my car trunk floor map. (I should make it clear that this lace was new lace that I had made, not my antique collection.)
The smell seems to be gone from my car but the removable mat is still on my front porch railing to air it out after shampooing. I think I'll leave it there a week or so longer. The lace pieces went in a container with water and soap. Actually, I think I used at least three different soaps or cleaners, as well as vinegar. The water was changed out countless times, and the solution renewed or changed. Finally, yesterday I didn't smell gas anymore when I lifted the wad of lace out of the water. I rinsed it about 40 times...until the water was completely clear and no soap bubbles or scum appeared on the surface of the water. The pieces were pinned out to dry. Today I removed them from the pinning boards. There were two cotton torchon hankies that came through fine. The cotton torchon and Hungarian pieces were fine. The bookmark tassels could be straightened though I had to trim the bottoms of a couple tassels just a tad. The biggest problem was a silk bookmark. That is, the bookmark pinned out nice but the tassel was a disaster. The loose ends of the silk threads did not like all the soaking and handling. It was a matted mess. I let it dry then this morning gently 'combed' it with a single pin to try to straighten the threads one at a time. The top 3/4 of the tassels threads responded but I had to trim off the bottom 1/4 as a pile of fuzz. It's presentable now with the shorter tassel. The silk items that did not have tassels came through fine. One Milanese item had three loosened threads in the fillings. Today I plan to get the new display board...or two of them...and start setting them up. The board that was ruined was set up several years ago and I have made more lace since then. It's faster to set up a demo display if the items are on boards that just need opened. They can go on a table or on the floor. If I'm really ambitions, I can make labels for the varieties of lace and make the display more educational than just pretty. In answer to a couple people...No, I didn't divorce him. But the gas can is forbidden from my trunk from now on. Also, he has to get a NEW can with a lid that fastens tightly. And he'll have to hold it when it's transported....because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, he'll run out of gas again. Our lace guild will be demo-ing at the state fair in a couple weeks. I want the new displays ready for then. Meanwhile I'm working on a scarf at home and a guipure edging on a small portable pillow at meetings. I haven't decided if I'll take the big heavy pillow to state fair, or just smaller pillows. Probaly I'll take the black lappet because it's almost finished and gets lots of attention. Alice in Oregon -- facing a record high temp day today and hoping to stay inside more of the time. - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]
