In a message dated 1/13/2016 10:37:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I have a question about silk threads and washability? A lace teacher mentioned silk doesn't do well if it gets wet, and once ruined finished lace and many hours of work. That may have changed with new threads? Jocelyn in Winnipeg Canada Dear Jocelyn, Please do not speed read this memo on washing silk. Suggested advice: Read and digest in your brain what those of us who have handled a lot of lace have to say about threads. The average age of our lace community is growing older, and the time will come when less and less experts volunteer to dispense free information! Many of you are not learning about threads in home economics classes any more. The activity that ages all textiles more than wearing them is washing or dry cleaning. Therefore, I have written a number of memos that are in the Arachne archives about the precautions to take to keep lace clean and as close as possible to its original condition. One is to take it separately to an event, and put it on there. A good suggestion for a fragile veil or a shawl that will be draped over shoulders. They must never be near an automobile's seat belt or materials like Velcro. If handmade lace is permanently attached to a colored garment and you wish to clean it, it might be wise to deconstruct a yoke or sleeve or whatever for wet cleaning. Make a "pattern" of the shapes to which it must be blocked when reconstructed. Today's threads are often a mixture of fibers. We would not normally clean the different fibers (silk, cotton, linen, wool, synthetics) in the same ways! Think, before you leap into a thread commitment. You can design lace elements to be easily removed from a garment. With new silk threads, I recommend you make a shape about 6" square, wash the way you think it will be washed in the future, and see what happens as it dries. If it is an edging, it will give you sewing practice, and you can see what happens to the fabric as well as the lace. Do you remember my review of Gil Dye's latest book in mid-2015: Insertions and Borders - 16th and 17th C. Lace - Book 4 ? Attention was called to how she solved a problem - thread did not fill spaces, as seen on the original antique lace. Her solution was to soak her sample in warm water, which plumped up threads. My reviewer's note was that the water be distilled or de-ionized. I suggested this would be a good subject to discuss further at individual lace meetings throughout the world and on this Arachne discussion site. We know program chairmen are always looking for meeting subjects. Did anything come of it? If our Arachne members are not going to read what I write, and think about the nuggets of valuable information in book reviews, why should I continue to try to "save lace" through this communication medium???? On Arachne, there is unlimited space for book reviews and conservation/restoration advice. They do not have to fit a 100-word limitation, or whatever, imposed by lace bulletin editors. Conservation/restoration begins before you make something - ask all the pertinent questions of yourself before you begin designing, You do not have the "advantage" of lacemakers of old, who made the same laces year-after-year, using the same threads and techniques. Your time is precious. Since this subject is an off-shoot of thread questions from Karen in Malta today, I will add: There is quite a bit of old creamy silk Maltese lace here that I have washed. However, before ever washing any old lace, I practiced a long time on "scraps" to see what would happen. I have not tried to wash black Maltese lace, because we all know black dyes were problematic. Water weight/gravity would cause them to self-destruct. A study of old Maltese lace would reveal that it became so marketable that it was made in many countries, explaining why so much is available on eBay. Collectors need to know such things. It explains why the texture of this type of silk lace varies. Experience: In the 1960s I made Summer dresses to wear to work (before offices were air conditioned), using colored silk Shantungs from Italy. I always pre-washed it and the silk lining material before cutting out the dresses so they could be washed by hand at home. Some of the sizing put in the fabrics was removed by water, making it a bit more difficult to cut out the material. The built-up odor of dry cleaning fluid was objectionable. I was able to avoid odor and a lot of expense in this way. Also, rings where water might stain this fabric were very likely because of the manufacturers' sizing. However - in the 2000's at a quilt show I bought magenta silk Shantung from India, and put it in a basin of cool water. This material bled and bled and bled. Every time the basin was filled with fresh water, it bled some more. I sent it back to the vendor, whom I had asked if it would run. Know your materials. Listen to information we have dispensed on Arachne for 20 years. Do NOT follow washing advice in old books - they were written before modern methods of thread manufacture (not necessarily better) and careful cleaning instructions by museum curators were developed. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
