[lace] Washing lace made of silk - conservation advice?
I've used Orvus on my lace, whether silk or not, with no lasting problems over its short life span so far. However, not as all silk fabric is washable the same could apply to the silk fabric (lace) we make. (My commercially made silk underwear, which I don't expect to last centuries, goes in the washing machine with normal detergent, and gets an extra rinse, but no fabric conditioner - despite the label saying hand wash only. It does last for quite a number of years before becoming shot. I would not treat anything I wanted to outlive me in that manner!) Silk in any form is weaker when wet than when it is dry, and is damaged by alkalis (which most, if not all, washing agents are) so care must be taken when washing and the usual advice (which Jeri has taught us well over the years) is that rinsing every last trace of the washing agent used out of whatever you are washing is the important bit - and using de-ionised water so as not to leave any chemical that could subsequently cause staining. Orvus is sold as a horse shampoo - ie it is to be used to clean fibres made from animal proteins. Silk is an animal protein. In message 8cf5eb1704396e4-abc-4a...@webmail-m133.sysops.aol.com, Vicki Bradford twohappyb...@aol.com writes I was stopped in my tracks, however, with an admonition at the bottom of the posting which stated that Orvus was 'not suitable for silk'. -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
Re: [lace] lace shorts, dresses, coats
Here in Germany we knit dresses ans other things too at that time. First I knit the top of a dress. The rest was jersey. Later I made a coat. It was white with rainbow strips at the end of the sleeve and above the hemline and above the waistline. I liked it very much, the problem was the washing of the big piece. At that time I lived in a small flat with a tiny shower without bathtub. After those things I worked several shawls smaller ones bigger ones, knitted, crochet, looping nearly every technique. Those are still in my wardrobe and still in use. But now I am making a lace-dress but this is still top secret, Ilske - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
[lace] lace shorts, snowflake spider washing lace
Hello All! Just a quick note before my embroidery teaching schedule starts tomorrow, as I must put the finishing touches on a few items! As to wearing lace shorts--Ladies--two words: Spanx Leggings! Spanx ( other brands) are those spandex undergarments that tame smooth our bodacious bodies without resorting to personal trainers hours in the gym. Well worth the investment. Leggings are available in a bazillion colors camouflage nasty spider veins under short but snazzy outfits. Earlier this year, Target had the best selection, $5 for plain colors $10 for lace. So--yes we can wear lace shorts we should--we're not dead yet! Thank you for posting about the Rosemary Shepherd book addenda. Although I don't own it, I was intrigued by the snowflake spider the fir trees. Pittsburgh Lace Group has an extensive library, so I will check there first. Laundry is one of my least favorite subjects--but there was an interesting article in the Erie Times-News last! week about a product called pureWash. One of the columnists tested it for a month gave it high marks. According to the article, this is an electronic gizmo that uses ozone or O3 to clean garments using only cold water little or no detergent in your regular washing machine. After checking other online sources, it sounds like an interesting product apparently the process itself has been used commercially for some time because it effectively kills bacteria. There was no mention of the process itself harming fibers so I will wait to hear from Jeri on that side of the question! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
[lace] working on my PHD
Hello Again! Forgot to mention something I found the other day--a gal with a lace blog has a column about her PHD. So I clicked on it to see what she was studying--Projects Half Done!! LOL This is ever so much better than UFO (un-finished object), WIP (work in progress) etc. Hope you agree have fun working on yours. Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
[lace] need help with Swedish
Is there anyone out there who would be willing to translate a paragraph or two from Swedish to English? The are the directions for a small square, and I'm sure it is all very simple, but I can't figure out the hanging-in directions from the picture or the diagram, which is how I usually sort out beginnings. I tried my Swedish to English dictionary and a couple of online translation sites, but of course they were useless with lace directions. Thanks so much. Tess (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine USA where summer is easing gently into fall, a lovely time of the year - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
Re: [lace] Washing silk lace, washing machine device
Dear Lace Launderers, I write on Arachne for the person washing lace at home. Museum conservators have much more training in the use of chemicals and advanced techniques. You often are not equipped at home to do what they might tackle. It is almost more than many can attempt when I specify Orvus and distilled or de-ionized water.(Alkaline-based Orvus neutralizes the damaging effects of acids residing in cotton or linen fibers.) 1. Has anyone used the pureWash product Susan informs us is available? For lace? I looked it up on Google, and it is an appliance for attachment to a washing machine, which Amazon listed for $450!. It introduces Photo Catalytic Oxidizers to the wash water. You will all remember that I have written extensively about avoiding chemicals (added to public water) and minerals (natural, and in both public and well water) by using *distilled or de-ionized water*, which is not available - that I know of - when you turn on water for a washing machine. Nowhere did I see how this appliance could be used for hand-washing lace in appropriate water. 2. I will wait to read a museum-conservator's comments on this new product, though I think it not appropriate for hand-washing lace or other items in museum collections. I used to work on Madison Avenue in the 1960's, and know that ad agencies are hired to write promotional material in the format of newspaper articles. These are sent to newspapers to be published under a reporter's by-line - with no questions asked. A one-month test by a columnist would not pass my standards. Do you suppose she washed a old piece of silk Maltese lace in a washing machine? When I write to you, it is always with the old laces in mind, because I do not know if you will be washing a fragile piece of old Mechlin or a sturdy new crochet. Caution is necessary. 3. To answer the original question from Vicky in Maryland about Orvus as not suitable for silk: I wash my white/cream silk laces in Orvus, and rinse in distilled water until I feel I can drink the rinse water. The warning in the article you read is probably to avoid a law suit. I must warn against putting black silk laces in water. They are often weakened from dyes, and since I never know if you will be washing brand new threads or old threads (my advice is saved for later reference), I am very careful what I say to you. Black laces should be taken to a conservation professional for cleaning. 4. In the 1960's and 1970's I made silk shantung Summer dresses for work. These fabrics came from Italy, and I pre-washed them and the lining fabrics, with no loss of color. This was so the dresses could be washed in the future, and would not need dry cleaning. Water is used in the processing of silk. It is other steps in silk processing that leads manufacturers to recommend dry cleaning. Recently, I purchased some silk shantung from India, and pre-washed. After numerous rinses, it was still releasing a lot of dye. Yes, there are things you can do to stop dye from running, but since it was for something that would be used long after my death, it was returned to the vendor. 5. Many of you are enchanted with all the new threads in many colors, sometimes with mixtures of different fibers from various sources. These will challenge the lace conservators of the 21st century. I have told you that synthetics break down and try to revert to their original form. The report I gave you of the 20th C. costumes lecture at the Costume Society of America's annual meeting in 2011 made that very apparent. Modern items of attire or embellishment actually dissolve, change color, completely lose elasticity, become sticky, become brittle, etc. Conservators of the future will have many more challenges than we can imagine. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - In a message dated 9/12/2012 10:22:54 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, hottl...@neo.rr.com writes: Laundry is one of my least favorite subjects--but there was an interesting article in the Erie Times-News last week about a product called pureWash. One of the columnists tested it for a month gave it high marks. According to the article, this is an electronic gizmo that uses ozone or O3 to clean garments using only cold water little or no detergent in your regular washing machine. After checking other online sources, it sounds like an interesting product apparently the process itself has been used commercially for some time because it effectively kills bacteria. There was no mention of the process itself harming fibers so I will wait to hear from Jeri on that side of the question! Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace
[lace] lace shorts
Ilske I look forward to photos of top secret dress when it is finished. Many years ago when I was young and thin, I made a 2 piece crocheted orange dress, a purple knit dress, and a knit coat. Strangers on the subway would stop me and say how beautiful the coat was. That was back in the day of mini skirts. They aren't mini length, but just middle of the knee. Still too short for my current taste, even if I was thin enough to wear them all. (The ice cream made me do it.) Lorelei - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
Re: [lace] working on my PHD
I like PHD. lrb -Original Message- From: hottl...@neo.rr.com Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 10:30 AM To: lace@arachne.com Subject: [lace] working on my PHD Hello Again! Forgot to mention something I found the other day--a gal with a lace blog has a column about her PHD. So I clicked on it to see what she was studying--Projects Half Done!! LOL This is ever so much better than UFO (un-finished object), WIP (work in progress) etc. Hope you agree have fun working on yours. Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Erie, PA USA - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003/albums/most-recent
