In a message dated 1/13/2016 10:37:50 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jocelyn.froe...@gmail.com 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
