Re: [lace] Conservation and Over-coming Dim Lighting in Museum Galleries

[Adele Shaak]

Hi Everybody:

I’ve often thought about using the flat pattern pieces from a sewing pattern
as a guide to making lace. If you were doing a part lace you could easily
design it so there was a space left between two pieces of flat lace, and when
you were done you could use simple braids to connect one to the other and it
would make a shaped piece. Theoretically it’s easy peasey. In real life …
well, I’m planning to try it this summer. We’ll see how it goes.

Adele
West Vancouver, BC
(west coast of Canada)

> On Apr 13, 2017, at 3:29 PM, Jane  wrote:
>
> We work on (almost) flat pillows, taking care that our lace is not distorted
by the pattern bending or lifting. Imagine working on a pillow that was shaped
like a woman’s body. How would you form the lace around that shape? Those of
you who have worked 3D lace might have some idea how to do this, but I would
find it extremely challenging. Or perhaps, how would you cut and construct a
(flat) lace fabric to create a particular style, a jacket or suit or ….?

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[lace] Conservation and Over-coming Dim Lighting in Museum Galleries - 2

[Jeriames]

About protecting personal identification:

Since Jane's exhibit review letter went to all on Arachne, I want to  be
sure to mention that I sent a copy to Arachne and The Fashion Museum  **from
which Jane's personal identifying information was stripped**.  Only  her
given name and general physical location was used.  I sent a  second copy
directly to Jane and 3 other individuals whom I thought might  have trouble
receiving my AOL email.

Those of you who have seen me running around at OIDFA Congresses know that
I do not carry a camera - anywhere.  I find that getting involved in taking
 photos interferes with my enjoyment of what is being viewed.  I ask others
 for photos when they are needed to illustrate what I write - but that
would not  be for Arachne, which cannot accommodate them!

Jeri Ames in Maine USA
Lace and Embroidery Resource Center


In a message dated 4/13/2017 6:29:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
janefr...@googlemail.com writes:

I’m a  little bit concerned that you should forward my, strictly
personal,  opinion to the museum. I think that my reaction to it was
based partly on  expectation.
Jane

On 13/04/2017 16:25, jeria...@aol.com wrote  directly to Jane and 3 others:
> Ladies, In case you did not receive  directly from Arachne, I'm
> forwarding today's letter directly to  you.  I thought you might not want
> The Fashion Museum Bath to  have your addresses.   Jeri

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[lace] Conservation and Over-coming Dim Lighting in Museum Galleries

[Jeriames]

As Malvary (Canadian) suggested, I am sending the correspondence  from Jane
(below my Conservation memo) to my contact at Fashion Museum  Bath.  This
reflects an opinion that they should know about.

Here is what I have to contribute about being able to *SEE* the Lace in
Fashion exhibit:

Where have all my lace conservation messages of the past 20+ years  gone?
Does everyone skip over them?  Please let me know.  On  January 17th, I
announced the Lace in Fashion exhibit on Arachne in a letter to  an Australian
planning a trip to the U.K.  It got no comments, so I sent it  a second time.


More often than I'd like to remember, I've suggested that Arachne  members
going to big lace events and exhibits should take a flashlight  (American
name) or torch (British name) that fits in a purse or pocket.  I carry a 4
inch long one at all times, and it is used in dark  places quite often.  I
thank this little beam of light in museums,  like the Victoria and Albert.
Many
objects are exhibited in a dim  setting.  Suddenly, something that you
never would imagine shines through  - jewels, beads, sequins, textures, even
lovely colors and design details  in fashions.  But also, intricately-carved
woods, and metals and  glass with cut and etched designs.

Museum guards have never stopped me.  I shine light on the  objects
briefly, sometimes gathering others in a gallery around me so they can  share
the
experience.  With security what it has become in recent years,  there is the
chance you will have to leave a very large purse in a secure  place at the
museum's entrance.   I dress like a professional -  in a suit with pockets
for necessary items I'll need in a museum, like a  torch.

It would be nice if someone in the UK would interview museum  personnel -
at several museums - to learn what is  allowed and then write an article
about this for The Lace Guild's  quarterly bulletin.

Textiles, in particular, suffer greatly from continuous exposure to  light,
and the lace exhibit at the Fashion Museum Bath will be up for  12 months.
Most of you have been reading my conservation advice for years  and know
they are being sensible to the extreme.

Another small treasure to carry would be a small magnifier.  If you do  not
have one with a light, hold the magnifier in one hand and the flash
light/torch in the other when looking at displays in cases that you peer down
into.

Like all conservation-related advice - rehearse at home - in a  room that
is not well illuminated.

May I suggest you make this a subject for discussion at your lace group
meetings?

Jeri Ames in Maine USA
Lace and Embroidery Resource Center

April 12, 2017 Letter from Jane in Hampshire, UK

Just back from Bath, a 70 mile, 2 hour journey each way, so rather  tired.
But I don’t remember seeing any comment here on the ‘Lace in Fashion’
exhibition, although I know lacemakers have been to see it.

.. it was a  bit of a let down. The exhibition was fairly small, about
30-40 dresses, and it  focused mainly on machine made lace, and on recent
(1950's onwards) and current  fashions.

.. The first display unit contained a lace pillow with a lovely piece  of
Beds made recently by Dawson, I can’t remember the first name but I wondered
if it was a relative of Miss Dawson. There were some lovely old gloves
embellished with embroidery and metallic lace, but I couldn’t make out the
lace.  I had the same problem with the man’s tunic. It was decorated with
blackwork and  trimmed with a very narrow border of lace, an early work of
1620-1650 (I’m not  very good at dates so this could be quite wrong). The
parchment
lace tissue  dress was also on display.

It seemed to me that handmade lace was  presented as an incredibly
expensive fabric and that it was very quickly  replaced by machine made lace.
The
next display unit moved on to Jacquard,  Leavers and Raschel, etc, machine
made lace gowns. There was nothing about the  collars, berthas, flounces, caps
and so on that were fashionable for decades.  (Just one cap with lappets on
display). There was a hand made Irish crochet  dress, a dress decorated with
Blonde, and a more recent outfit included a Bucks  Point collar which I
could hardy make out, but nothing that really represented  the hey-day of lace
in fashion.

About half the exhibition was made up of recent designers, such as
Hartnett, Amies, Lagerfield and so on, but none of these used hand made lace.
There was a sparkly evening gown worn by the Queen Mother and a sculptured
mini-dress from the recent James Bond Spectre film.

There was a  beautiful dress, believed to have been worn by Queen
Charlotte, wife of George  III, empire style, diaphanous fine white lace over
a silk
under gown and with a  short train. Unfortunately it was almost impossible
to see the lace because of  the dim lighting. And this was a problem
throughout the exhibition. Time and  again, I couldn't see the lace. Also, I
was
looking