UKIC Textile Section

• Guide - Caring for Historic Textiles


• Activities


• 2001 Programme of Activities


• Section Publications

Caring for Historic Textiles

A document setting out basic advice for looking after all types of precious historic textiles.

Textiles are treasured and prized for many reasons. Families often have heirlooms such as christening robes and wedding veils which they want to keep safe for use by future generations. Historic textiles such as samplers and lace make popular collectors items and may have great intrinsic value. With foreign travel, textile items from around the world are increasingly prized as evidence of past cultural diversity. Historic textiles of all kinds may be valued simply because they enhance the home and provide pleasure and interest.

Textiles need special care if they are to be preserved for the future.

Keeping your textiles safe

The best way to keep historic textiles safe is to ensure that they are stored well when not in use.

Light, dirt, damp and pests will all cause damage. Acids, which are present on our hands and skin, in materials like cardboard and wood, and in atmospheric pollution, are also harmful.

Storing your textiles

The best place to store historic textiles is:

• in the dark;


• somewhere neither damp nor very dry (cellars and attics are not a good idea);


• in a dust-proof container e.g. a box with lid, dust bag or wrapped in a dust sheet.

Packing your textiles away

For all textiles:
Make sure that only the best materials are used: unbleached, washed pure cotton for dust wraps and acid-free tissue paper for packing. Acid-free tissue is available from conservation suppliers and good stationers. Use acid-free boxes and tubes if available.

For garments: Costumes in bags need plenty of space, and should be padded with acid-free tissue to avoid crushing folds. Garments in very good condition can be hung on padded-to-shape hangers. Do not hang knitted, heavily beaded or bias-cut garments.

For flat textiles: Small items should be kept flat, each on its own piece of acid-free tissue paper. Larger pieces should be rolled, right side outside, onto tubes covered with several layers of acid-free tissue paper. Folding should be avoided, especially for silk.

Using your historic textiles

Textiles are more likely to get damaged while being used than at any other time. Just handling a textile causes deterioration and risks damage.

If preservation is important, do not risk using or changing use of a textile without first consulting a Textile Conservator. Here are some basic guidelines for safe use:

For garments:
Heirlooms like christening robes and wedding veils may need conservation treatment before wearing, to reduce the risk of damage. They must be clean before being put away. It is not advisable to wear historic costume as fancy dress.

For embroidered pictures and samplers:
Frames must be sealed to keep them dust-proof and pest-proof, and should have moisture barriers at the back. Glass should not rest on textile surfaces. To hang, choose places out of strong light, especially sunlight, and away from radiators and external walls.

For carpets and rugs:
Worn specimens damage rapidly if used on the floor, and should be shown as hangings. Choose floor sites which minimise the amount a rug or carpet is walked on and exposed to light, and turn it round regularly. Never put precious rugs in entrance halls to suffer the trampling of wet and dirty outdoor shoes.

For hangings:
Hang textiles from poles in sewn-on sleeves; or use sewing quality hook-and-loop fastener. Never use pins, hooks or curtain rings.

Checking your textiles

For pests:
Check for signs of pest damage (moth and 'woolly bear'), especially on woollen textiles. Keep a look out for flying pest insects, especially in early summer.

For fading:
Colour differences between front and back indicate that light has damaged a textile. Light damage to dyes and fibres is irreparable.

For mould:
Inspect for mould if conditions have been damp or temperature variable.

For accumulation of dirt:
Check surfaces are not gathering dust. Surface dirt becomes ingrained and irremovable over time. If damage has occurred, try to identify the source and contact a Textile Conservator for advice on what action to take.

Avoiding accidental damage

Textiles are especially at risk when being handled or moved. Always try to:

• plan the task and weigh up the risks beforehand;


• have ready everything you need to do the job;


• have a clean, tidy workspace;


• support textiles when lifting; roll large pieces on tubes to carry them; lift small ones on boards or sheets of paper;


• wear cotton gloves or disposable vinyl household gloves whenever possible when handling;


• take off jewellery which may scratch or catch.

How to get help and advice

For specific advice on caring for your historic textiles you should always contact a Textile Conservator. A Textile Conservator can also advise you on appropriate treatment for damaged textiles and on where to get conservation quality materials such as acid-free tissue paper. It is likely that there is a professional Textile Conservator working in your region.

For details of Textile Conservators contact:

for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
UKIC
109 The Chandlery
50 Westminster Bridge Road
LONDON SE1 7QY
Tel: 0207 721 8246
(a small fee is charged for consulting The Conservation Register)

for Scotland
Scottish Conservation Bureau
Longmore House
Salisbury Place
EDINBURGH EH9 1SH
Tel: 0131 668 8668

If your local museum has a conservation department it should be able to provide information on local suppliers of conservation materials and services.

©UKIC Textile Section 1997

Activities

The Section has established working groups to undertake specific projects and look at particular issues. There is an active programme of meetings and study days which aim to promote informal debate. Such events will be followed by publications wherever relevant.

Visits are arranged to workshops and other places of interest in the UK and abroad. Conservation News, the quarterly UKIC newsletter, includes information on Section activities as well as articles and workshop notes from Section members.

Your participation in UKIC Textile Section activities is warmly welcomed!

2001 Programme of Activities

Wednesday 25th April 2001
UKIC Textile Section AGM and Spring Forum
It's not natural - modern materials in textile conservation
Venue: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The AGM will be followed by the Spring Forum, It's not natural - modern materials in textile conservation. Papers will refer to modern materials used in conservation treatments, as well as synthetic materials found in collections. Forum speakers and their subjects will include:

• Dr Susan Mossman, Science Museum, London
  Viscose rayon and the development of Tencel.
  
  
• Mamiko Matsumura, Textile Conservator, Textile Conservation Centre, University of Southampton
  Measuring off-gassing from cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate.
  
  
• Brenda Keneghan, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
  The properties of polyester and nylon as used in textile conservation treatments.
  
  
• John Fields, Conservation Scientist, British Museum
  An update (hopefully including preliminary results) on the detergent testing programme being carried out by the British Museum to find a replacement for Synperonic N.

Textile Section 10th Anniversary Reception

The Forum will be followed by an early evening reception in the Gamble Room at the V&A; to celebrate the Section's 10th anniversary. There will be a finger buffet and wine, which it is hoped will promote lively discussion!

The event has been moved to a Wednesday to enable delegates to take advantage of the V&A;'s late evening opening, which includes open galleries on the ground floor and access to the exhibition 'Victorian Visions'. A later start time of 11.00am is proposed to help those with long journeys to make...and all this for the same price as last year!

You are encouraged to attend the AGM and Forum. Elections for new committee members will take place, and the broader the representation of the Section present, the more democratic the process will be. It is also important that members are kept up to date with the UKIC's current and future thinking at this time of transition to a more accountable professional body.

Further information will be sent on receipt of booking and payment.

Please note that the closing date for bookings is 6th April 2001.

For further information, or to make a booking, please contact:

Frances Hartog
Textile Conservation
Victoria and Albert Museum
South Kensington
London SW7 2RL
Tel: 0207 938 8594
email: [email protected]

Monday 18th - Tuesday 19th June 2001
UKIC Textile Section Trip to WALES

The two-day study trip to Wales will include:-

• The Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, Cardiff
  An introduction to the costume and textile collections at MWL, visits to Esgair Moel woollen mill for a tour with the weaver, recent developments in the re-display of St Fagans Castle and a chance to see the furnished 1940's Prefab (recently opened).
  
  
• Melin Tregwynt, near Fishguard
  Working mill, talk and tour.
  
  
• The Last Invasion Tapestry, Fishguard
  Talk from Audrey Walker (embroiderer) and Elizabeth Cramp (artist).
  
  
• The Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry, Drefach Felindre
  Talk and guided tour of mill and textile collections.

* includes pick-up and return to Cardiff Central Station, transport by minibus, B&B;/hotel accommodation with evening meal near Fishguard (18/6/01), all entrance fees, and lunch (19/6/01).

Please note that the closing date for bookings is 6th April 2001.

For further information, or to make a booking, please contact:

Clare Stoughton-Harris
Museum of Welsh Life
St Fagans
Cardiff CF5 6XB
Tel: 029 2057 3449
Fax: 029 2057 3490
email: [email protected]

Thursday 13th September 2001
UKIC Textile Section Visit to WADDESDON MANOR

Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style chateau near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. It was built at the end of the nineteenth century for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, and designed to house his collection of art treasures. The Collection includes Sevres porcelain, French royal furniture and paintings by Dutch and Flemish masters of the seventeenth century, as well as Savonnerie carpets and other fine textiles. There are also wine cellars, parkland, a Victorian aviary and a formal garden. This year the Parterre will be planted to a design created by the fashion designer, Osca de la Renta.

As well as admission to the house, grounds and Bachelors' Wing, the visit will include a presentation providing an historical introduction to the House, its Gardens and the Rothschild Collection. Lunch will be available in Waddesdon's Stables Restaurant.

Waddesdon Manor is situated on the A41 between Aylesbury and Bicester, and Aylesbury railway station is a 58-minute journey from London Marylebone. (Lifts from Aylesbury station to Waddesdon can be arranged if necessary.)

Please note that the closing date for bookings is 27th July 2001.

For further information, or to make a booking, please contact:

Victoria Allan
St John's House Museum
St John's
Warwick CV34 4NF
Tel: 01926 412732
Fax: 01926 412034

September 2001
Pressure Mounting Workshop

Around September this year the UKIC Textile Section is hoping to arrange a 2-day practical workshop for a small number of participants (approximately 10), dealing with the pressure mounting of textiles.

We are hoping to have 3 course tutors who have experience with pressure mounting. A London venue is planned, but the course may be repeated elsewhere if there is a positive response.

The Textile Section Committee is keen to develop this kind of 'hands-on' workshop as a valuable way of disseminating information and practical skills. If you are interested in participating, please indicate whether your preferred venue is London or elsewhere when you contact:

Susan Stanton
Textile Conservator
Ashmolean Museum
Oxford OX1 2PH

Workshop details and a booking form will be sent when arrangements are finalised.

Spring 2002
UKIC Textile Section Trip to ITALY

A study trip of about a week is planned in early May 2002, and should be a great opportunity to see some of Italy's rich textile heritage. Proposed visits include:-

• Rome
  Vatican and Conservation Studios; The National Museum of Rome.
  
  
• Florence
  Uffizi and Costume Museums and Conservation Studios; Palazzo Medici Riccardi.
  
  
• Lisio
  Workshop specialising in hand-woven silk velvet and brocade.
  
  
• Prato
  Museum of a silk and wool trader of the 1400s.
  
  
• Lucca
  The National Museum, early Renaissance textiles.

Please indicate your interest to:

Janie Lightfoot
24 Cholmondeley Avenue
London NW10 5XN
Tel: 0208 963 1532
email: [email protected]

Further details will be circulated in due course.

Publications

Prices in GB Pounds Sterling, excluding postage and packing.

These publications are available from the UKIC Office at:

109 The Chandlery
50 Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7QY
Tel: 0171 721 8721
Fax: 0171 721 8722