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How to I Preserve a Silk Quilt

Hi All

I need your help in deciding what to do with, i.e. preserve, the Antique Silk Quilt that our former Art teacher gave me.

I went back to school a day early and the secretary that also quilts and I got our first look at it. I opened the plastic bag enough that it was transported in to slightly open it up and look at the quilt. From what I can see so far it is Dresden Plates with points, not scallops, appliqued onto background squares. I'm not sure of the setting yet. Around the edge is a border of rectangles about 1 1/2' by 4 inches sewn along the long edges. The binding on the front side carries over around to the back about

4 or 5 inches. The backing is a pale green background with red and blue curlicues. The backing is cotton but all of the rest is silk. It is very old, is very brittle, and is quite tattered in certain spots. Pieces are actually snapping off from the appliqued pieces in some spots, fraying in others.

I haven't dared to open it up in it's entirty yet. I think that what I am going to do is get a 100% cotton sheet, wash it several times, open up the quilt and take lots and lots of pictures, lay the sheet down, lay the quilt face down, fold it up somehow as little as possible, and store it in a rubbermaid tote with air holes.

What say you all? Any corrections, suggestions, etc? I'm not really sure what to do.

Thanks for your help.

Steven Alaska

Reply to
steve
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Steve, first of all get it out of the plastic. Please. Plastic is not good for silk at all (not really good for cottons either, but we deal with it...sigh) Silk is very fragile when it ages. It shatters at a breath. There are a couple of books on conserving/preserving antique textiles, but can't remember the name of any of them off the top of my head. Your idea of a well laundered sheet is a good one. But don't try to fold. Find a long tube, like home dec fabrics come on (check your local fabric shops, we used to pitch a lot of them when I worked at House of Fabrics/Jo-Ann's) Cover the tube with some scrap batting, then part of a well washed/rinsed sheet or muslin. Roll the quilt gently around the tube. You may want to carefully stitch bridal illusion over the quilt before storage. (I would at least rinse the illusion too. And there are a few other things that can also be used to help conserve the shattering fabrics, but illusion is usually the easiest to find.) You might check with any local museums, or contact a more distance museum or textiles expert about it.

Unfortunately not much can be done to "fix" the silk.

Pati, in Phx

steve wrote:

Reply to
Pati C.

Yes, I will get it out of the plastic tomorrow. It is locked in a sub-office of my main office at school at the moment. With starting school and kids and parents and teachers in and out over the next several days, there unfortunately is no place I can lay it out flat at the moment. Great idea about the tube, batting and illusion. I could probably also contact the Anchorage Museum of History and Art since they handle lots of old native skin sewing and things like that.

Thanks

Steven

Unfortunately not much can be done to "fix" the silk.

Pati, > Hi All

Reply to
steve

DO NOT LAY THAT QUILT OUT!

Wait until you have consulted with the historical society. Until then mess with it as little as possible.

Silk only shatters for one of three reasons.

1) It has been seriously abused 2) It is really really ancient 3) It is weighted silk that is only moderately old.

I would bet that number three is the case here, in which case messing about with that quilt could be a health hazard.

Weighted silk is made by introducing metal salts during the dying process. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, those salts were from such various things as lead and arsenic. Breathing in dust comprised of long chain organic polymers and toxic metal salts could be a very bad thing to do.

At least wait until you have an expert who can meet the thing hand to weft, and that can tell you whether or not I am talking out my butt.

NightMist For a change h>Yes, I will get it out of the plastic tomorrow. It is locked in a

Reply to
NightMist

we once got the cardboard tubes that carpet comes on from a carpet store, they're bigger than home dec tubes

Reply to
Bonnie Patterson

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