Preserving antique yarnwork.

I have several very very old pieces that my great grandmothers(on both
sides) made. One wool granny square afgan, another a stunning crochet
bedspread that my great-grandmother made for my grandmother when she
married. I also have several quilts.I want to keep these items as preserved
as possible.
How should I do this? Would those 'Space-bags' work?


Thanks so much for any info,


Cindy

Some advice for textile preservation can be found he
http://www.hfmgv.org/explore/artifacts/textile.asp

Vintage Purls
http://www.vintagepurls.net.nz

Before putting anything in storage , you should CLEAN it , Best advice
is approach a Textile museum near you and ask their advice.
mirjam

I have several very very old pieces that my great grandmothers(on both
sides) made. One wool granny square afgan, another a stunning crochet
bedspread that my great-grandmother made for my grandmother when she
married. I also have several quilts.I want to keep these items as preserved
as possible.
How should I do this? Would those 'Space-bags' work?


Thanks so much for any info,


Cindy

In article ,
CindyLV wrote:
I have several very very old pieces that my great grandmothers (on
both sides) made. One wool granny square afgan, another a stunning
crochet bedspread that my great-grandmother made for my grandmother
when she married. I also have several quilts. I want to keep these
items as preserved as possible.
How should I do this? Would those 'Space-bags' work?

This is all hearsay:

Quilts are best used on a bed; that way they get aired and looked
at every day. If they are fragile and can only be stored,
then plain white tissue paper and boxes (that are white on the
inside as well) is probably the first step. People talk about
cedar chests, but I've read that the cedar should be at least half
an inch thick or there isn't enough cedar oil to repel insects;
just putting cedar blocks into a drawer may make it smell nice,
but the scent isn't really intense enough. The tissue paper should
prevent the fabric from touching the outer container, too.

Archival quality boxes can be bought, and so can archival plastic
bags, though it may be hard to find them big enough. I don't know
whether the huge zip bags are archival plastic or not.

I am told that most plastics will eventually emit gases that get
into fabrics and that the best thing is to use a storage container
that is guaranteed not to damage the fabric. (I'm also told that
Tupperware products are archival, but I don't know for sure.)

While you are contacting museum textile archivists/checking the library
for books on archival storage and preservation, I believe the usual method
is to put clean white tissue paper between the folds (refold annually in a
different pattern to avoid weakening in one place), and keep in a plain
wooden box or drawer that seals tightly (unlike most bureaus).

For the afghan(s): As long as the wool is strong, an airing once
a year is probably enough. If the wool is old and dry, it may help
to put it in a steamy bathroom to let it gently absorb some moisture.

=Tamar