Heritage, Volume 3, Number 4, Spring 1986 Page: 25
34 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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4. Turn under the clear 4" on either
side of the number to prevent the
raw edges of the tape from raveling.
Invisibly stitch the tag onto the
back side of the quilt in a comer.5. Two people are needed to fold a
quilt. The quilt is folded into thirds
along its length, padding each fold
with batting stuffed "sausages",
crumpled acid-free tissue, or rolls of
washed muslin.6 & 7. The quilt is folded again,
into thirds or quarters, padding each
fold. Finally the quilt should be
placed in an archival box or quilt
bag that has been labeled for easy
identification during storage.Before vacuuming, a quilt should be
covered with a fiberglass screen, the
edges of which have been covered
with bias binding or twill tape to prevent
the screen from snagging the
fabrics. A low-suction vacuum should
be used to prevent pieces of fabric
from being tom or pulled into the
vacuum. Vacuuming should be done
slowly and systematically, covering
the surface section-by-section over
the front, and then repeating the
process on the back (see illustration
#1). Done approximately every six
months, this simple housekeeping
technique will not only remove accumulations
of dust, but will also remove
potentially harmful agents
such as moth and other insect eggs
and frass.
Labeling: The process of assigning
identifying numbers and physically
labeling museum objects is a keystone
that enables other museum
functions to proceed. An artifact
may "speak" for itself, but without
artifact related data, educational and
exhibition interpretation is seriously
hampered and collection research
difficult. Labeling objects serves two
purposes-to identify the artifact as
part of the institution's holdings and
to link the object with its documentation.
Objects without identifying
numbers become truly inaccessible.
HERITAGE SPRING 86The methods and materials used in
numbering must be carefully selected
to prevent any detrimental or destructive
impacts to the object's
physical integrity. Among the important
criteria for the selection of labeling
materials are durability and removability.
The materials must be
durable because they are the essential
link to record-keeping. Also labels
must have the option of being removable
if it turns out that they are
located in a place which would be visually
distracting while the object is
on display.
Textiles should not be labeled directly
with inks or pigments which
would permanently stain the fabric.
The most appropriate materials for
labeling textiles are fabric or twilltape
tags. Cotton or polyester twill
tape is available from fabric stores in
a variety of weights and widths.
Writing inks are not appropriate for
numbering fabric labels because the
fabric absorbs the ink by capillary action
making the number quite illegible.
In addition, it is possible for
moisture to cause the ink to transfer
to the textile, causing a stain. Instead,
the number can be stitched on
the tape in a contrasting shade of
color-fast thread. Instructions for
completing a fabric tag and attaching
it to the rear of the quilt are shown in
illustrations 2 through 4.Storage: The ideal way to store flat
textiles is neither rolled nor folded,
but flat and not stacked one on top of
the other. For a collection of quilts,
this would be difficult if not impossible,
and would require expensive,
oversized cabinetry. Faced with the
choice of rolling or folding quilts, the
choice should be to fold them. Because
quilts are composed of several
layers of varying thicknesses, rolling
tends to crush the heavily stuffed
areas and place an unnecessary strain
on the quilting stitches that hold the
layers together.
Quilts should be carefully folded with
padding to prevent creasing along
the fold lines. Padding for all-cotton
quilts can be crumpled acid-free
tissue (3) or washed cotton fabric
(such as muslin) which has been
rolled into a sausage shape. Silk
quilts or quilts made from a combination
of fabrics should be padded with
"sausages" made of polyester fabric.
Sausages are made by cutting 4" X
18" pieces of washed polyester lining
fabric and unbonded polyester quilt
batting. The quilt batting is rolled
into a tube and the fabric wrapped
around the batting, turning the raw
fabric-edges in, and hand-stitching
the roll into place. Eight to ten "sausages"
are sufficient to pad the folds
of most quilts (see illustrations 5-7for the proper method of folding a
quilt).
After folding, quilts can be placed either
in an archival box (4) or in a
fabric quilt storage bag (5) to protect
them from dust and light. Quilts
should be removed periodically from
their storage containers and refolded
in a different direction so that the
folds do not become compressed into
creases. This can be done as part of
a regular maintenance program that
also involves vacuuming and inspecting
for insects or changes in
condition.
Display: Textile conservators have
traditionally prepared extensive
stitched mounts to support fabrics
during display. Because everyone has
become more aware of the necessity
to limit the amount of display time
for these fragile materials, more nonstitched
supports and less complex
mounts are now in general use.
For quilts that are heavy, damaged or
are in otherwise fragile condition,
the best method of display is to lay
the quilt flat. These quilts may also
be displayed on a solid backing board
placed on a slant. To prevent the
quilt from sliding, and to avoid the
use of any stitching to hold the quilt
in place, the display board should be
covered with a fabric such as no-wale
corduroy with the nap running in a
horizontal plane. A fabric-covered25
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 3, Number 4, Spring 1986, periodical, March 1, 1986; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45441/m1/25/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.