cleaning antique silk satin?
unse...@gothic.net
They're a *gorgeous* dark shocking pink/rose (with some faded bits) and
ar trimmed with that old style gold fringe - the type that is made out
of metal and is *heavy*.
The problem is, these things have been in storage since the '20s. They
smell musty, I *know* they're dusty, and in some areas the silk is very
worn. What I plan on doing with them is turning them into throw
pillows. But first I need to clean them...
Any ideas? I have though of handwashing or tossing them in the dryer
with Dryel, but I don't know if *either* of those ideas are good.
Help?
-Jilli, queen of garage & estate sales.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Ronda
unse...@gothic.net wrote:
> at an estate sale this past weekend, I purchased 2 curtain panels.
> They're a *gorgeous* dark shocking pink/rose (with some faded bits)
and
> ar trimmed with that old style gold fringe - the type that is made out
> of metal and is *heavy*.
>
> The problem is, these things have been in storage since the '20s.
They
> smell musty, I *know* they're dusty, and in some areas the silk is
very
> worn. What I plan on doing with them is turning them into throw
> pillows. But first I need to clean them...
>
> Any ideas? I have though of handwashing or tossing them in the dryer
> with Dryel, but I don't know if *either* of those ideas are good.
Remove the trim before cleaning the fabric if it
contains metal. This will keep it from rusting and
staining the rest of the fabric.
Find out if the fabric is color fast. Sacrifice a small area
and try getting is damp to see if it bleeds.
Since your going to cut the fabric up anyway you might
want to cut a small section out and measure it. Then try
hand washing it assuming it didn't bleed when you tried
the color fast test.
Cold water hand wash with a mild detergent
and hang to dry. Then measure your square
to see how much it shrank and if it puckered or did anything
else bad.
If the shrinkage amount is acceptable then you know you can
hand wash the fabric. Once you make it in to pillows you could
just Scotchguard the puppies and not worry about having to clean
them.
If you have fabric damage or the wash test did not work take them
to a cleaners to see what they can do or suggest. If the musty or
mildew stain is strong even after washing definitely havea professional
cleaner look at them.
--
Ronda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ebay auctions:
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/drgnf...@aol.com
XmetalligalX
>at an estate sale this past weekend, I purchased 2 curtain panels.
>The problem is, these things have been in storage since the '20s. They
>smell musty, I *know* they're dusty, and in some areas the silk is very
>worn. What I plan on doing with them is turning them into throw
>pillows. But first I need to clean them...
*delurk*
*please excuse the screen name*
You should really get them cleaned by a specialist. Try going to an auction
house or textile museum for information on where they get their antique
textiles cleaned.
~me~
DamselflyAuction
>and hang to dry.
I only use "REAL" soap on my antique fabrics, no detergent, even "mild"
detergent is harsher than real soap. You can find handmade soap sellers online
or locally and ask for plain soap that is fully saponified (with no extra
oil/fats). As long as the fabric is color fast, it should be ok to wash with
soap and water. Good Luck and enjoy your find!
Damselfly
Damselfly Auctions @ eBay
Gothic/Victorian/Trendy Used Clothes
StrangeGirl
to be heard:
>at an estate sale this past weekend, I purchased 2 curtain panels.
>They're a *gorgeous* dark shocking pink/rose (with some faded bits) and
>ar trimmed with that old style gold fringe - the type that is made out
>of metal and is *heavy*.
>
>The problem is, these things have been in storage since the '20s. They
>smell musty, I *know* they're dusty, and in some areas the silk is very
>worn. What I plan on doing with them is turning them into throw
>pillows. But first I need to clean them...
>
>Any ideas? I have though of handwashing or tossing them in the dryer
>with Dryel, but I don't know if *either* of those ideas are good.
>
>Help?
Vacuum them through bridal net. Use a teeny, low-suction vac, like for
cleaning electronics. It will do **MUCH** less damage than washing
would, and you should vacuum them before trying to hand wash anyway to
remove dust which can cut silk and make it shatter.
You can try the handwashing instructions on my website (they are also
in the FAQ) if you must handwash them, but I'd say to only vacuum
them.
Definitely remove the trim, as someone else said to do, if you are
going to hand wash, and do a pre-washing dye-fastness test.
StrangeGirl
"I dress funny professionally."
Hold the spam to reply. TechnoSystem
StrangeGirl: http://strangegirl.50megs.com
Ronda
damselfl...@aol.comnospam (DamselflyAuction) wrote:
> >Cold water hand wash with a mild detergent
> >and hang to dry.
>
> I only use "REAL" soap on my antique fabrics, no detergent, even
"mild"
> detergent is harsher than real soap. You can find handmade soap
sellers online
> or locally and ask for plain soap that is fully saponified (with no
extra
> oil/fats). As long as the fabric is color fast, it should be ok to
wash with
> soap and water.
Eeep! Your right...wrong terminology on my part.
Apologies.
There are several restoration safe products. If you
can't find pure soap try using Orvus paste available
from places that sell quilting supplies and I have found
it in art supply stores.
--
Ronda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragonfly Design Studio
http://DragonflyDesignStudio.com
Masks and historical clothing patterns.