In a message dated 7/6/03 2:52:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< My thoughts on this, since I don't have small curved needles, would be to place the backing fabric on my embroidery frame (not stretched) and stitch straight up and down through the holes of the lace (couching it down). Then to apply the backing to the stiff surface. Jeri, would this work with out damaging the lace? >> ------------- Dear Lorri, The method described by Ruth Budge is the same that was taught to me. Professional conservators have had long experience with doing this kind of mounting. I think you would have to consider that stretching and stitching fabric onto mounting board after you've done your "lace couching" could present difficulties in keeping it centered, and also in pulling the fabric too tight as you sew it onto the mounting board. All the stitching at this stage would be on the wrong side, and the top side would need to be constantly monitored. Covering the mounting board takes time, and you flip it about a lot when you are sewing it -- with the curved needle! The lace receives less handling if sewn to it after this step has been done. The technique taught takes into account that old laces may be fragile and could tear easily if stretched or accidentally snagged on something on your work surface. Conservators/restorers like to keep fragile objects visible at all times. The operative word here is "old", and therefore, fragile. It is impossible to give advice when the actual piece of lace or embroidery is not presented to a trained conservator for evaluation and recommendations. That professional has another concern -- she is not familiar with your skills with a needle, your level of patience, etc. Too many people are looking for speedy solutions. A conservator recommends what has been proven to work well; the conservator has studied similar pieces mounted years ago, and has learned what seems to present less danger to an old textile. When you take conservation courses, you are shown examples of all the things that went wrong with some efforts to preserve and make old textiles presentable. Each time you attend a class, you learn the experiences of another conservator. Over time, you make a list of "conditions to avoid". You learn very quickly that it will take a while to learn enough to undertake a project involving the "one" sentimental inherited textile heirloom in your possession. Having said all this about mounting old lace, and taking into consideration your plan (top of this reply), I did observe a conservation project at the Royal School of Needlework four years ago, where a fragile silk embroidered wall hanging was being sewn to a sturdier backing material for support. The backing material was very tightly laced to a large stretcher. This caught my eye, because I have a large embroidery of the same style which needs support before it can be displayed. In this case, I doubt the final result would have been secured to a mounting board and framed - it was at least seven feet in length! I've included this example here, so you can see that each project type presents different approaches. "Jeri, would this work with out damaging the lace?" I cannot answer this. As suggested in my earlier posting - it is a good idea to do a practice piece, which will aid in making a decision. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
