Dear Arachnes, I see that earlier today I replied only to Sue. There is information here that may be useful to some of our newer members, so now it is going out to the list. Jeri
> In a message dated 3/14/07 9:26:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > >> My well water is rather acid and full of metal ions, so I don't think I >> want to use that on the lace, and I'm similarly reluctant to use "spring >> water," which can have all sorts of things in it, despite being good to >> drink. >> Where would American Arachnids recommend I look for distilled water? Also, >> since all my pins were stainless steel or nickle-plated, would it be safe to >> dampen the lace a little while it's still pinned to my (ethafoam) pillow and >> let it dry again, or should I just leave the lace in place on the pillow for >> a week or so in a warm, humid place and hope for the best? >> > Dear Sue, > > My lace washing instructions seem to still be on Jonathan Lane's website. > "Cleaning" is a selection on the menu on the left: > > www.honitonlace.com > > The shop closed some time ago and I do not know how much longer this site > will be active. Recommend people copy it for a permanent file, as so little > info is available on the subject. > > Sue, You questions are not specifically addressed in the above old article. > I saw lace disasters at lectures given by Helene Von Rosenstiel at meetings > of the Lace Guild of New York about 30 years ago (no longer in existence), in > which she showed linens and laces that had been washed in well water and > fell apart after particles of iron ate through them. Other minerals turned > the > fabric yellow. This particular guild had members from the museums in New > York City that had lace collections, so very exciting to attend meetings. > Helene did conservation/restoration work for museums and especially for > Brooklyn > Museum, Winterthur and the du Pont family connected to Winterthur. She had a > studio in Brooklyn NY, but she has "moved on". > > It is possible to buy distilled water in supermarkets in the U.S. It is in > bottles, in a different aisle than the spring water. > > Do you use a de-humidifier with a bucket that the water collects in? I use > one in my cellar in Spring/Summer and use this water for washing textiles. > Wash the bucket thoroughly, and wipe with white vinegar to remove all > cleaning product residue. Do this cleaning as-needed, or seasonally. I pour > this > water into spring water plastic bottles that are stored separate from the > spring water I buy to drink (well water here flows through a water softener, > and > I do not want to consume it). > > Years ago, I bought a Kenmore counter-top machine from Sears that you can > make distilled water in. It measures 10" in diameter and 15" high, and I put > it on a marble trivet because it gets really hot (even though it does not get > hot on outside, I do this as a precaution). Uses a lot of electricity to > make a gallon. Fill, plug into electricity, water boils, steam rises, and > steam > converts to water that comes out a spout at top into a separate bottle. > Everyone would be shocked by what is left in bottom of the tank at end. > About a > quarter cup of dark Coca Cola-colored water! > > Public water supplies have chemicals added that could be damaging to > textiles. Rain water is heavily polluted. Well water has iron, manganese > (turns > linens yellow), and other minerals depending on where you live. > > As to mangling your lace, Sally is the expert. I do not feel too confident > about any pins exposed to moisture, and have never tested the different > metals. I remove hooks, buttons, collar stays, etc. from everything antique > that > I wet clean. > > Kind regards, > > Jeri Ames in Maine USA > Lace & Embroidery Resource Center - Anyone who would like to see pictures of > my library, write to me and I'll provide address. There is a list of my > lace, embroidery, and ethnic books on the same site. > ************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
