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I need a few educated opinions :) I've recently been asked if I could
restore an antique christening gown. Before actually seeing it I said "yes"
since I thought the lace would be bobbin. Anyway, turns out the dress is
made up of strips of broderie anglaise. The repair that needs doing is
right smack in the middle of the bodice :( The child obviously gobbed
something down it :( The resulting damage has burned a hole and turned
other smaller areas orange :( Otherwise the dress is in pristine condition
and so white you'd think it had been bleached within an inch of it's life.
I asked the owner about this since the dress is supposedly from the 1890's.
She said that the dress had only been in storage and never cleaned. So, I
took a small strip from a seam allowance and tested it with some oxy-clean
and there were no adverse results. I then soaked the stained area for a
while and it did lighten the stain a bit. I didn't want to soak for too
long even though the dress feels brand new and strong. Next I've had to
match some material as a patch for the hole which it about three eights of
an inch across. Not an easy task and I had to settle for some fine
hankerchief material..it's not a bad match, not perfect, being slightly
coarser..but at least the colour was right. Next has been sewing some of the
eyelets back together. I'm using my finest thread (170) and a beading
needle. I have to say it looks pretty good so far. I plan on hiding the raw
edges of the hole with a couple of embroidered spots. The thing is, the
orange stain still stands out like a neon sign :( What I would like an
opinion about is this, would it be alright if I covered those stains with a
bit of chalk? My thinking is that it would not only cover the stains but
perhaps also neutralise the effects of any remaining acid. The gown is to
be put on display at a Heritage Show next month. I don't think there is a
permanent way of getting rid of the stains but at least it would be
presentable. Thaks. Sharon on sunny but cold Vancouver Island
- [lace] restoration question Sharon
