What lovely snippets turnup here! Reading about the fate of washed horsehair n lace reminded me of the helpful hints for washing lace in Therese de Dillmonts Encyclopaedia of Needlework first pub. 1886? but dont know if the hints were added or modified later. She recommends that soiled lace be soaked overnight in olive oil to remove grime and restore suppleness - then boil in a pan of water with pure soap until clean, rinse in water and dry still wrapped around the bottle to retain shape and prevent shrinking.
So perhaps , if horsehair was incorporated in the lace and it was soaked and boiled like this the keratin would be denatured a bit and become kinked rather like perming our own hair. Phil in Newcastle _________________________________________________________________ Take a summer road trip with Windows Live Hotmail. Multiple prizes and the ultimate dream beach house! - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]