Cleaning an antique, vintage or heirloom garment or other
textile is a skillful process that involves great thought and care
at every stage of the process.
At RAVE FabriCARE, we clean a wide range of antique, vintage and
heirloom garments and household textiles, ranging from bridal
gowns, bridesmaid dresses, christening gowns, military uniforms and
vintage garments to quilts, lace tablecloths, doll's clothing and
soft toys.
Our strength is our personalized advisory service. When you
bring in, send in or ship an antique, vintage or heirloom piece to
us, a knowledgeable Fabricare Consultant will:
* Examine the piece carefully
* Identify the challenges presented by the piece
* Discuss the areas of risk
* Explain our recommended restoration, cleaning and hand
finishing process
* Identify the results that we believe you can expect from
our work.
* Assist in identifying the optimum storage methods and
conditions.
That having been said, you should know that there are many
visible and not so visible problems and/or conditions of
manufacture, use and/or storage that may limit whether such items
can be safely cleaned and yield satisfactory results.
At the very least, the following potential problems and/or
conditions require careful examination:
Beads/Sequins
May peal, separate, dissolve, lose color, fall off due to loose
or broken threads. If glued on, glue may dissolve.
Buttons/Buckles/Closures
May be broken, missing or mismatched.
Lace
May be discolored, stained, or deteriorated due to age. If glued
on, color may change.
Hemlines
May be badly soiled, scuffed, frayed, torn or glued. Soil
removal may be limited.
Smell
May be musty or dank or smell of moth balls, cedar,
cigarette/cigar smoke, vomit or urine.
Soil
May be soiled from dust, grass, sand, asphalt, urine, feces,
blood or other bodily fluids.
Linings
May be discolored, worn, frayed, torn, or stained.
Stains
May be stained from food, beverage, perspiration, deodorants,
antiperspirants, exposure to water/high humidity, dye bleeding, dye
transfer or rust from metal components (buttons, hooks, zippers,
etc.).
Trims
Bows, pleating, flowers, appliques, beads, sequins, rhinestones
and other ornamental attachments may separate or discolor. If trim
is glued on, glue may dissolve.
Overall Condition
Scuffing; color loss areas; yarn slippage; yellowing due to age,
exposure to light and/or heat or poor storage conditions; worn
collars and cuffs; open or loose seams and hems; moth and/or other
insect damage (may be visible or invisible to the naked eye); dry
rot; tears. Weak or fragile areas (particularly at the underarms)
may tear. Unstable dyes may bleed.
As a general rule, these visible and not so visible problems
and/or conditions may be exposed during the cleaning and finishing
process. Which is one reason we always advise our clients to ensure
that their vintage pieces have been professionally cleaned and hand
finished by a restoration specialist prior to
purchase.
Despite these potential problems and/or conditions, it is
possible to achieve excellent results when you entrust your
antique, vintage and heirloom garments and other textiles to a
restoration specialist.
Over the next few weeks this blog will introduce a new series of
posts entitled "Anatomy Of A Garment Restoration." Each post
will include before and after photos of restorations completed by
RAVE FabriCARE for our museum, historical society, collector and
other clients.
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