Caring for Quilts, Textiles and Fiber Arts: Resources
Ian Danger Capstick
Quilts are expressions of artistry and heritage, each with a story in every stitch. From delicate antique heirlooms to contemporary art quilts, we all know textiles hold deep sentimental value and often historical significance.
However, as treasured as these pieces are, preserving them can be a challenging endeavour. The complex interplay of fabrics, dyes, and construction techniques requires a nuanced approach to care and conservation. This is one of my favourite areas of conversation with artists and textiles folks.
In this post, I have pulled together expert advice from leading museums and conservation institutes, offering insights into the world of textile care.
Fragile and Historic Quilt Care
Care of Quilts: Cleaning Fragile Quilts: Quilts need special care in cleaning, but even professionals do not always agree on the best methods or even whether it should be done. No two quilts are alike. Methods suited for cleaning one quilt may not be best for another. The fiber content, dyes and construction make each one unique. Sometimes it may be advisable to clean a quilt. Usually it is best to leave it as is.
Link: https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/843/html/view
Museum-level Care and Conservation: The International Quilt museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. We follow their recommendations for collection care. You can follow many of these guidelines at home, for your antique treasures and for your stash of fabrics and new projects. Quilts can last for generations if they are cared for properly.
Link: https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org/collections/care-and-conservation
Historic Quilts: Advice on Home Cleaning and Repair: The Quilt Museum and Gallery, UK
Cleaning and repair of historic textiles can be problematic, and in many cases the Quilt Museum will only have collection items cleaned and conserved by professional textiles conservators. However, we do some basic conservation within the museum, and outlined below are some useful guidelines and links on cleaning and repair.
Link: https://www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/uploads/attachment/199/quilt-care-leaflet-1-cleaning-and-repair.pdf
Art Quilts: Display and Conservation
The care and display of art quilts: Concern about the longevity of quilt art is sometimes given as a reason for not collecting it, but this concern is not justified. Museum experience shows that when environmental controls are in place and care is taken with the way quilts are stored, they can last a lifetime and longer.
Link: https://www.saqa.com/care-and-display-art-quilts
Donating Quilts – Leaving a Legacy: Donating Quilts to Museums
For many quilters and quilt collectors, quilting is about legacy, whether warm generational memories or mysterious auction finds. Because most quilters create their quilts for family, friends or charity, you might wonder how quilts end up in museums. Although donations from well-known collectors make the quilt world news, most museums build their collections as individual donors give one or two quilts to preserve their own legacies. Where do you come in?
https://www.saqa.com/donating-quilts-leaving-legacy-donating-quilts-museums
Fiber Art Care
How Do You Conserve Art Made from Textiles? Very, Very Carefully
This month, the Guggenheim, along with other New York arts institutions, is celebrating textile art in all its forms. We spoke with the museum’s objects conservator, Esther Chao, to learn more about what it takes to conserve pieces made out of materials that are often delicate and challenging to handle. Chao emphasizes that her department contracts specialists to work on the museum’s textile works, but given the nature of her position, she has been involved in preserving many of pieces in the collection created from multiple mediums. Here, she gives us a snapshot of the meticulous labor that ensures the longevity of some of the museum’s groundbreaking contemporary works.
General Textiles learnings on cleaning and conservation
Preventive conservation guidelines: Caring for textiles and costumes
Caring for textiles and costumes is part of CCI’s Preventive conservation guidelines for collections online resource. This section presents key aspects of managing the care of textiles and costumes in heritage collections based on the principles of preventive conservation and risk management.
With specific instructions on testing for colour fastness and washing: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/testing-colourfastness.html
Textile Museum of Canada: Learning Hub
The Textile Museum of Canada supports lifelong learning by offering opportunities for active engagement through public programs and self-directed exploration with our online resources.
Link: https://textilemuseum.ca/learning/
Conservators Resources
Often a professional is needed, here are the sites where you can find them:
Canada: https://capc-acrp.ca/en/conservators?keywords=preventive-conservation
USA: https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/find-a-conservator
UK: https://www.icon.org.uk/?gad_source=1
Australia: https://aiccm.org.au/find-a-conservator/
