T.L.C. For Antique Fabrics

Although I have in my possession numerous garments, I have not had the opportunity to participate in Era Fashions because I am always involved in the car judging; consequently it has been an everlasting challenge for me to preserve my era clothing.

Several years ago, I picked up some hints and ideas from the Smithsonian Institution and university extension offices, particularly that of my state and Ohio State University:

• First, do not store your clothing or any antique fabric in plastic bags. The humidity can lead to mildew, leaving brown spots on the cloth, and fumes from the plastic can deteriorate the fabric.
• Secondly, do not store them in a wooden box or in direct contact with a wooden shelf. Do not wrap in ordinary tissue paper. These are acidic and are damaging to cotton and linen.
• Don't store antique fabrics in cardboard boxes which have a tendency to become damp in rainy weather.
• Another caution - do not hang your garments on hangers as this only puts too much stress on their tops.
• It is not wise to store antique fabrics in the attic or basement as extremes of temperatures and humidity are not good. A constant temperature of 70 degrees or less is recommended.
• Remember, do not steam or press a textile being saved for history.
• Do not leave pins in as they can rust and do use iron-on tape.
• Lastly, do not subject your priceless garments to direct sunlight.

In addition to all these do nots and don'ts, I found this list of do's:

• Do wrap your clothing or fabrics in an old clean sheet or acid-free tissue paper. New sheets may be used only after they have been washed several times. The items can then be placed in a wooden box after they have been wrapped.
• In pertaining to folds in the material, you can protect sharp creasing by stuffing with acid-free tissue paper or clean sheets. It also is a good idea to refold along different lines when returning to storage to prevent stress from wearing the same area.
• One should remember to inspect antique textiles several times a year and air them in a shady spot. Common sense should tell us if an item is fragile, we should support its weight while airing.
• Historic textiles can be cleaned. Some may be subjected to washing while others lend themselves to be only dry-cleaned. To test for color-fastness, fill a medicine dropper with a mild dilute soap solution and put a few drops on the fabric in an inconspicuous spot. Blot the area dry with a clean white cloth. If no color comes off, it should be safe to launder the fabric.
• Textiles or clothing that are too fragile to withstand washing can be sent away to conservation centers to be cleaned. Sometimes they can be vacuumed through Fiberglass screens.

If you are a Model "A" enthusiast, you may become interested in the Era Fashion Program and maybe even plan on entering judging. If so, this is a start to learning more about era fashions and fabrics. You, therefore, play a major role in the Model A Ford Foundation, as our mutual goal is to "preserve the Model "A" era for future generations" and to educate about the era. Educating Model "A" enthusiasts about era fashions is just a small part of what we do.

Submitted by Bertha Haueter - MAFFI