In <[log in to unmask]> Sally Baulch
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
....

>I'm curious what textile conservators would say about the ways people
>take care of their heirlooms.


About five years ago, for the Harper's Ferry Regional Textile Conservation
Conference, I contributed a paper called "Perverted Conservation" -- about
all the things people do in the name of preserving textiles that are based
on hearsay, folklore, and personal logic.  I hoped to make the point that
we *have* to keep an eye on this information -- not to slap hands, or
control entry into the discipline, but because eventually we will see the
results in our workrooms.

Some interesting and questionable advice goes back to the early 19th
century, when cabbage juice often appears in stain removal recipes.  This
began to make sense when I realised they were translations from
French, and an earlier misreading of "chaux" for "choux."  But my
all-time favorite has always been the rumor which circulated in the late
'70s that toilet paper is acid free.....

Obviously, I can go on at great length about this, but won't here.
Anyone *truly* interested should e-mail me directly.

Sarah

Sarah Lowengard
[log in to unmask]
29 February 1996
New York City
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Sarah Lowengard                                               [log in to unmask]
February, 1996                                               New York City