Here Comes Santa Claus 12/22/2011 by Katey Corrigan Occasionally a project comes to us through a third party, such as an insurance company. Despite the anonymity, the fine crafting and personal significance of objects is often obvious. Earlier this year Museum Textile Services worked on a collection of Christmas Ornaments. The fifteen needlepoint ornaments had survived a family’s & craftsperson’s worst nightmare: a Christmas tree fire. A number of condition issues needed to be addressed so that these family treasures could be stabilized enough to be enjoyed again this Christmas.
Before
After
The damage to the collection consisted of soot, water damage, mildew and/or mold activity, and dye bleed. Unfortunately, the ornaments cannot be washed, because testing showed that additional dye bleed would occur. Dye transfer is frequently irreversible, but may be prevented by choosing needlecraft materials with waterfast dyes.