— do-it-yourself —

CARE & MAINTENANCE

Display & storage

Storage
When a rug or textile is to be placed into storage for more than two or three months, it should first be cleaned to discourage insect infestation. Make sure someone is able to inspect wool rugs and textiles several times a year for moths and other condition problems. Roll the item instead of folding, as some creases can cause permanent damage and are difficult to remove. Make sure the item is only in contact with acid-free surfaces, tubes, and wrapping. Never seal the item in plastic for more than a few weeks, as moisture that may have been absorbed into the wool fibers can build up as condensation, promoting mildew. An acid-free, water resistant, air-permeable wrapping like ‘Tyvek” is preferred. Never store a rug directly on a concrete floor, as moisture can be drawn into the rug over time. Choose a storage location that is protected from flooding and is not subject to extremes of heat, cold or humidity.

Mounting/display
If you choose to display a rug or textile vertically or on a wall, the primary concern is the even support of the warp and weft or other structure of the item. Serious damage can result from nails and pins, stretching and sagging from uneven support, use of improper hardware and materials, and strain on unprotected fragile areas. Consulting a conservator is always recommended before attempting a mounting treatment yourself, and you may choose to have an experienced professional do the work for you, especially if the item is fragile or has a high value. Mounting costs are typically reasonable.

Mounting is done either with or without a frame-work, depending on the needs of the piece.

Frame-work, or hard mounting:
This involves stretching a washed linen or cotton fabric over a sealed/treated stretcher bar, then carefully stitching the textile to the linen, making certain the piece is evenly supported across its entire area. This technique is recommended for light-weight and fragile textiles that should not hang of their own weight, and provides the best protection for a textile. The only drawbacks are that only one side of the textile can be viewed, and larger textiles on hard frames can be unwieldy to move. Also, some distortion often results from laying the piece flat.

Non-frame-work hanging methods include:
Soft-mount fabric backing: When a textile is fragile and requires support, but its appearance is helped by its natural ‘drape’, then a fabric backing can be applied. This is done the same way as hard-mounting only without the frame. A sleeve, velcro, or hooks are then sewn into the backing fabric so that the weight of the item is bourne by the fabric and not the textile. The main drawback of this method is that damage can still be done to the textile (and the sewing threads can pull or tear the item) when it is moved or rolled.

Rod and sleeve or loop tabs:
When the textile can support its own weight, a sleeve or a series of looped tabs can be sewn to the back and hung on a rod. This is only recommended when the warp threads are to run vertically, and the fabric sleeve or loops are hand-sewn through the warps. It is difficult to get a rug or textile to hang straight or flat with this method, and you will have a rod and hanging hardware sticking out from behind the textile.

Velcro:
For textiles that can support their own weight, this method is the most common and the most versatile. The soft unhooked strip of the velcro is first sewn to a strip of fabric, which is then sewn to the textile (through the warps if possible). The second, more rigid hooked strip of velcro is either glued or stapled to a wood strip which is mounted to the wall. The textile can then be attached and removed with ease, and can be adjusted to help it hang flat and straight.

Other hardware:
All of the above methods require a decision as to which side of the textile to have face out, and all must be un-done in order to turn the item. Carpet-tacking-strips are often used but cause great damage to the textile. The only quality hanging strip we have found that does not cover part of the textile, is easy to use, and does the least damage is manufactured by Dee Ann Menuez in Santa Fe (505-982-8632). Prices run from $1.50 to $1.75 per inch, depending on the spacing of the support pins.