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Friday, December 10, 2010

Washing day



The costume for Argenteuil has been on hold for a while, pending approval and vintage lace preparation. The Brussels lace is now washed. I soaked it in oxy wash and rinsed it well, laying it out in the sun to dry. I was told not to iron it, but to block it out with pins. I laid it out on a thick white towel. It came up very nicely, definitely whiter. The rust spots remained, however.

The next sunny day, I repeated the process, this time dripping lemon juice on the damp lace where the rust spots were. Then I sprinkled salt on the stains. I have used this successfully in the past. It did remove many of the spots, but not all. I'm not sure on my next move, but the lace is much brighter. I may decide to leave it as is. Given its age, this is the prudent thing to do.

I gave it one more rinse and carefully blocked it out once more. With careful placement, I'd say I'm ready to use the lace. I need to get some fine tulle to place under the sleeve lace.

The ladies from Argenteuil came by this week to see the costume and were well pleased with what they saw. We made some decisions as to final construction, according to their requirements.

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