I know I said I'd get 'at least two' blog posts from the contents of this box...but I have spent almost a whole afternoon taking pictures and I'm not halfway through yet.
The first step was, of course, obtaining some acid -free boxes and tissue to move the items to.
I think she started to make a list and gave up pretty quickly. I'm documenting it as I'm pulling it out and it is something of a chore.
I wish I had thought to measure stuff; going forward, I will likely get some measurements before I fold it up in the tissue, but I'm not going to unbox what I've already moved.
So. Pat said that her mother always called it 'The Hoover Trunk' as her grandmother's (that would be the great-grandmother of My Sweet Babboo and Pat) maiden name was Hoover. Ida Hoover. She was, apparently, a professional dressmaker/ seamstress. I don't know if she made all the contents of the trunk or not, but I suppose it is possible that she made a good deal of it. I don't think I've seen photos of Ida; Pat says that she was a very petite lady...who had very not-petite sisters. I will say that the contents of the trunk are very...varied, lol.But we'll get to that.
I started with the non-garments first, and the biggest thing in the trunk is apparently a quilt top. But it is cool; a really different sort of quilt with the big paisley print pieces surrounded by small pieced blocks. I have not seen anything quite like it.This is folded in half with some supporting tissue on the fold.
The moth damage is extensive and some of the fabric pieces have gotten very fragile from age. I have no earthly idea what could be done with it...I am not sure it is at all salvageable.
What would you do with it? I'm curious.
I am probably going to ask that question a LOT in this series....
Intriguing post and contents! I am staying tuned! What is exactly the issue with your photos? Perhaps I can help as I've never felt I had an issue with mine. Let me know if I can help. Feel free to email me at bunnypep at gmail dot you know the rest.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bunny, I may take you up on that, although it JUST occurred to me that my problems might be browser-related. I haven't switched entirely to Chrome; too many bookmarks/ passwords, etc live on Firefox, but since Blogger and Chrome are both Google products that may be a little more amenable. But the problem that I am having is that all uploaded pics go to the top of the post, in a rather unpredictable order, and it is difficult to drag them around to where I want them. They jump around, rearrange the text, sometimes disappear and I have to hit the 'undo' button to get them back...and if I click on the reposition icons they pop back up at the top and I have to start over again. Which is why the bottom three pics are all over on the left side, lol. I will try it on Chrome and if I'm still having problems we'll chat.
DeleteWhat to do about the quilt and the moth holes depends on what you want to do with it ...Do you want to hang it as art (archively framed or not framed)? do you want to finish it?
ReplyDeleteFirst ensure there is not an active moth infestations (easiest way to do it DIY is freeze it, warm it up, repeat)
From there, you can replace the holey piece; applique another fabric piece over it, reinforce weakened fibers with light netting, leave as is
and although considered heresy by many, use it as fabric for something like a keepsake teddy bear
Reinforcing it with net....there's an idea. There's currently no sign of infestation, so I'm not terribly worried about that, although it is a good thought. The whole piece is pretty fragile; I don't really think it would hold up to much manipulation. And, while interesting, the color scheme is not something I am crazy about. If it were in good shape, I'd finish it off and use it as a quilt/ cover. But the fabric is nearly brittle in places. Covering it with fine net might preserve it for the sake of the art, though. I hadn't thought of that.
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