Caring for Textile Arts

Q: My dad was a costume designer who loved textile arts. He collected fabrics and needlework from all over the world. I have boxes full of amazing textiles now, but some are pretty delicate. I’d love to enjoy them and put them up around my house, but I don’t want to hurt them, and could use some ideas about ways to use them.

A: Quilts, embroideries, needlepoint, macramé, tapestries, lace, woven works, and other fiber arts are often one-of-a-kind treasures. The personality and interest they bring makes them especially appealing decorative arts. However, they’re often fragile. Giving them proper care can help them look good for many years. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caring for textile arts, and a variety of ideas on ways to enjoy them.

Textiles Are Delicate

Arts made of fabric and other textiles can be fragile. They may require extra upkeep to keep them looking good over time. You’ll want to watch out for the following when displaying textiles.

Gravity Stresses Textiles Out

Hanging art made of fabric or other fibers means fighting gravity, Hanging puts extra stress on the individual fibers. Spreading out the hanging area (e.g., by hanging from a rod instead of on one or two hooks) lowers the risk of putting too much stress on one area. This also limits stretching or sagging.

Direct Sunlight Makes Fabric Fade & Weaken

Too much moisture makes fabrics musty and can even cause mildew stains. Nicotine from cigarette or cigar smoke also turns textiles yellow. When I was a child, my mom had to dry clean our living room drapes yearly to remove the ugly nicotine yellow left by her cigarette smoke.

If your home smells stuffy, smoky, or mildewy, consider using a dehumidifier in the hotter months, and a HEPA filtration unit all year round. This preserves fabrics, make your home smell fresher, and is healthier.

Dust Gathers on Fibers & Alters Colors

Removing that dust too vigorously can break threads or work the dust further in. Caring for textile arts means regularly and gently removing dust from their fibers. You can use a vacuum cleaner’s fabric-cleaning attachment, but if you do, make sure the attachment is completely clean. Don’t rub too hard.

You can also blow dust off with compressed air. Cans of compressed air work well. Better yet, use a rechargeable air duster, which avoids creating landfill waste.

Humidity Causes Mildew, Smoke Yellows Fabric

Too much moisture makes fabrics musty and can even cause mildew stains. Nicotine from cigarettes or cigars turns textiles yellow. If your home smells stuffy, smoky, or mildewy, consider using a dehumidifier in the hotter months, and a HEPA filtration unit all year round. This preserves fabrics, make your home smell fresher, and is healthier.

Pins Leave Rust Stains

One of the most common causes of damage to vintage and antique textiles is the use of straight or safety pins to hold fabrics in place (such as in wedding dress storage boxes), or to affix notes to them.

After years of storage in places like attics or basements that aren’t temperature- and moisture-controlled, boxes and bags fabrics pick up moisture. The fabrics inside do, too, and any pins in them begin to rust.

Rust is extremely difficult to remove from fabrics, so remove pins and other metal items from textile storage boxes now, before it’s too late.

Preserving & Displaying Textile Art & Home Goods

For hints on displaying, maintaining, and caring for textile art safely and effectively, see the following pages. You’ll find specific tips for enjoying and looking after a variety of types of fiber arts.

• Quilts & Patchwork
• Embroidery (including crewel and cross-stitch embroidery)
• Needlepoint (including petit point and tapestry cushions)
• Lace & Macramé
• Batik and Other Deeply Dyed Fabrics

Other Ways to Display Fabric Around Your Home

• During the 17th century’s Golden Age of Dutch art, prosperous Dutch families were very proud of their fine Turkish carpets. They even draped them over their tables and featured them in paintings of interiors. Fine antique carpets make beautiful wall hangings, and still look great draped over chests or tables as the Dutch did centuries ago.

• Using fine fabrics such as printed toiles or moiré silks instead of paper on walls is elegant but extravagantly expensive. Upholster panels of plywood or fiberboard with fabric and hang them on walls for an attractive and stylish alternative. Adding fabric to walls and floors also helps dampen sound in a room full of hard surfaces.

• Fabric-backed cabinetry offers a chic custom look that lightens up a large bank of plain shelving.

• Upholstered headboards can be affixed right above a bed, providing a cushioned surface to lean against while reading or watching TV.

Textile arts are a terrific way to add individuality, warmth, and style to any room. They add color and texture, dampen overly live acoustics, and add a handmade element that brings life and serenity to an overly stark space.

Look around your home—where might you liven things up with a bit of fiber or fabric?

More About Caring for & Decorating with Textiles

To learn more about caring for textiles or decorating with them, see my other articles on textile arts:

• Decorate Your Home with Fabric
• Decorating with Needlework
• Decorating with Quilts and Patchwork
• Caring for Batik and Other Deeply Dyed Fabrics
• Decorating with Lace and Macrame

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Embroidered fabric from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India | Vyacheslav Argenberg for Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)