Heirlooms - Saving things that can't be saved - v.2
general journal junk
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idealog
"You can frame fabrics, jewellery, pages and covers of books, documents, albums and album covers, menus, programmes, stones, shells, other small mementos or knick-knacks, and all manner of things that will go into a frame or shadow box, that can go on a wall where you can actually enjoy it, rather than in a closet where it takes up space and never sees the light of day." - From the 2019 post.
For preserving the fabrics:
You will need:
- scissors
- an adhesive of choice, preferably one that's removable - tacks, double-sided tape, etc.
- frames/shadow boxes - dollar store frames will do.
- the things you want to save
Now, to the fun!
- Cut a swatch that's at least 30 cm (12 inches) a side, or cut a piece that will fit in the frame you have and wrap around a piece of card at least a little, or take a piece from a spot that won't be noticed - like an extra bow, something from a spot underneath, etc. Cutting a large swatch will give you more flexibility when framing.
- Consider the size of the frame you have and the size of the viewing area inside the mat. You may want to cut that area bigger to show more of the fabric.
- Get a piece of card or thin board that will fit the frame you have, wrap the fabric around it, secure it in the back with something that can be removed, slip the mat, your wrapped fabric, then the backing back into the frame. Voila!
- If the item you're taking the cloth from has additional items - buttons, lace, trim, decorations of other types, multiple types of fabrics or patterns, etc. - you might want to take some of those to add to your framed display piece.
On a somewhat more complicated and costly note, some items you want to keep will be far more susceptible to damage from UV light. So, consider using - if you can - UV-protecting glass or a spray varnish (for paper items) to help protect them. Or just make sure to keep such items out of direct sunlight to preserve them as long as possible.
If you're preserving paper items, just make sure you have a frame big enough to hold the item you want to save and make sure the size of the view space in the mat is big enough to showcase what you want to showcase.
If you're trying to display items that have a little more depth than your average piece of paper, you might want to move up to a shadow box to give the items the room they need. You can sometimes get these at a dollar store as well.
If there's a photograph of the person wearing or using the items you're preserving, consider adding it to the display.