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"After cleaning, it is time to restore the item to its original shape. With the last rinse, pour
the specimen and some of the rinse water onto a mirror or glass or formica countertop. Very gently, float
the specimen into a semblance of its original shape. Lay an absorbant towel over it. Do not press
or smoosh. Lift the wet towel and leave the specimen to dry on its own.This may take more than a day,
so arrange to do this where there is no likelihood of interferrance by cooking,
children, pets, etc. In most cases, this is all that is required. The dry item
is ready for storage or use.
In the cases where the item dries crinkly or is still distorted from its orgininal shape, it
is necessary to block it. This is no little job. This is what the Victorian Upstairs Maid was
professionally trained to do for Madame's precious laces. Prepare a blocking
table with a base of pink or blue foam board such as is found in lumber suppliers
for housing installation. Cover it with a dark cotton tiny checked fabric that
has been washed many times to remove all sizings. Checked brown and black is a good
combination for contrast against white laces. The checks help to keep the lace laid straight.
Solid dark brown or dark green is also easy on the eyes and has the
least chance of color transfer to the wet lace. Reds, purples and blues need
many washings to be absolutely sure of color stability.
Lay the specimen on the checked table, pour clean water over it and starting from the center
of the item, gently push the fibers to their original positions. Pin them beside the fibers
rather than piercing the threads. Use yellow or white brass, or stainless, rustless pins. Refer
to the original photo to see how large the item was and how much space is intended between the threads
or motifs. If you feel stress on the fibers, stop before breaking them. Some things cannot be
returned to their original form, but nearly all can come close. If there are picot
loops at the edges, flatten and pin each of them open. If there are a gazillion picots, use a
gazillion pins. If you are blocking yardages that are longer than your table, do it in stages. Pour
enough water on what fits on the table, pin, allow to dry, unpin, and move to the next section.
Moisture will seep through the threads to the part that has already been pinned and dried, so to keep ahead
of the work, pin a few inches of the already dry specimen and then add water to the next section.
When the entire item is done, rejoice and give thanks that you are not an Upstairs Maid who gets to do this everyday!"
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