My latest article is now out in the Spring issue of PieceWork magazine! It focuses on the Salt-Box shoe, a small child’s boot that was found in the ruins of a house in Shelton, Connecticut. But how did the shoe survive the elements for almost one hundred years and why was it thought to bring […]
Author: Isabella Rossi
A Textile Conservator’s Guide to Dyeing Notes
This post is an extension of my recent article in PLY magazine, “Dyeing Tips from a Textile Conservator.” In this article I discuss how important it is to take notes on your dyeing to improve your consistency and accuracy. Today I’ll show you how I take notes on dyeing and show how you can do […]
Dyeing Tips from a Textile Conservator (PLY, Fall 2021)
It’s finally autumn because the Fall issue of PLY came out today! Does your hand dyed fabric have splotches? Do you struggle to dye your yarn the same shade every time? Do you want to improve your consistency in the dye pot? Then read my latest article in PLY magazine! My article offers advice on […]
My Journey to Textile Conservation: Past, Present, and Future
Beginnings One of the first hurdles to becoming a textile conservator is knowing that the field exists at all. Many people have interests in museums, art, craft, history, or science but have no idea that they could channel these passions into textile conservation. Very few people (including several of my family members) known what textile […]
New Lanark: Robert Owen’s Great Social Experiment (PieceWork, Fall 2021)
Although it’s still summer, the Fall issue of Piecework is arriving! This issue follows stories of how textiles have acted as “Threads of Change.” My article follows the history of the New Lanark textile mill which eagle eyed readers may recognize in my banner photograph! I explain how the nineteenth century social reformer Robert Owen […]
Azlons: The Lost Regenerated Fibers
What are azlons? Azlons are regenerated protein fibers. Proteins are molecules made of long chains of amino acids found in plants and animals. Azlons are known as regenerated because proteins are taken from natural sources and reformed into usable fibers. Historically, many sources of animal and plant proteins were used such as eggs, gelatine, feathers, […]
Fabulous Fibers: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (and Synthetic too)
As I discussed in my last post, textiles are all made out of fibers. But what are fibers? Fibers are the small units that make up textiles. If you pull out a single strand from a clump of wool, you’ve got yourself a wool fiber. Animal Fibers Fibers are categorized by their origin. Animal (also […]
What is a textile? Tapestries, shoes, and more?
I’ve already explained what a textile conservator is, but what exactly is a textile? The meaning seems obvious until you try to clearly define what is a textile. A tapestry is clearly a textile, but what about a shoe? Does it matter if the shoe is made of silk or leather? Should you bring it […]
When Moths Attack Part II: Eradication and Prevention
Haven’t read When Moths Attack Part I: Introduction and Identification? Click here! Now that you know what types of moths cause damage and how to identify them, I’m going to cover how to eradicate them and prevent them from coming back. However, as always, please don’t use these methods with historic textiles! They are very […]
5 Electric Long Draw Tips for Beginners (PLY, Summer 2021)
It’s that lovely time of the year when a new issue of PLY: The Magazine for Handspinners comes out! And guess who has an article in it! This latest issue of PLY is all about electric spinning wheels. As a person who did not had a lot of space or money to dedicate to spinning, […]