When you walk the streets of Glasgow, Scotland you’ll be struck how much the city loves the local architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. However, Mackintosh’s wife Margaret Macdonald was also a wonderful artist. I believe that she should be recognized for her contributions to the distinctive Glasgow Style. My latest article in PieceWork examines her influence […]
Conservation of Color (Spin Off, Spring 2022)
The new issue of Spin Off is available now which includes my latest article, Conservation of Color. My article clarifies the science behind color in textiles and how dyes attach to fibers. Have you noticed your lovingly handmade textiles fading? I also explain why dyes lose their vibrancy over time and how you can reduce […]
The Salt-Box Shoe and Deliberately Concealed Textiles (PieceWork, Spring 2022)
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 […]
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 […]