Shattering is a common problem with historic silks. "Metal salts were often used in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to impart a desirable “rustle” to silk used in dressmaking and to add heft to silk sold by weight. Unfortunately for their long-term preservation, these metal weighting agents can wreak havoc on the delicate silk fibers, often leading to inevitable and irreversible losses”(Benner 2014). This shattering of silk can be seen in many of the clothing worn by the dolls in the Bolivian Doll collection. As suggested in the Benner article I decided that I would reinforce any shattered silk with matching nylon tulle (2014). Where possible I stitched the damaged silk in between layers of matching nylon tulle. If this type of application was not possible I carefully stitched a matching layer of nylon tulle over top the shattered silk. I took long stiches on the underside of the fabric and stitched through trim where possible to try and reduce the stress on the damaged silk.
REPAIR OF DAMAGED FABRIC more -->
There was one doll that had severe insect infestation damaged to the fabric of her headscarf. In this repair I stitched the damage fabric to a backing of matching poly-cotton fabric and then stitched matched nylon tulle on top. This sandwiched the damage fabric in between layers of poly-cotton and tulle. I used this method as much of the original fabric was missing (Baker 2008). This technique work well and helped reinforce and support the damaged fabric.
