Washing textiles

If there are any textile conservators on the list, I hope someone
will be gracious enough to offer a solution (no pun intended) to my
problem. (This is not related to my job, at least not my current
one, but is personal)

I have acquired an Afghani textile, a shawl (Persian word) or
"chadder" (Afghani term)  It is about 10' long and meant to wrap
around the shoulders and hang down. It is of indeterminate age,
probably anywhere from 50-100 years old.  It appears to be cotton
warp, with about 3 feet at each end woven in silk. The silk yarns
are a dull gold or mustard, and the predominant color is magenta.
>From some experience with rugs, I believe this color to by
synthetic, and I believe it has a tendency to run or bleed. The
textile is pretty dirty, but in good condition and not badly
stained.

Should I wash it or have it dry cleaned?  I have home laundry
facilities, including a big sink, and Orvus soap.  I cannot really
afford to send it out to the people who wash rugs. (I haven't tested
any areas for color fastness, but it looks as if the magenta has
already bled a little)

Susan Fatemi

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:16
                  Distributed: Monday, August 14, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-16-013
                                  ***