Labelling fragile textiles

[Textiles & Organics Conservation <tex-org@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Labelling fragile textiles

Brent Hile worked on a collection of around 600 Coptic textiles for us
at the Conservation Centre, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside.
We felt we had to label the textiles as well as the storage folders, so
that they could be re-united after display.

We wrote the accession numbers on small strips of Tyvek - easier to
write on than cotton tape - with the usual conservation approved pens.
Them threaded a fine needle with fine polyester thread and passed it
through the label and a naturally occuring hole in the textile before
knotting the ends to form a large loop. If there was no hole we did have
to pass the needle through the textile - but once only. The materials
used are so light that little or no strain is placed on the textile, and
the loop is large enough to tuck the label behind the textile while on
display.  

Hope this helps.



Vivien Chapman, Textiles & Organics Conservation