The Care of Navajo Rugs and
Weavings
General Comments
The care of American Indian textiles is vital to their
longevity, vitality, and utility. To realize their maximum life and value,
initial consideration should be give to what went into the original manufacture,
the basic material, dyestuff, technique , and any other factors which would
affect longevity. While the claim is often made that Navajo weavings are not
fragile, they are not eternal and require care. The fact that the native weaver
formerly buried a finished rug in damp sand to cleanse it wholly disregards more
contemporary knowledge of better ways by which to achieve that end.
Proper Display
No native weave should be exposed to direct sunlight for
any length of time; even the best quality dye will retreat from such an insult.
Vegetal dyes fade quickly upon exposure to any light, and their lifetime
brilliance depends completely upon the care given to the original preparation;
this will vary from weaver to weaver. It is a heartbreak to see an old blanket
which has been left on the floor or wall and without attention for many years.
One sees a fine weave but dull tones; upon turning the textile over, the
explosion of original color still intact only emphasizes what has been lost
through neglect.
Textiles used on the floor should always have a pad placed underneath. This
not only prevents slipping but absorbs much of the shock of walking, allowing
the threads to move more gently under the pressure. A floor covering ought to be
rotated regularly, not only to balance the areas exposed to frequent travel but
to also allow the textile to adjust under use. Wool expands and shrinks, and
rotation helps balance this regular movement within the fabric. Often Navajo
textiles are observed to curl at the corners; usually this is due to a tightly
woven rug expanding under differing humidity or temperature conditions. To
remedy this, one can simply untie the corner ties (note carefully the original
way in which they were tied), then work the binding cord back towards the
centers slightly to release the accumulated tension, and re-tie in the original
knot.
Textiles displayed in a well-lit room using incandescent or fluorescent light
sill lose their original brilliance, just as those exposed to sunlight. The
illumination should be soft, indirect, and preferably one which has the
ultra-violet rays filtered out to insure longer color life. When hanging such
textiles, never use a few nails pounded in the wall as supports. Completely
aside from the fact that nails rust, this method will cause the textile to sag
in time, giving an unsightly undulating appearance which cannot be removed - the
fibers will have stretched beyond recovery.
Proper hanging involves the use of a strong horizontal member, either a metal
rod or wooden dowel to which the textile is fastened regularly with small
spacing between the fastening threads. This should be arranged in the same
manner as the original weave: by the warp threads. A further “safety net”
can sometimes be introduced by applying a second or third row of supporting
threads perpendicular to the warp, placed strategically along the body of the
rug and fastened in turn to a vertical support. This is particularly helpful
with a very heavy-weave textile. But perhaps the most ingenious method has been
recently developed by the use of plastic material which has thousands of
microscopic hooks applied to the surface of a tape. When two such tapes are
pressed together, these hooks interlock and provide a strong bind. By sewing one
tape to the textile and fastening the other to a wall or flat slat, the textile
can readily be supported throughout the top edge, thereby removing any possible
damage from tension at a single point.
Proper Cleaning
To clean native textiles, one should never wash them. Any
dye will yield to water in time, and once the color bleeds it cannot be removed;
this is particularly true of the red colors. Excepting for very old, partially
damaged textiles, most modern weaves can be vacuumed to remove dirt. Even the
use of a modern beater-brush implement is safe, providing care is taken in its
application. One should remember to always vacuum both sides of the weave. To
remove stains, the safest treatment is dry cleaning at the hands of a skilled
operator. While this will remove the lanolin naturally present in wool, most
modern dry-cleaning also includes the replacing of the lanolin if requested.
This is helpful because the presence of lanolin is one of the reasons why wool
wears so well - but is also one of the reasons why insects and rodents sometimes
attack wool textiles.
Rugs, particularly, should never be “snapped” or whipped to clean dirt
from them; such treatment breaks the threads and will result in a short time in
breaks or holes in the rug. A gentle shaking will loosen any large amount of
sand or dirt, but this should be done sparingly. Remember that, after all, you
are handling an object made up of thousands of pieces which have been patiently
fit together - the more you shake or snap it, the more you tend to separate
these pieces back into their original form.
Spills or stains present serious problems and require immediate attention if
they are to be successfully removed. Water or any other substance should be
blotted up and removed promptly but without rough treatment - you are simply
applying first aid to take away the majority of the damage. As soon as possible
the rug should be taken to a competent dry-cleaner, who has an array of magic
potions available for the correct handling of such stains. In this, as in any
restoration of health, the curing treatment can be worse than the ailment, so
one should know a skilled practitioner who has had experience with the type of
weaving affected. Just any old “textile doctor” may not prove suitable.
Long Term Storage
In storing textiles, rugs, or other large-sized weavings,
these should never be folded and piled one upon the other. This simply strains
the fibers; in time they will stretch and result in creases which cannot be
removed. Indeed, it may completely break the threads, again starting the holes
which eventually ruin any good weave. It is preferable to roll the textiles
loosely upon a cylinder or large-sized roller and store them in a cool, dry
place. These rolled-up textiles should be supported by end hooks or fasteners to
minimize weight upon the textile itself. Bear in mind that cardboard rollers
often contain acid in their manufacture, which can in time affect the textile.
Cotton itself presents minimal insect vulnerability, but wool is a delicacy
for moths and a good repellent or spray should be regularly applied to storage
areas; those textiles which are displayed on the wall should be given a
moth-spray treatment on both sides; frequently the exposed surface is treated,
and the neglected underside provides a hidden banquet for moth larvae. Whenever
new textiles are acquired, they should also be carefully treated. Many fine
collections have been ruined by the thoughtless addition of an untreated example
which quickly contaminates all of the earlier well-cared for textiles.
Another problem often overlooked is the interaction of chemicals in storage.
It should be realized that many dyestuffs have a chemical base which over the
years can have a severe interaction, resulting in the deterioration of the
fibers. Many ancient textiles show this effect clearly; black dyes often contain
iron which upon oxidization disintegrates to a point where only a vacant space
is left to indicate the original design.
The Final Word
Only regular attention to the exposure of textiles to abuse
can prevent their eventual loss. Chairs carelessly placed upon rugs, with their
movement of such legs, tables, casters, or contact supporters can have only one
result. The continual abuse, friction, exposure, and pounding of these
hand-woven textiles will yield the owner only what he (she) deserves. With
extremely fragile or valuable textiles, often the best remedy is to do nothing
at all. Fabric can stand just so much handling - and to attempt the restoration,
cleaning, or treatment of a weave without adequate training exposes that piece
to future re-treating, sometimes to a degree where the skilled technician is
helpless to provide the solution.
Taking such a precious object to a competent conservator at a local museum or
institute dedicated to art conservation is by far the best answer to such needs.
There are many such institutions throughout the country; in particular, the Textile
Museum in Washington, D.C. has been the most active in this particular area
of preservation.
Sources:
- Cleaning of Rugs and Textiles
- Restoration and Conservation
of Art Objects and Textiles
- The
Textile Museum - Washington, D.C.
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