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:
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Cleaning of Rugs and Textiles
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Restoration and Conservation of Art Objects and Textiles
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The Textile Museum - Washington, D.C.
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