Caring for Your Tapestries

Here’s the situation, you have a centuries old tapestry that have been passed down from generations to generation in your family. It is very old and simply damaging it is not an option. You know you will be haunted if your ancestors found out that the tapestry got ruined under you watch. There are several caring tips for your tapestries that would help you maintain them so you can pass them down to your children as your parents and grand parents did before you.

First things first, tapestries were made to be hanged. So it would be best to remove the tapestries from the storage room and find a wall somewhere where you could place them. So the first caring tip that you should know is how to hang tapestries correctly. Improperly placed tapestries can and will damage them in the long run.

When hanging tapestries, you will have to consider the weight and placing the appropriate support to keep the weigh of the fabric balanced. You can use a rod to hang the tapestries or a backing fabric, both of which are provided in most modern tapestries. However, you might encounter some problems with antique ones that don’t have rod pockets sewn on the fabric. If that is the case, you might have to employ someone to fix or sew the rod pockets for you but it is important to go to persons that deal with old tapestries to avoid further damage on the fabric. Using Velcro has been recommended before but due to the weight of some tapestries, sticking Velcro on the back of the fabric might bring more damage than good.

Also, if you don’t know what you’re doing, stop. Let the experts to those stuff. One of the things that you should not do is to cut the corners. I don’t know what your reasons would be for doing that, but that is something that you should not do especially if the piece of tapestry is a really old and valuable one.

Now back to the hanging, or tapestry hanging rather. You need to consider the climate in your area as well when hanging your tapestries. If you live in a more humid environment, then it would be better to create some space between your fabric and the wall just to avoid molds growing on both the walls and the tapestry.

Cleaning your tapestry comes with the territory of caring for it. The reason why your age old tapestry survived and is hanging on y our wall is due to the fact that your parents and grandparents were very careful with it and used proper cleaning methods. Now, you are quite fortunate today since you have several technological cleaning innovations at your disposal.

For instance, vacuuming the tapestry for dirt is one of the basic regular cleaning that your tapestry needs. By removing the dust on a regular basis, you prevent them from accumulating on the surface. You might have to dust the fabric as well.

That’s at least the way to clean the surface of the fabric. However, when tapestries need some really thorough cleaning you will need to consult the experts. Tapestries are quite sensitive. Sometimes even plain water can proved to be damaging since tapestries are made from different materials including the threads and color dyes used.

Here are just a few caring tips for you tapestries. Hopefully you can make your own last so your little ones can enjoy them in the years to come.

Some Useful Tips on Buying Tapestries

So you are thinking of giving your home a unique twist? Why not consider buying and using tapestry as a decorative material. There are many creative ways you can enliven your home with a tapestry, a fabric that is woven by hand or in a jacquard machine using different colorful threads. Tapestries can be hung to make for an interesting piece of artwork or be used as an accent for furniture.

If the idea of using tapestry in your home is new to you but something which you are willing to try, then it might not hurt to know and remember a few things about choosing and buying a tapestry. When you decide to buy a tapestry, there are some things you would need to consider.

Tapestries can be made of different kinds of materials, so choose which kind of tapestry you would like to have. Smaller tapestries are made of woven cotton. The larger ones are made of cotton, wool or a combination of different kinds of materials, such as cotton, wool and silk. You should also look out for tapestries that are made with care for quality. A good tapestry must not be prone to oxidisation, meaning it would not lose its rich color or darken when exposed to air or sunlight.

Tapestries usually have rich colors and patterns, but take note that antique tapestries could be washed out. Don’t fret over this as sometimes, a little fading can actually give your tapestry a unique character. However, if you prefer vivid colors for your tapestry, you can keep them as such by keeping the tapestry away from direct sunlight.

There are many designs that you can choose from. Tapestry weavers come up with a variety of patterns and designs that it is often hard to select one that would be perfect for your home. Designs can include different depictions of country life or city life, nature, still life, court scenes, mythological and historical figures, religious images, even reproduction of classic paintings.

The satisfaction of buying a beautifully made tapestry does not end with just putting it on display for your family or guests to admire. You would be delighted after having bought a tapestry that just suits your taste and style, and which is woven to high quality. You would not, however, wish that the money you spent for good-value tapestry would be put to waste. So, make sure to maintain the quality of your tapestry by giving it the proper care it needs. Regularly dust your tapestry using a soft brush. Any problem that you may have with creases can be solved with steam-ironing.

If the tapestry has lining, it is all right to steam iron it, but a soft cloth must be placed on top of the crease. For tapestries without lining, you should have the tapestry’s back facing up. Place a soft cloth or something similar, such as muslin cloth, over the crease and dry iron it. It is not advisable to use a steam iron for tapestries without lining as it may damage the material.

Moreover, you can have your tapestry dry-cleaned by a reputable dry cleaning shop. If you happen to have purchased antique tapestry, there are dry cleaning centers that specialize in the wash or repair of antique tapestry.

Just remember that when you’re buying tapestries, it does not end with the purchase. You have to take care of your purchase so your grandchildren and their grandchildren can still appreciate it.

Recycling Your Old Tapestries

If you used to hang an old tapestry on the wall and it is not as good as before, you can try to have it repaired or restored. If this does not work, you have no choice but to replace it with a new one. As for the old one, you can still do something with instead of just throwing it away in the trash. Here are a few ideas.

First, you can make a tapestry bag out of the old cloth. For that, you must fold the tapestry in half. Work first from left to right with the right sides together. Now you stitch the sides together using a heavy duty needle and upholstery weight thread.

Since this will turn the tapestry into a rough cylinder, you can now turn the piece right side out and position the main design so people will see it on one side of the bag. Turn the back inside out again and stitch along the bottom.

Now that your tapestry makes a rough cylinder, turn the piece right-side out and position the main design so it is on one side of the bag. Carefully turn the piece back inside-out, and stitch along the bottom.

The last thing to do will be to stitch a belt to the sides so the bag has a strap. Some of the things you can use include a guitar strap, an old bag or sea belt webbing.

If you still have some fabric lying around, make smaller versions with the remainder. You can surely make a cosmetic bag then just add a zipper so the contents do not fall off inside the bag. To help you get started, look for ways to do this in craft books and online.

For those who don’t want to sow, another option will be to cut the tapestry and then use this as a rug. This is better than buying one from the store knowing that especially when you are just using this to collect dirt from the footwear that people wore coming from outside.

If you have a pet, use this as their bedding. This will surely keep them warm at night whenever the weather gets cold.

Should the tapestry be not suited as a rug or bedding, you can cut these into wide strips and use it as wrapping packages. With Christmas less than 2 months away, you can use this as a ribbon then add a few other things to make it look presentable.

You can also use the old tapestry as a protective cover whenever you or your kids are doing some artwork as this will prevent paint, glue, glitters and a lot more from going to your carpet.

Did you know that money can be made old tapestry? Yes you can when you are able to sell it to someone who makes bags, rugs and other items from the fabric. If you don’t have that much, perhaps it is best to give it way to charity so someone will be able to use it.

Your old tapestry is worth nothing if it has holes of it the color have already faded. From the examples cited, you realize that there are a lot of other things you can do with your old tapestry instead of just throwing it in the trash. You should just use your imagination and ingenuity because what may seem as trash to you could be opportunity to someone else.

Famous Tapestries

Through the years, various tapestries have been acknowledged for its magnificent artwork. To give you an idea, here are a few of them.

The first tapestry shows evidence that one of the first made was done by the Greeks. This is referred to as the Sampul tapestry that was discovered in the Tarim Basin inside a mass grave dating back to the 3rd century BC.

The tapestry represents a Greek soldier while some argue that it is a centaur. Regardless of who is in the figurine, more than 24 different kinds of thread were used in making it. People will be able to see this when they visit the Xinjiang Museum in Urumqi, China.

Three centuries later, the Hestia tapestry was discovered. This one stands out because this was made from both linen and wool. People who would like to see it will be happy to know that this is displayed in Washington D.C.

Some tapestries tell the audience a story and this is exactly what you see in the Bayeux tapestry. The drawings explain the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England and the invasion itself with what is happening written in Latin. If you want to see the original, you will have to go to a museum in Normandy, France or just enjoy its replica in Berkshire, England.

The longest tapestry in the world is the Apocalypse tapestry and this depicts scenes from the Book of Revelation. It took 9 years to finish and sadly, only 100 meters is left of this artwork.

Everyone is well aware of the paintings of Michelangelo in the Sistine chapel. But are you aware that there were also tapestries here that have historical significance? Yes, there are a few of these designed by Raphael. These depicted in the life of St. Peter and St. Paul as described in the gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Only a handful of these survive as many of these were either burned or stolen when Rome was sacked during the 16th century.

When the production of tapestries moved from northern France to Belgium, it was here that the Spanish royal collection was made. It consists of 8,000 meters of historical tapestry with some designed by Goya himself. The challenging part given the large number of artwork made is that you won’t see this all in one museum since this is displayed in various historical buildings.

The nice thing about these works of art is that you don’t have to visit these places just to see it up close and personal. Because there is a demand for these pieces, museums and art dealers are selling replicas of these to the public. You just have to find someone who specializes in this and then buy it from them so you can display it in your home.

If you don’t want a replica, you can choose from the various designs available or commission someone to make your own personal tapestry.

There are other famous tapestries aside from those mentioned. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of these that are still made old fashioned way when it can be produced in vast quantities thanks to new technology. Some argue that this improves the quality of these products but there are limits to what it can do compared to the talent of a person.

The American Tapestry

Most tapestries came from Europe and when people decided to move to the New World, they brought along with them a few pieces until the immigrants decided to make their own version which is now known as American tapestry.

American tapestry is very similar to Renaissance designs because it depicts reality but in an American setting. You are sure to find one in every American home you visit even if the family was rich or poor.

Because the industrial revolution did not take shape yet, people were still doing this by hand. Phase one involved creating a detailed drawing. When this was completed, production begins by a process known as warping.

Here, you basically prepare all the materials so in phase 3; the workers will now weave bringing the design to life. The last thing that is done is the finished state where borders are placed on the sides similar to a frame placed to hold a painting. A cotton fabric and rod pocket is then placed so the tapestry can be hung on the wall.

In the years that followed, American tapestry just like the other designs was not used to hang on walls. Some were used as rugs or throws. You already had a choice where to put it as long as this matches with the overall surroundings.

There are even a few tapestry designed bags, handbags, pillows, curtains, bed sheets and blankets now available in the market.

Most of the American tapestry that is produced these days is imported from Belgium or China. They come in different designs and these are normally sold by the yard. The price range of American tapestry could be from under $10 to a little over $30 so you just have to look at various stores in the neighborhood and also online.

American tapestry compared to Medieval, Renaissance, floral or Verdure are very affordable. This is perhaps because it does not capture anything magical or spiritual that the owner can relate to. What it can do however is add life to the home and that is the most important thing you have to ask yourself when you go looking for the right tapestry.

The smallest American tapestry you can find measures 13 by 18 inches while a poster version will measure about 27 to 36 inches. But if you are trying to fill a large wall in the room, you better get something that is as big as a banner. This really depends on the size of your home.

So you don’t have a hard time, it is best to being color samples when you visit the store. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more because cheap ones will bring down the quality of your home. If possible, see if there are some American tapestries made by hand because these are better than those made by a machine. It is also more durable even if it does not require a lot of maintenance to keep it clean and in good condition.

American tapestries are not created on a whim because it has a meaning just like a painting. What it means to the artist may be different to you but as long as there is something there that strikes you, then that is the right one you should get and display in your home.