[Kristine Madras]

Good Afternoon!

I am trying to mount a field hockey uniform in our wall display case. I thought about wrapping a acid-free matte board in muslin and pinning the uniform to that, then mounting that onto the wooden back of the display case.

Does anyone have any other suggestions by chance?

Thank you.

Kristine

[Rebecca Gridley]

Hi Kristine,

I am one of the monitors for this month. While this isn’t my area of expertise, but your material choices sound like a good start to me. My one concern would be making sure that the weight of the uniform is evenly distributed on the pins, to minimize the risk of tearing, stress, or distortion to the textile. I am reaching out to a textile and costume expert for their suggestions. What is your depth limitation in the wall case? Are there other limitations I should be aware of?

I will be in touch with the expert’s recommendations!

Rebecca

[Rebecca Gridley]

Hi Kristine,

Both of the textile/costume conservators I reached out to have gotten back to me with suggestions, which I am summarizing below. I also read up on mounting techniques for textiles, and stitching recommended rather than pinning. I am happy to forward along some references and a quick explanation for why – but in the meantime here are the conservators’ suggestions:

1) One option is to display the uniform on a padded hanger. To do this, you could pad a wooden hanger with using 100% resin-free polyester batting, perhaps even creating a torso shape with the hanger. It can be fairly shallow in depth so that it will fit into the case (if the case is not deep). It’s important to select a hanger that fits the uniform at the shoulders; the points of the hanger should not extend past the shoulder seams. You can then cover the padding with muslin or cotton jersey; the latter is easier to shape. In either case, fabrics should be washed first (more details on ideal washing below). You can then use the hanger hook to hang the uniform on the back of the case.

2) If the depth of the display case can’t accommodate this, you can mount it flat –for the most part, strategically padding out areas of the upper torso (shoulders, chest) using 100% resin-free polyester batting, or using a thin inside mount built from FossShape (a low-melt polyester fiber formulated into yardage: https://www.wonderflexworld.com/shop/heat-activated-material/fosshape-300/). This will help to keep the uniform’s shape while displayed. Then the uniform can be stitched to an archival, fabric-wrapped backing board (more information on this below). The conservator suggests stitching it along the perimeter (or at various weight load points) using Coats & Clarks 100% polyester Dual Duty FINE thread or invisible thread. You can also add equally-spaced channels of horizontal stitching (archived with a curved needle) throughout the uniform’s top and bottom for additional support.

Some notes on preparing a backing: it should consist of an archival acid-free foam-core board first covered with 100% resin-free polyester needle-punch batting (extra-thin), followed by a fashion fabric or muslin. As I mentioned above, it’s important to wash the fabric first – ideally with a detergent that is free and clear of additives (e.g. optical brighteners, dyes, perfumes, oxidizing bleaches, etc.)

Let me know if you have any questions!

Rebecca

[Kristine Madras]

Hi Rebecca! Thank you very much for the information. I really appreciate your help!

[Susan-1]

Kristine –

Also check our our previous webinar on mannequins: https://www.connectingtocollections.org/much-ado-about-mannequins-making-the-perfect-form/ – There are some helpful hints there and examples of the use of FossShape.

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