Pine needle scrimshaw pocketbook

Pine needle pocketbook by Amy Dow posted May 5, 2019 at 1:48 PM

Pine needle pocketbook by Amy Dow posted May 5, 2019 at 1:48 PM

Pine needle pocketbook by Amy Dow posted May 5, 2019 at 1:48 PM

Pine needle pocketbook by Amy Dow posted May 5, 2019 at 1:48 PM

 

Simply Nantucket Baskets
Gives some advice...

Beautiful, @Amy Dow

Welcome!

 

It is a lovely basket. The safest method to clean it is just to dust it by using a soft brush (like a make-up brush), and brush the dust and dirt toward a vacuum cleaner nozzle. Don't vacuum it directly, because there may be loose bits that could be sucked off. Avoid water or other liquids, which would cause the pine needles and stitching to swell and might cause staining.

 

virtually never use water on organic fibers, e.g., root, bark, leaf, etc, because it will cause the fibers to swell. As soon as it does, and if the object is fragile, you could end up bursting the thing to pieces like the incredible hulk through his shirt.

Some conservators will use a vacuum nozzle with a fiberglas screen (think: window screen) over the object to 'hold down' all but the dust. that way the tip of the vacuum can't come in contact with the object.

Something from 1977 should still be 'ok' and intact so that might be overkill. The idea is 'slow and gentle.' Good advice for a lot of things.

 

I've used a pair of tights stretched over a vacuum cleaner nozzle.