JAIC 2002, Volume 41, Number 1, Article 1 (pp. 01 to 12)
OVERLAY WITH A DIFFERENCE: STRONG SUPPORT-THREAD EDGE FINISH FOR TETEX TRREN�E DANCAUSE
ABSTRACT—Overlays are commonly used for securing the entire surface or parts of a textile artifact in poor condition. They are usually sheer textile supports placed on the face of a textile and are often combined with underlays. The overlay technique is more successful if applied to a surface having no three-dimensional elements. However, some flags such as guidons have battle honors—thick, disproportionately heavy crests that protrude from the flat plane of the ground fabric, usually of silk. One such military flag in a weak, light-damaged state was given a unique overlay support.What follows is a description of a practical technique for fashioning strong finished edges by hot-melt-cutting Tetex TR fabric with a preinserted support thread. Conservators in disciplines such as ethnographic and objects conservation may find the instructions for making this Tetex TR overlay useful for treating composite artifacts with textile components.Polyester Tetex TR has excellent physical properties, but if used without an appropriate finishing technique, the edges fray dramatically, and its usefulness in conservation is limited. The resulting custom-made overlay successfully accommodates the complex shape of the guidon battle honor crests while lying flat in contact with the ground silk, providing it with support. The focus of this article is the construction of a custom-made overlay that fulfills these unique requirements. [Spanish Abstract] [French Abstract]
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