It’s all in the eye of the beholder. A quilt or piece of needlework, which is part of a family history or a piece of folk or textile art – conservation not restoration in my view is the way to go. Restoration actually takes away from the history of the textile.
If the maker had no intention other than utility nor particular attachment to it, well perhaps dispose of it if it is of no artistic or historic merit, or restore it and get some use out of the item, or finish it and pass it on unused for posterity. Just because something is old doesn’t mean it is worth preserving.
From a personal perspective: the mass produced, now ratty t-shirts that my late husband wore are important and significant only to me and I have kept these. He was cremated wrapped in his favourite quilt and the quilt made for us by a dear friend for our 25[SUP]th[/SUP] wedding anniversary (he never saw the finished quilt) is on my bed today and will remain so until it wears out or I do, whichever is first. From a critical point of view is the quilt a great example of outstanding quilting ability – no it is not, but that means nowt to me. It is a precious thing which I shall always treasure.
As long as these things don’t become a talisman, shrine or prevent me from carrying on… well… who cares. They give me comfort. And yes, I can still smell his scent. However, I am in the position of not having any dependants or family to pass anything on to, so my solicitors get to sort it out. By then, I will be beyond caring.
Right now, I am doing some conservation work for a historical society on thee of their samplers. Accompanying this I am doing research on the lives of these three girls. Tracing their history which gives me – a stranger, a feeling of connection. These samplers are possibly the only tangible evidence that these people existed but just by the info on these items I have a glimpse into very different lives. These are worth conserving in my opinion and from a social history perspective but on the open market, they have very little monetary value.
It is a tough call to preserve, conserve, restore or dispose. Do what feels right to you.
HettyB