Un-Du Archival Safe.... Saved my Petit Point Canvas. THANK YOU MARK!

Un-Du is an adhesive remover that is archive safe. Scrapbookers use it a lot. It has been used on very valuable antique books to remove stickers and price tags.

This morning I telephoned the company and spoke to Mark. He developed the product. I asked him if it was safe to use on fabrics. He told me a story about a very valuable dress that had gotten some sort of sticky adhesive on it in London. The dress was pure satin and a rich red. Un-do took off the gluey substance without a stain or color change to the rich deep red dye.

He told me to try it on a scrap piece of my petit point canvas using a piece of the Velcro's glue smeared on it. Then he told me how to use it for that purpose.     KAPOOF it ltook it right off.  

So I used it on my petit point canvas. There is no more adhesive on it. It evaporates so fast there isn't even an odor now.

THANK YOU MARK for this WONDERFUL product. I am so glad I found it.

PHEW... What a nightmare that could have been.

Petit Point Carpet...OMG!...A GLUE SMEAR!

 

Today I had to take the petit point carpet off the frame. I wanted to turn it around to stitch the other  half looking at it right side up.  Doing that won't make any difference to the direction of the stitches.

The frame I bought to work it on uses hook and loop tape (commonly called Velcro). This is what holds the silk gauze on to the stretcher bars. I have kept the piece tight on the frame. Unfortunately, that caused the tape to move and got glue from the back of the tape on the remaining silk gauze I had rolled up. ( Could you hear me scream when I found that?) Grrrrrrrr 

I think the best idea to get the glue off  the un-stitched gauze is to sandwich those areas between pieces of paper towels and iron in those spots. Just those spots because I would be afraid to iron over the stitches. If anyone else has a better idea I would love to hear it.

I have no idea what the back of everyone else's petit point looks like. This is the back of mine (such as it is). There aren't any knotted up wads of thread I am proud to say. Now that I have it off the frame I can feel that it really is the same thickness too.

I was so excited to find this raspberry leather. It may not show it on this photo but it is a perfect match to the over all color in  tone of the carpet. I think I will make a child's tufted antique leather chair out of it. 

This is the back. I hope it looks as it should.

October 18, 2014 Carpet Progress

Minus the eight days Linda Master was here for a visit. I have worked on this carpet every day for exactly two months. Once I get started have trouble stopping. I usually have a section I want finished everyday.

Linda and I had never met in person before. Though we speak often on the phone and email. I loved having her here. I am kicking myself now because I didn't take any photos. She took a few so you may see them on her blog soon. http://miraclechicken.blogspot.com/

Her visit was perfectly timed to attend Repair Days at the National Ornamental Metals Museum. It is my favorite weekend of the year. What could be better then two hundred metalsmiths from all over the USA (many of which are old friends) working together to repair anything from garden tools to a genuine Georgian sterling silver teapot with a big dent in it. If it is metal, the public can bring it in to be repaired. All the metalsmiths donate their time to raise money for the museum.. 

There are huge tents on the grounds of the museum. Under one of the big tents they are cooking to feed all these people that have come to work. Three meals a day for three days! This year there was a iron pour. The public could sign up to create a mould and watch as metalsmiths cast the molten iron. In another tent children were making bracelets. Another tent had gorgeous metal work by artists for an auction. Also to raise money for the museum. I hope Linda's pictures of the iron pour came out OK. She forgot her camera and took them with her phone.

Thank you Linda for teaching me everything I needed to know about the Proxxon Fet Saw.. I was clueless!