I think I need some moth advice. I have worried little about moths living in a very dry place and having never seen a clothes moth in my tapestry career.
But tonight I unpacked this tapestry.
The Goddess's Heart Song has been rolled up in storage (in a storage locker) for the past year and a half. It was one of my very first tapestries and resides in my personal collection. I was getting ready to hang the tapestry in my home and looked at the back and saw this.
I looked closer and saw this.
I scraped away the little semi-translucent trails and saw places where it seemed like the nap of the tapestry has been chewed. It is hard to see in the photograph, but here it is. See the little trough in the center of the photo?
So does this evidence suggest moths? (I can't imagine it is anything else.)
And if so, what do I do about it. I think I need some help on this one.
As soon as I post this cry for help, I will vacuum the tapestry. Does anyone know what I should do after that to make sure I save this piece and don't have an infestation? I know that people put yarn in the freezer, take it out and thaw it, and then freeze it again. Is this a good procedure for a tapestry? I certainly don't want any of my other pieces infested. This piece was one of only a few that were in that storage locker. The ones I had with me seem to be fine.
And are there any other thoughts on using cedar? I won't use moth repellant as I don't want that chemical in my environment. I do hang my tapestries 3/4 inch from the wall. The little buggers may have found the tapestry in storage. Probably someone in the next locker was storing thrift store sweaters. Sigh.
Heaven forbid I introduce moths into a new house and they find their way into my extensive yarn stashes. I shudder to think of the potential catastrophe. I don't have any clothes worth two cents, but my yarn... well, they better not mess with the yarn.
But tonight I unpacked this tapestry.
Rebecca Mezoff, The Goddess's Heart Song, 31 x 34 inches, hand-dyed wool tapestry |
I looked closer and saw this.
I scraped away the little semi-translucent trails and saw places where it seemed like the nap of the tapestry has been chewed. It is hard to see in the photograph, but here it is. See the little trough in the center of the photo?
So does this evidence suggest moths? (I can't imagine it is anything else.)
And if so, what do I do about it. I think I need some help on this one.
As soon as I post this cry for help, I will vacuum the tapestry. Does anyone know what I should do after that to make sure I save this piece and don't have an infestation? I know that people put yarn in the freezer, take it out and thaw it, and then freeze it again. Is this a good procedure for a tapestry? I certainly don't want any of my other pieces infested. This piece was one of only a few that were in that storage locker. The ones I had with me seem to be fine.
And are there any other thoughts on using cedar? I won't use moth repellant as I don't want that chemical in my environment. I do hang my tapestries 3/4 inch from the wall. The little buggers may have found the tapestry in storage. Probably someone in the next locker was storing thrift store sweaters. Sigh.
Heaven forbid I introduce moths into a new house and they find their way into my extensive yarn stashes. I shudder to think of the potential catastrophe. I don't have any clothes worth two cents, but my yarn... well, they better not mess with the yarn.