Home >> Collecting >> Antiques

How to Repair a Worn Antique Victorian Tapestry

Antique Victorian tapestries are woven textiles, typically in wool. They can be floral, geometric or pictorial. Many antique tapestries have significant damage or wear from time, hanging weight, UV damage and moths. While a valuable or rare tapestry should be repaired by an expert textile restoration professional, you can repair a worn antique Victorian tapestry on your own with these tips, especially if you are an experienced needleworker.

Things You'll Need

Vacuum cleaner
Pantyhose
Mild soap flakes
Tapestry wool or similar thread
Tapestry needle
Linen fabric
Cotton twill or sateen
Hand sewing needle and thread
Iron and ironing board

Instructions

How to Repair a Worn Antique Victorian Tapestry
- 1
  Vacuum your tapestry with the hose of your vacuum cleaner. Use pantyhose to protect the antique tapestry from intense suction and avoid drawing up loose threads. Fill a large tub with lukewarm water and add mild soap flakes. Wash your antique tapestry gently and allow to dry flat.
- 2
  Place a linen patch behind a small hole or damaged area. Darn the area, using the patch as a secure backing and support for the tapestry repair. Weave horizontal threads across the patch and bare area of your tapestry, then repeat this process with vertical threads. Choose colors that work with the antique Victorian tapestry; however, an exact match is not critical when darning a small hole in a tapestry.
- 3
  Reweave the antique tapestry to mend larger areas of damage. Thread a tapestry needle with a suitable warp thread. Weave the warp thread through remaining weft threads in the antique tapestry, allowing a substantial allowance on either side of the damaged area. Repeat this step for the weft threads.
- 4
  Press the tapestry, placing a clean towel over the surface and using a temperature appropriate for the fibers in your antique tapestry.
- 5
  Prevent further wear by stitching a backing onto your antique tapestry. Cut a piece of cotton sateen or twill to size, allowing for hems and a rod pocket. Press the hems and rod pocket into place and stitch by hand or machine. Sew the backing onto your antique Victorian tapestry by hand.

Antiques