Sheldon W. of Rhode Island sent in a folk art style needlepoint pillow done by his mother that had some missing thread (moth damage most likely) and needed to be remade, as the satin backing had long been damaged and become threadbare.
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In the first photo above, I was checking out different fabrics to use as pillow cording and backing. Sheldon replied that he preferred a neutral backing like the cream moire silk that had been originally used. I opted for the diamond pattern pictured above. It has the satin sheen to it, but it also matched the needlepoint design’s tan/taupe-tone wool.
The next photos show places where yarn was missing, but I also had to pull out the split yarn and clear a “path,” for lack of a better name, for putting yarn back in. Unraveling enough so you can tuck the old yarn ends under stitches in the back is an important part of the process.
There was also a spot on the background taupe wool that had not come out when the client had the piece dry-cleaned. That bothered me. So I harvested yarns from the edges of the piece where they would not show after seaming. And luckily, Sheldon’s mother had left some generously long ending tails of wool on the back of the piece, and I was able to harvest and use them as well. In other places, I found a wool/silk blend of needlepoint thread that was a close match. However, it also contained a tiny thread of olive green. In small amounts, you can’t tell this difference. In larger areas one must use the same yarn if at all possible when filling in blank stitch areas. Here are some photos showing where the dark spots that didn’t come out with dry cleaning were replaced with harvested yarn pieces:
 Replacing Stained Area with Harvested Yarn |
Can you see the darker spots above the stitcher’s initials and date? They were replaced and you can sort of see that they are lighter in the second photo. They match better. Also, you can see the new cording being attached in the second photo.
And here is the final product, a lovely pillow,
round, full and preserving Sheldon’s mother’s work from 1931:
