Tag Archives: #portlandoregon

Throwback Thursday: Backgammon

A military couple had traveled all around the world with this backgammon set. When they retired they finally wanted the worn board restored. Simple in some ways, it had to be accurate and smooth. We excavated the old, conserved the … Continue reading →

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Sketching to Communicate with Clients

Does anyone create lovely sketches for their clients anymore? We often create amazing decorative pillows to accompany a conserved item. Kate created design sketches from images and samples, so that we could better talk with our client about ideas for … Continue reading →

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Throwback Thursday: Child’s Rocker

This week may be children’s week, as I am posting a throwback to a child’s rocker as well. The mother grew up with this rocker, but had made a new needlepoint for the seat. She wanted the old needlepoint cleaned. … Continue reading →

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Heirloom Child’s Chair

The chair came to us through the heiress (hereafter called LB) to the Frank Crowe Mason Monterey Collection. The sweet chair was made by her grandfather… Someone had recovered it, but thankfully the original stuffings were intact! She wanted it … Continue reading →

Posted in antiques, chair, conservation techniques, Interim Report, preservation, process, restoration techniques, textiles, traditional varnishes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Textile Conservation: Victorian Beaded Angel Needlepoint

One of the sweetest pieces we ever treated. A widow had several items conserved for the children in the family. This lovely beaded needlepoint had many condition issues: dozens of moth-eaten areas, ripped or broken canvas, a good deal of … Continue reading →

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Frances Normandin’s Bell Hanger

Frances Normandin, great-grandmother to our clients, designed and created the needlework bell hanger (ca 1930-1940) as a gift for her 15-year-old son,  Fred Louis Normandin, Jr., or “Bub.”  Fred was named after his father, the first grocer in the Mount … Continue reading →

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Planter’s Chair: 8 Showcover

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with upholstery buildup of the inside … Continue reading →

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Planter’s Chair: 7, Buildup, Tufted Back and Seat

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with inside back excavation. The inside … Continue reading →

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Planter’s Chair: 5, Buildup, Seat

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with frame and finish conservation. Mitchell … Continue reading →

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Planter’s Chair: 4, Reparation and Finish Work

We are properly conserving a French-made Planter’s Chair, circa 1860. (You can begin here, if you like.) We’ll follow the chair through excavation to the new show-cover. We left off in the last posting with the excavation of the seat. … Continue reading →

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Taking Care of Your Antique Quilt

  We are redirecting you to our new and improved article: Antique Quilts: Care and Repair   And further reading on:  Textiles + Quilts + Beaded Objects    ©MPF Conservation.  May be printed for your own use. May be reposted … Continue reading →

Posted in CAUTIONS, conservation techniques, mold, reparation, restoration techniques, textiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quilts as a Microcosm of History

I am sure that more eloquent history writers than I have written on the role of quilts as historical objects.  I want to share my perspective on the single object that we: see the most distress over condition issues, even … Continue reading →

Posted in antiques, CAUTIONS, decorative motifs, history, musings, preservation, textiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

M is for McLoughlin’s Melodeon: A-to-Z Challenge

John McLoughlin was the Father of Oregon, and his history is celebrated at the McLoughlin House in Oregon City. We conserved the Prince & Co. Melodeon he gave to his granddaughter, part of a larger collection housed at his home, … Continue reading →

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K is for Ken Ellis’s Embroidered Textile Art: A-to-Z Challenge

We had the pleasure to conserve two pieces of Ken Ellis’ textile art for a private collector: the Shore Family, above, and Elizi Danto, bottom.  It was a simple treatment, to clean as best we could some staining from a … Continue reading →

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Marguerite McLoughlin’s Sewing Cabinet Speaks

Marguerite Wadin McKay McLoughlin was John McLoughlin’s second wife.  She was born in 1775 in St. Lawrence, Quebec, to Jean Etienne Wadin and Marie Deguire, a French-Indian mix. She was the widow of Alexander McKay, a member of the Astor party, who died in … Continue reading →

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Beaver Washstand for the McLoughlin House

©MPF Conservation.  May be printed for your own use. May be reposted if our url+copyright is used as reference. MPFC recently completed treatment of a washstand for the Mcloughlin House in Oregon City which came from the first steamship to sail … Continue reading →

Posted in American Furniture, antiques, cabinet, chest of drawers, conservation techniques, Interim Report, preservation, traditional varnishes, wooden objects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment