1912 S110 Baseball Pillow Case Question
 

Just picked up a S110 pillow case and it has a few creases from being folded. Has anyone ever tried to iron one of these? The pillow case has beautiful colors so my concern is ruining the colors. I would like to remove some of the folds before I frame it.

Any advice?

How about some photos?

Scary to think about, but...
 

...I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to iron without consequence for someone who knows what they're doing and is very careful. I wouldn't think of putting an iron directly on it, however. Are these folds that were there upon issuance? I decided to leave the barely visible folds in my B-18s when I had them framed on the idea that that's the way they came originally. I also thought about trying to iron out slight folds in my WaJo S81, but decided it wasn't worth the risk. Pictures would help.

Here is a pic.

I would personally leave it as-is. Those types of creases are common and expected. To me, they do not detract from the beauty of the piece.

But if you are hell-bent on reducing the creases, you can try ironing it from the reverse side. I would use low-medium heat, to start. I would also place a thin towel or sheet over the item, so there is a "buffer" inbetween the face of the iron and the piece itself. Don't leave the iron in one place for more than a second, and keep it moving. Do this a tiny bit at a time, as you cannot re-do it, and better safe than sorry.

The procedure I described above works amazingly well on vintage pennants that are creased/wrinkled. It's never failed me. It's your call, if you want to try it with this item. I would not attempt it, as the white "base" surface would scare me. We have all seen white handkerchiefs with that browned/discolored look, from being ironed for too long or under too high a heat. That's what I'd be most afraid of... best of luck, whatever you decide upon.

Yes, I think I am going to keep it as is. I don’t feel comfortable touching it.

Thanks for the advise.

It looks very impressive.

What a beauty!
 

Looks brand new, and those creases are probably from the original mailing. It would certainly look better without them, but I'd want a real expert doing it. If you get it framed with archival tape, I would think a good deal of the creasing would come out with a little stretching.

The pillow case was found in an old blanket chest with other fabric. I imagine it aas in there for a long time.

I would give it a shot
 

Exactly the way Mark described - with a newly purchased Iron and distilled water. Try a small non player area first and see how you like the results.

If you do attempt it, Get someone with a lot of ironing experience to follow the instructions above. I would never, ever, try it myself. Not only do you have something worth several thousand dollars, but that's the nicest one of those I've ever seen and it would be a shame to leave even a small discoloration anywhere on it not to mention the potential for greater disasters.

That is beautiful

Wow, thats super clean and bright!!! You wouod be crazy to put an iron to it. I know a prominant long time National dealer who did something like that to an S81 Cobb silk and it didnt turn out well. Just frame it and over time those wrinkles should slowly disapear.

Pillowcase
 

That is a beautiful item. I would never try to iron it myself, but I would 100% trust my wife with it. :)

Even though I advised against it, I do think the ironing would work on the creased areas. 98% chance it would reduce the creases with no issues. It’s just the other 2% that makes me question if the risk is worth the reward. Simply framing and matting will indeed help, as mentioned above.

The other thought I just had was steaming. I know they make all types of portable Steamers... many that fit easily in a suitcase. My wife often travels with one.

Steaming might be a good alternative that’s less intrusive than ironing. I actually don’t know of any downside, as it works very well on my dress shirts. :rolleyes: Anybody here have good experience/input with steaming vs. ironing?

I have some experiance with S81 silks and if I was going to have any wrinkles addressed on a pillowcase that is as Beautiful as yours I would go to a professional. Remember although it is called a silk it is a piece of satin and the colors although vibrant are fragile.
Jonathan

+1

Take it to a conservator for review. For paper, many use humidity chambers and steamers to relax the paper fibers. They can possibly use a similar approach with silk.


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well
 

I've owned both baseball ones and quite a few non-sports. I let my ON PREMISIS cleaner steam one on their press with a fabric laid on top. I actually got to do the pressing. I did it 3 times for like 2 seconds. It worked OK with no damage and the wrinkles became less noticeable.
When I got a rare silk uncut sheet I became a little more cautious and I decided to do it myself at home with a cool iron. It worked just about the same. The inking and satin fibers are fragile. Water/steam and heat can cause discoloration and damage which might not show up right away. It's all on you :-)

no guarantees whether written or implied...…..

I just wanted to give an update. I took it to a local conservationist and framer. He has worked with and framed many different types of fabrics. He reviewed the piece and was 98% sure he could help remove some of the wrinkles with his press machine without any damage to the colors or fabric. I took his advice. He will also be framing it with museum quality glass and archival tape (no pins). I will keep you updated once I receive it back.

Would love to see the final outcome when framed.

Finally received back from the framers today. I am really happy how it tuned out.

Here are some pictures.

Looks awesome!

Spectacular!

Very nice! I'm jealous!