ALISON STANTON
Embroidered altar frontal
The altar frontal was in regular use in a parish church and required some stabilisation
Altar frontal before conservation
Before conservation: loose metal threads.
Altar frontal before conservation
Project gallery
Condition
The altar frontal was assessed onsite and found to be structurally sound and free from ingrained dirt. Some surface dust had accumulated on the appliquéd sections.
The embroidered panels had previously been lifted and remounted onto a new velvet ground fabric. A new lining had also been added.
The original stitching of the goldwork embroidery had deteriorated and, through use, the metal thread to become detached in several areas and was hanging in loops. There was evidence of previous stitched repairs which were also failing in some places.
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The appliqué was still well secured to the ground fabric.
Treatment
The altar frontal was firstly vacuumed front and reverse with low level suction to remove surface dirt and dust.
The lining was removed to provide access to the reverse of the embroidered panels.
The panels were mounted on an embroidery frame and the gold thread carefully repositioned and stitched into place. The previous repairs were stabilised with new stitches to prevent further loss during use.
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The lining was restitched on the reverse.
