TV Repair Shop expert helps conserve Salisbury Cathedral altar frontals
Rebecca Bissonnet has been working on fabrics kept in the Vestry
A conservator from TV’s The Repair Shop has been helping to conserve precious altar frontals at Salisbury Cathedral.
Rebecca Bissonnet has been working on the pieces, which are kept in the Vestry there, as part of an on-going conservation project across a wide range of the textiles in the Cathedral.
That's also worked on the cushions and other fabrics in the Quire.
The altar frontal pictured was made in the 1980s by Jane Lemon and the Sarum Group Embroiderers Guild, who worked on ecclesiastical embroidery in and around Salisbury.
These designs were made combining machine and hand-sewn techniques and are part of the current working collection at the Cathedral.
Rebecca assessed the collection a few years ago and put together a plan to keep the frontals in the best kept condition.
She has been checking the frontals, cleaned them and repaired any wear and tear, including a surface clean and a mechanical clean, using make-up sponges to dab off any smoke residue from burning candles and incense absorbed into the fabric over the years.
Some of the fabric was also beginning to rip, so Rebecca repair it, without replacing by using a technique called overlaying, where transparent netting is placed over the fabric to protect it and provide support with minimal intervention.
Rebecca Bissonnet, Textile and Embroidery Conservator, said:
"Salisbury Cathedral has an amazing collection of altar frontals which, as an embroidery as well as a textile conservator I am very excited to be working on. These working textiles were in need of a clean, which I did using low-powered vacuum suction to remove surface soiling. Next I mechanically cleaned using dry sponges to lift ingrained dirt, so they can continue their very busy working life."
The Revd Canon Treasurer Kenneth Padley said:
“It’s great to have Rebecca here in Salisbury with such excellent expertise, to help us preserve and protect these beautiful altar frontals so they can be used and enjoyed for many years to come.”