Tapestry, Made in Belgium

[myracles103]

Hello all!

I recently bought this for $10 from someone on Craigslist. They knew nothing about it, other than it being old. I see similar ones on eBay, but not much information in the listings regarding age. The color is faded (as pictured) and it smells of cigarettes. Any information on the tapestry, as well as safe cleaning (odor removal) of it, would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

[mart]

Well,,its not an old piece,, looks like a tourist item or import shop !! If I had it I would have it in the washing machine on cold wash and air dry !! But if it is a wool blend it can shrink some !! Best bet is to take it to your dry cleaners and let them clean it !!

[myracles103]

The woman said it had been in her family a few generations. May I ask why you believe it is not an old item?

[mart]

Well,, for one thing because it says "Made in Belgium.. and the fabric and binding is similar to what was going around in the 60`s !! Was popular for wall art !! And the pic looks to be printed on rather than stitched/sewn like a tapestry would be !!  You can correct me if I am wrong on that !! Pics are not always detailed enough to tell !!
When buying on craigslist you must be skeptical of anything you are told !! It isn`t always true and peoples memories are not always accurate !!

[myracles103]

It is stitched, not printed. Does this change your opinion? I suspected it wasn't TOO old, but figured over, or close to, 100 years.

[greenacres]

Try to get a better picture. There's a funny tint. Then take a close up picture of one of the people so we can see the stitching better.

[myracles103]

Here is a close up. The tapestry itself is tinted, maybe also from the cigarette smoke. I'm keeping it sealed in a zip lock, so I don't have to smell it!

[icedgold10]

I saw a similar one in an antique shop recently.  That one was pre 1930.  They have dry clean kits at the stores now.  Sometimes I take several dryer sheets and fluff with the item in the dryer to freshen scent.

[myracles103]

Thanks icegold, do you recall the price they had on the item? I'm thinking a value of $60, does that sound about on par?

[icedgold10]

They were actually charging around $85.00

[greenacres]

Some can be very expensive. Lol, I can hear mart now. You would have to find the right buyer. I'm sure there are plenty of sites with them for sale. Age would really have to be determined. 

[KC]

My folks brought back some similar ones from Belgium in the 70's and they were fairly inexpensive to buy as tourist items (not cheap but not exorbitant!)

If you are going to sell it I would recommend that you toss it in your dryer, inside of a pillow case or lingerie bag, with a dryer sheet on the air fluff setting.  Wouldn't even clean it.  I think you will find it will have an unusual tint to it in the first place and the cigarette smoke over the years just made it worse.

If you are going to keep it, I recommend that you dry clean it (you can even do it at home in your dryer with a kit to save money!)  

Final resort, place in the tub or a large vat - flat.  Cover with water with some Woolite in it.  Let it soak for about 15 - 20 minutes then GENTLY swish to help release the crud from the fibers.  Drain water and refill with clean, cool water and gently swish to remove soap.  Dry flat.  Air fluff in dryer for a few minutes (in a pillow case or lingerie bag) so that it isn't "stiff".

Have found over the years that the fringe can be greatly affected (more-so than the tapestry material itself) by water/washing.  People like the fringe so you don't want to effect the aesthetics of that.