Making Textile Fragment Storage Mats

At The Cleveland Museum of Art, textile fragments are stored flat in storage mats made using a design innovated in-house by a former CMA textile technician, Beth Wolfe, cleverly incorporating a crepeline silk window that allows the fragment inside the mat to be seen without having to open the folio, as well as safely flip the fragment to be viewed from the back without removing it from the mat. The textile fragment inside additionally sits on a loose piece of cotton muslin on top of a second muslin adhered to the backboard, allowing people to lift the textile fragment from the mat without having to actually touch the fragment itself.

Under the guidance of textile and paper technician, Carla Fontecchio, I learned how to measure the mats, cut them out on a CNC cutter, and assemble them. The storage mats are made in advance and left to sit out for a period of time before actually storing the textiles in them.