Textile restoration is the repair, cleaning and stabilisation of historic fabrics, including tapestries, carpets, embroideries, upholstery, costume, flags and household linen. It ranges from conservation, which aims to preserve existing material with minimal intervention, to fuller restoration, where missing areas may be rewoven or reworked to restore a piece's appearance and use.
Conservators typically begin by assessing fibres, dyes and previous repairs before cleaning, which may involve gentle vacuuming through a screen or controlled wet cleaning for robust textiles. Fragile areas are commonly supported by stitching onto a dyed backing fabric of linen or cotton, using fine silk thread and couching techniques, while very weak silks may be protected beneath a fine net. Tapestries and carpets can be rewoven, though many collectors and museums now prefer stabilisation to replacement of original material. Adhesives and domestic washing can cause irreversible damage and should be avoided. Preventing future harm is as important as repair: light, damp, moth and poor storage are the main enemies of historic textiles. Any valuable or fragile piece should be entrusted to a specialist conservator, and records of the work should be retained.
