Before treatment
Condition Before Treatment
Leonardo was in unstable structural condition and could not be safely handled without risking further damage. Significant tears had occurred in both the printed and unprinted cotton layers, resulting in large tears in the tail and the back left leg. At these two tears, large quantities of the green stuffing had come out.
Leonardo was in aesthetically poor condition. The printed patches had numerous significant losses and tears, with most significant losses at the feet and tail.
Patchwork Plush Dog
America
ca. 1970
Private Collection
Cotton with modal fill and copper alloy chain
Leonardo is a plush dog, resembling a hound, with a long snout, droopy ears, and long, pointed tail. He is made of printed cotton, or calico, patchwork over cotton muslin (est.) and stuffed with green synthetic filling.
The pieced calico exterior is lined with plain weave unbleached cotton. In the body, head, and tail it appears that every piece of calico was lined with the unbleached cotton prior to assembly. On portions of the legs, it appears that the calico was stitched on top of the unbleached cotton after assembly. Despite this difference in construction, all calico patches appear to be original. All components of the body are interconnected and densely filled with green synthetic stuffing. The ears are not stuffed.
In addition to the patchwork body, Leonardo has applique felt eyes consisting of white ovals with black centers and a red felt mouth. There is also a copper-alloy chain leash around his neck.
Hand-painted Patches
In order to reintegrate all of the losses in Leonardo’s patches, it was deemed appropriate to create mimetic fills. This was done by hand painting cotton fabric with acrylic paints to match the different calico prints. In the video on the right, I am painting a large fill for one half of Leonardo’s tail. In this instance, I worked freehand. In other areas, I used Mylar templates to trace existing designs and then transfer them to the fill for painting.
Once painted, all fills were stitched in place using dyed hair silk.
After treatment
Condition After Treatment
Leonardo is now in fair structural condition and good aesthetic condition. The large losses in the leg and tail have been stabilized, and the majority of the dislodged stuffing has been replaced. He can now be safely handled without risk of damage, but should be displayed and stored on his bolster pillow to prevent further creasing and damages at his leg joints. All of the losses to the patchwork have been mimetically compensated for, and the surrounding textile has been stabilized to prevent further loss.