Child’s Ojibwe Jingle Dress
Child’s Jingle Dress, c. 1933, Ojibwe, Cotton, Metal, MNHS 1989.34.1.A,B
This Ojibwe jingle dress was conserved and mounted for display for a year-long exhibition at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, a site run by the Minnesota Historical Society.
The tunic of the jingle dress had several tears that needed to be stabilized in order to be mounted. Each tear was lined with an underlay patch. Herringbone stitches were used on the outside edges to secure the patch and laid and couching stitches were used to secure the tear. Skala thread was used for all of the mends.
The patch in the photo to the left was complex as it was on the neckline. The body of the tunic, the neckline, and the collar were torn, thus all needed to be repaired separately before being unified again.
The silk ribbon on the tunic was at risk of further loss. The wide ribbon near the hem was consolidated with a nylon net overlay. The ribbon on the cuffs was stabilized with Stabletex. The Stabletex (which is no longer manufactured) was cut with a heated tool and secured with Skala thread. The pink color was chosen to provide visual loss compensation.
An Ethafoam block was prepared by the museum's fabricator and delivered to the textile lab.
We carved it down slightly, lightly padded it with polyester batting, and covered it with stockinette.
3/4 arms were added and buckram was put around the bottom of the torso to hold the skirt out.
The buckram is always covered with muslin to protect the historic textile!
Finished treatment Front
Finished treatment side
Finished treatment back
Finished tunic
Finished dress