John
If the textile is in reasonable condition then I think you have done stage one - vacuuming.
The:
Quote:
I have heard from one person about simply soaking and "mushing" a piece gently in a large bathtub of distilled water to lift dirt out, draining the water, repeating, etc., until clear and then spreading them on towels and such to dry, possibly tacking the edges down to prevent any shrinking.
is pretty much what I am aware of. It is important to be more gentle with the textile when it is wet and heavy. I have also put a textile between towels and then carefully rolled up the 'sandwich' into a sausage. This helps to remove some of the moisture.
I think you need to experiment on a textile in good condition, however, not your most precious. I suggest you might start with a skirt first as it won't be so large, heavy and unwieldy. One thing with pua is that the dyes should not run!
It may sound awful but I had a friend who washed antique quilts and swore by using a washing machine as being the kindest way. These days they have delicate or short cycles and low temperature. I don't think I would dare do this with a pua. What you need is a very poor one bought very cheaply for experimentation.
This is always such a difficult question!
Best
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Pamela
http://www.tribaltextiles.infoon-line tribal textiles resource