The First Michigan Sharpshooters Battle Honors, Part II

Cambray and I recently completed the conservation of thirteen streamers that display the battle honors of the First Michigan Sharpshooters Regiment. We first started this project in August 2023, and we’ve slowly been working our way up to the streamers that are the most damaged - and therefore most difficult to conserve.

The best way to prevent the existing damage from getting any worse is to encapsulate the streamers in a non-damaging, stable fabric. In this case, we are hand sewing the streamers between two layers of fine, nylon tulle. The tulle is washed, ironed, and cut to size before we carefully lay the streamers in place. We do our best to put every fragment of fabric back into its original position, reassembling tiny pieces of painted silk back into letters. Straight pins hold these loose pieces in place and help guide our stitches.

We sew around the outside edges of the streamer, as close to the original fabric as possible, then sew around any areas of damage. We put the stitches through tears and splits in the original silk, sew through areas of shredded fabric, and trace loose fragments with our needle and thread. These stiches will hold the streamers in place inside the tulle and help to stabilize damaged areas. During encapsulation we keep the streamers flat on our work table and use glass weights to keep the silk and tulle from shifting while we sew. The more movement that occurs during conservation, the greater the risk of damage.

The more damaged the original fabric is, the longer the encapsulation will take. Some of the streamers we worked on took about 5 hours in the lab, others have taken more than 12. Each piece is a little bit different from the others, making this project an excellent learning experience. The encapsulation skills we’ve practiced here will help us in the future when we are working on a full-sized flag.

Soon we will be able to reunite these streamers with the regiment’s flag!

May Oyler

Conservation Specialist