I have a client with some trim she claims once belonged to Marie Antoinette.
  It is in really bad shape.  It may have started on a dress but it was
later used for upholstery.  She told me in recent years it was stored in a
barn in Canada.  The silk the trim is attached to is totally rotted and
brittle.  We would like to save the trim.

When I examined it, it was very brittle.  I tried to hydrate it by laying it
on some washed cotton on a wire rack above a damp towel and sealing it in
plastic.  When the weather got warmer and my mold allergies flaired up I
thought of the trim.  The client checked it and found mold.  I told her to
open it up to dry it out for a couple days then close it up without the damp
towel and put it in the freezer.  And there it has stayed until I could find
time to think about it.

I know how to vacuum the trim carefully with a screen.  What else can I do
to get rid of the mold?

Thanks for your advice

Kim Kotary

free lance conservator and designer