Then we come across things like this.....

Several items we have found are in such bad condition there is no way they should be on display.  This is one example, a silk nightcap that is really shattered all over:

This is the top of the cap

This is the view from the side.

This night cap had been archived when it first came into the collection.  Evidently it had been on display a lot, maybe with some sun hitting it.  It is listed as light blue but looks white now.  So faded and disintegrated.  So, what to do?  So far it is just back in the collection.

Another article is an umbrella.  The Umbrella stick and base are in good shape.  The base has a couple insect hole near the top but is stable other than that.  But, the ruffles attached to the base is totally falling apart.  When on white tissue paper you can see little pieces of the ruffle fabric that are falling off.

The ruffles have come off in areas, as well as, are disintegrated.

The ruffles are a gauze-like fabric and is totally falling apart.  

Since the base fabric is fine, I decided to baste the ruffles back on and sort of together where they were separated.  I used gray thread to designate this is a bit of conservation and not original work.

This item is also back in the collection with a decision made at a later day if the original gauze ruffle should all be removed and a new ruffle of some kind be put on, in order to be able to display.