Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I've had a stressful situation occur this past month with clothes moths, so I'm trying to make light of this situation & educate others about the real devastating danger of them. For anyone that sews, historical or contemporary, having clothes moths eat at your wools and silks can be devastating! There are plenty of bigger things in the world to worry about, sure, but for those who think of their creations as their art, the impacts of clothes moths become difficult to ignore.
There is not much information on Youtube about how to protect historical clothing specifically (recreations, not antiques) from clothes moths, and I know that I am definitely not the only one who has to deal with them, so I thought it was long overdue that this issue was discussed on this platform.
I'm continuing to monitor how my situation is, but it appears all the preventative measures that I've implemented, which I teach in this video, seem to be keeping my precious historical clothing safe. I don't want anyone else to experience the fear of having their silks and wools eaten, so I hope this information can be helpful. In general, a lot of these tips could also be used to protect your historical dress from any pests, and are good habits to get into with cleanliness, setting up deterrents, and completing regular garment checks.
Perhaps, in some ways, having to protect our historical garments from moths is a blessing in disguise, as it helps to connect us deeper with our garments, and also reminds us of what is already in our wardrobes (even sparking our memories about "out of season" items).
A big thanks to artist Sam Cooper for his adorable renditions of a moth and larvae & a big thanks to my friend Natalie for giving me the very official title of "moth destroyer." 😊
Where I get my anti-moth supplies (not sponsored): totalwardrobecare.co.uk
🕯 Support my art on Patreon: patreon.com/vbirchwood
✨ Leave a donation: ko-fi.com/vbirchwood
🌙 Books I read, supplies I use, gear I film with (affiliate links): amazon.com/shop/v.birchwood
🪡 Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/vasibirchwood
📖 Business inquiries: sofie@helmtalentgroup.com
All music is sourced from Epidemic Sound:
1. My Love Will Bite by T. Morri
2. Silly Hunt by Rossier
3. Harlem Spills by Nicky Dowling
4. Alma by Bladverk Band
Sources & Attributions for Images:
Satchel:
-Hannes Grobe, CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Aktentasche_hg.jpg
Two Women in a Wood Painting:
-Eugeniusz Wrzeszcz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Wrzeszcz_Two_women_in_a_wood.jpg
Morning in a Pine Forest Painting:
-Ivan Shishkin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Shishkin%2C_Ivan_-_Morning_in_a_Pine_Forest.jpg
Backhuysen Storm Painting:
-Ludolf Bakhuizen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Backhuysen_Storm.jpg
Insects Astray Film:
-archive.org/details/InsectsAstray
Heart Clip Art:
-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Redheart.png
Portuguese Soldier:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Soldado_portugu%C3%AAs.png
Woven Fabric:
-MoMu - Fashion Museum Antwerp, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Woven_Fabric_%28ST198%29_-_MoMu_Antwerp.jpg
I've had a stressful situation occur this past month with clothes moths, so I'm trying to make light of this situation & educate others about the real devastating danger of them. For anyone that sews, historical or contemporary, having clothes moths eat at your wools and silks can be devastating! There are plenty of bigger things in the world to worry about, sure, but for those who think of their creations as their art, the impacts of clothes moths become difficult to ignore.
There is not much information on Youtube about how to protect historical clothing specifically (recreations, not antiques) from clothes moths, and I know that I am definitely not the only one who has to deal with them, so I thought it was long overdue that this issue was discussed on this platform.
I'm continuing to monitor how my situation is, but it appears all the preventative measures that I've implemented, which I teach in this video, seem to be keeping my precious historical clothing safe. I don't want anyone else to experience the fear of having their silks and wools eaten, so I hope this information can be helpful. In general, a lot of these tips could also be used to protect your historical dress from any pests, and are good habits to get into with cleanliness, setting up deterrents, and completing regular garment checks.
Perhaps, in some ways, having to protect our historical garments from moths is a blessing in disguise, as it helps to connect us deeper with our garments, and also reminds us of what is already in our wardrobes (even sparking our memories about "out of season" items).
A big thanks to artist Sam Cooper for his adorable renditions of a moth and larvae & a big thanks to my friend Natalie for giving me the very official title of "moth destroyer." 😊
Where I get my anti-moth supplies (not sponsored): totalwardrobecare.co.uk
🕯 Support my art on Patreon: patreon.com/vbirchwood
✨ Leave a donation: ko-fi.com/vbirchwood
🌙 Books I read, supplies I use, gear I film with (affiliate links): amazon.com/shop/v.birchwood
🪡 Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/vasibirchwood
📖 Business inquiries: sofie@helmtalentgroup.com
All music is sourced from Epidemic Sound:
1. My Love Will Bite by T. Morri
2. Silly Hunt by Rossier
3. Harlem Spills by Nicky Dowling
4. Alma by Bladverk Band
Sources & Attributions for Images:
Satchel:
-Hannes Grobe, CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Aktentasche_hg.jpg
Two Women in a Wood Painting:
-Eugeniusz Wrzeszcz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Wrzeszcz_Two_women_in_a_wood.jpg
Morning in a Pine Forest Painting:
-Ivan Shishkin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Shishkin%2C_Ivan_-_Morning_in_a_Pine_Forest.jpg
Backhuysen Storm Painting:
-Ludolf Bakhuizen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Backhuysen_Storm.jpg
Insects Astray Film:
-archive.org/details/InsectsAstray
Heart Clip Art:
-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Redheart.png
Portuguese Soldier:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Soldado_portugu%C3%AAs.png
Woven Fabric:
-MoMu - Fashion Museum Antwerp, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Woven_Fabric_%28ST198%29_-_MoMu_Antwerp.jpg
