Casgliadau Arlein

Cover for harp F90.99.1; shaped to conform to irregular dimensions of harp; made from green thick-ribbed corduroy (printed with yellow-green design), with interlining of grey-green/multicoloured Polyurethane foam and lining of printed tabby-woven cotton (green, pink and yellow on white ground).

The cover is open along its longer, vertical side and can be closed with 5 strips of white Velcro® fasteners (width= 17mm, differing length) which are hand-stitched to the lining (using green thread). Hooked (hard) and looped (soft) strips of Velcro® have been used randomly on either side of the opening.

The whole width of the corduroy has been used selvage to selvage (c. 105cm wide). Along the side opening, only the selvage itself has been folded in, whereas along the other side, a wider width of fabric has been folded in, to form a seam conforming with the curved shape of the harp. The printed area of the corduroy stops 10cm in from the side opening on one side and 37cm above the lower edge on the other side.

Upper and shorter, vertical sides of the corduroy as well as the lining are machine stitched, whereas the lower edge and the side opening are hand-stitched using green thread.

Pieces of Polyurethane foam have been joined together by overlapping and stitching together with large running stitches using white thread (2 threads used as one). These joins may be later repairs as the smaller pieces appear to be slightly different in colour and of better condition than the large piece. The overlapping of pieces has led to bulkiness, in particular on the uppermost point of the cover, where the lining has become detached from the outer cover.