The moderators’ recently released publication, Textile Conservation: Advances in Practice (Lennard & Ewer 2010), focuses on four major factors which have influenced development in textile conservation practice since the 1980s and which are all integral to effective conservation decision-making: the changing context, an evolution in the way conservators think about objects, the greater involvement of stakeholders, and technical developments. The panel used several case studies from this new publication as a starting point to examine why a particular course of action is chosen over another, and the ethical considerations behind those choices. There was a short but lively discussion between the panelists, other authors and Textile Specialty Group meeting participants.