Originally Posted by
Lori S
Good question ! I know there is a specific humidity level for cotton ... but could not tell you off hand what it is. I do know refolding is a good pratice. Fabrics can develope permanent creases if left folded too long with the same crease, how long that time frame might be.. I think there are variables , heat, humidity that would need to be calculated. I hope there is a good rule of thumb . ... but on the other hand .. refolding my stash.... now thats a project and then some.
I love your term "excavating" for digging through stash... have you uncovered many "fossils" in your digs ?!
There are a few 'fossils' in my stash - there are a few 'what was I thinking?' pieces -
If the fabrics are overly damp - I think mildew might become a problem - musty smelling?
I don't know what happens if it becomes overly dry - brittle, maybe?
So far, most of what I have seems to be in good condition - I have had a few issues with colors fading along the fold lines - and NONE of my fabrics are in direct sunlight.
The idea of refolding everything - is not very appealing. The big pieces that I have brought out are opened for measuring - but that's kind of an exercise to put them back - last time I fan-folded the pieces at 30 inch intervals and then folded that into thirds. Now when I'm refolding them, I'm fan-folding the pieces into 24 inch intervals, folding that in half, and then folding selvage to selvage.