bdschafer

We are moving to a one story house!?!? My question is how do you move the fabric? In boxes or plastic tubs? Do the tubs get broken? This moving is going to be an awful job as we have lived here for 43 yrs. I have 4 machines also, do the packer take care of that? I'm a little (big) overwhelmed with what needs to be done. Thanks for any suggestion you might have.

dunster

When I moved last year I did all the packing myself. My fabric went into cardboard boxes, lined with plastic bags. Everything was stored for about 3 months before it could be moved into the house. I had kept the original boxes for my Bernina and a middle-aged Singer, and the featherweight was in its case. The treadle and vintage Singer in a table were handled by the movers. I broke down my longarm stand, and warned the movers to pack the head very carefully in the moving van. It was wrapped in blankets and placed in a safe area. Everything came through the move okay.

If you use tubs, they shouldn't get broken, but boxes are more easily stacked and less expensive, if you don't already have the tubs.

NikkiLu

All I can say is that if you use plastic tubs, buy the ones that have a locking lid on them with a handle, not just a snap on lid. I had to take everything out of my sewing room several years ago and put into storage, so I went to WalMart and bought maybe 10 of the cheaper, BIG, plastic storage totes. BIG MISTAKE. I loaded a very big one with fabric and my DH picked it up to move it and the lid came off first thing. Very heavy also. So, I had to take them all back and trade them in for a smaller size with locking handle lids on them - much better idea. I had colored totes the first time and the second batch were clear and my fabric is still in them and I can see what is in them without opening them or even taking them off the shelf that they are on. The fabric seems to be doing fine in them. HTH

Nammie to 7

I guess I would move my own machines -- wouldn't trust them to someone else. The last time I moved I didn't have that much fabric so putting it in boxes and unpacking right away wasn't an issue. I would hate to move it now though!

misspriss

When the movers moved us overseas they packed my machines in boxes with a lot of padding, I had wrapped them in some of the quilts first, and since fabric can be washed I used for wrapping other things also. Enjoy your new home.

Onebyone

Buy the biggest plastic trash containers on wheels. It will hold tons of folded fabric and easy to move. No heavy lifting and easy to lay down and unload. We used them to move our DDs from apt. to apt many times. Rolled them right on the rented U Haul. The rolling bins are the only way to move a lot of books.

QuiltnLady1

In 2014 we moved to a 2 story house that needed more work than I was anticipating so our stuff went into storage for 4 months and we lived in a residence inn. When we packed my fabric, DH did not want me to pack all of it in plastic bins (the ones you buy at Costco in groups of 2 or 3), so I packed half in plastic and half in book boxes from Home Depot with plastic liners. Then, last year I had both knees replaces do we left the boxes in the garage. If you use cardboard, don't use anything larger than book boxes (because of the weight) and label the boxes on the side as well as the top and make sure you label them so you know exactly what is in them. I had some grand children help and they just wrote "fabric" which does not help if you are looking for special fabric (like I am doing now). If I had it to do over, all of the fabric would be in plastic bins with good locking lids.

Tothill

Good Tips.

I will be moving during the summer. I have lived in this house almost 19 years and have much purging to do.

Most my fabric is already in plastic totes and will be moved in them. I probably will be putting quite a bit of stuff into storage for a couple months while I find a new place.

cindi

We've moved at least 5 times - all using movers. If you've got movers packing for you, let them take care of most of it. They use a LOT of packing paper (even wrapping little things like night light bulbs with paper!), and your belongings will be fully covered. However, move your own machines and anything valuable such as jewelry. Also, pack a box (I used a suitcase) of a few pre-cut projects or bindings to do while you're setting up the new place (don't forget thread, scissors and needles!). You'll be surprised how long it will take to get things back in order, and it's always nice to have a small project to work on when you need a break.

yngldy

When I moved, I cut a corner off each piece of fabric that went into the box and taped it onto a sheet of paper. I gave a number to the paper and the box (not the lid). I did that with all the fabric, plus the yardage. Now with digital, I guess you could save the cutting part and just take a picture of the contents of the box. It was nice to also know the size of each piece. That way you can do virtual stash shopping as you are browsing a new magazine or book. Sometimes the piece you have is not enough for the pattern. You can check the list instead of going to storage, opening the box, etc. Most office supply stores will give you the empty computer paper boxes, if you ask nicely. I would not use anything bigger unless you are using a dolly, and unpacking right away. Speaking of using a dolly, you can buy the flat ones that you see large plants on, and use that for at least 50% of the moving, as well as office chairs, etc. They are small, and good for "us ladies" to handle without too much trouble, as long as you don't overload.