My mom died in 2009 - before she died she she told me about some fabric she saved from a dress she made for my sister (she was born in 1950). It was the Disney version of the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf - white fabric and the pigs and wolf were a pink/purple, so I believe she bought it about 1951 or 1952. She said she didn't have very much fabric left but she couldn't force herself to let it go. When I was cleaning out the house I found the fabric. My sister had passed away the year before my mother, her daughter (my niece) had twins a month after my mom passed away, so I used the fabric in a quilt for the twins. The fabric is still holding up in the quilt 7 years later.

I sold most of everything I had when I left Hawaii in 1985....couldn't move it in an airplane! So my own current fabric collection started in 1986. I still have some pieces I bought back then... or should I say 'large scraps'? I do frequent estate sales and buy nice vintage fabric when I can find it, so I do have some pieces older than my own. Much older!

How many years?
 

When I moved to Guam 47 years ago I brought a supply of fabric because I didn't know what I would find here. I didn't get involved with quilting until the late 90's. I still have a couple of three yard pieces that came with me but they haven't been made into anything. A couple of years ago a friend opened a quilt shop so we can now buy locally without having to shop online.

I think you win.
I used to date my fabric by where I bought it or before or after the birth of my children. Then we had a fire and now I date it by "before or after the fire."(21 years in Oct)

I have some pretty old fabric in my stash. Its so old, I don't really remember where I bought it! Since I have no dates, you still hold the record ::laugh

I have some Alice in Wonderland fabric that my mom bought in the 70's to make a baby blanket for me, and she never made it so she just gave the fabric to me when I was a teenager. I'm still holding onto it for something special, though I did use some of it for my first nephew's first baby quilt. :) It's not quilting cotton though, more of a lightweight denim/canvas type fabric.

As for fabric I've purchased myself, probably nothing older than the late 90's, but I'm not certain.

My Sister worked in a quilt shop in the mid 70's, and bought a lot of fabric. A few years ago I bought it all from her (about 300 yards). So I have not owned it that long, but it's been in the family . . . I've used maybe 40 yards of it so far.

Personally, I have some fabric I bought back in the mid 80's that I have not used yet. I made most of the clothing for my two kids until I went back to school (about the same time they went to school). Didn't sew much for about 20 years and am back into it now. I had 2-3 boxes of fabrics that have moved around with me during this time. I finally have all my fabric unboxed and on shelves (if suitable for quilting) or totes so I know what I have.

Some of my quilting fabric was purchased between 1990 and 1993 when I worked at JoAnn's, so it's 24-27 years old. I have apparel fabric much older than that which I'd use in a heartbeat if I needed it.

I have some fabric I bought at Woolworth's or Kresgee's back in the mid 60's or early 70's. It is a bandana type print, with a price tag of .49 cents a yard. I remember buying a bunch at 4yds for 1.00 on sale. It still has the paper tag with the metal staple that was put through the fabric then bent back to hold the tag on. Back then they measured the yardage on the "machine", where they would pull the fabric through and it would measure the yardage. Then RIP it! Almost sounds medieval, doesn't it!?