how to safely store fabric for a long-term project?
 

Good Morning quilters! My sister has been collecting batiks for a pair of quilts I'll make for the two of us. I have plenty of fabric and it's going to be a "Block of the Week" (I hope) project for me. It's a quilt using all the old block patterns and then lots of connecting areas using Flying Geese, Pinwheels and such. The quilt is called "Women of the Bible" and the blocks represent different women... Anyway... my sis wanted the quilt and she loves the idea of me making two: one for her and one for me. So...I need to get started on this and it will take many weeks to complete. My sewing room is small and I haven't figured out yet how to store all this fabric safely And for easy (or fairly easy) access???? Help??? I've thought about those under-the-bed plastic containers...but is the plastic safe for the fabric? This project won't last for years, but it will for months. Do I need to look for long cardboard boxes? Any ideas where to look? Please help!?! Right now the fabric is lying on the guest bed, but that's not a good solution...

Thanks, in advance, for all your ideas????

I stored all my fabrics in plastic totes as I lived in Florida and I was more worried about moisture and bugs down there. The totes were in storage for 4 years with no visible damage I could see. I still have some fabrics in totes under my quilt frame for lack of anywhere else to put them so its been 10 years for some of them. I do bring them out to check them and refold them so they don't get a permanent fold line. These are mostly dress fabrics too and not cottons for quilts.

If the project isn't going to last for years, the plastic bins should be OK. I wouldn't click the lids down all the way, just leave them loose.

I had a lot of fabric including batiks stored in the plastic containers for years. No problem but they were in the closet in the house with a/c (air controlled) You should be ok since your location states OKlahoma. You can go to the dollar discount stores and some home improvement stores and pick up or go online to purchase silica moisture absorbing beads. You shouldn't have any trouble. You should be ok with the under the bed storage containers for fabric for 2 quilts. Make your own quilt kit and put it in them including needles and thread.

i sew/quilt in my small dining room. because of the increasingly large quantities of fabric being gifted by mil church group, yard sale & estate sale finds & living in small house w/o location for sewing room and attendant storage for fabric, i started using the flat underbed boxes several years ago. easier to tote downstairs for scrap projects ..or even open several on spare bed while i sort thru looking for scraps or larger pieces. i can fold fq's and large scraps and stand on end like books. easy to quickly finger thru & look for print color etc. i will put up to ~2 yrd pieces folded and stood on edge same as fq's. this method has evolved over last few years as i've adjusted to new lack of room for my sewing, quilting and yarn hobbies. but more to your query ..i've had no issues with storing in the plastic boxes. cardboard boxes smell (to me) and the acids in the paper of the boxes, glue etc will be detrimental to fabrics over time. maybe not the few weeks you plan for your project. but unless your plans fare better than mine ..a few weeks can easily stumble into a few years. like the mystery quilt from three years ago that i was determined to finish last winter ..and the winter before! :D

The two hazards that come to my mind are moisture and animals. You don't want to store fabric any place humid or that might get wet, and you might need some sort of barrier to keep out mice and/or bugs. These things may or may not be issues depending on your circumstances, but those are the things to think about. Since it's only a few months, it's unlikely to be a large problem.

If storage were long-term then I'd also worry about exposure to light fading the fabrics. You certainly don't want to store them any place they get direct sun on them, but ambient room light probably wouldn't be an issue for such a short time (I'd be curious if anyone knows how quickly fabric can fade from light).

Rogue quilter...don't I know that!! haha...I mean, sigh....


Thanks for the quick replies everyone! I'll go look for the under bed containers today...I think that will be my best solution...and about the folding...great idea! I just love the quilt board!!! :o

I've stored fabric in plastic totes for years and they are just fine.

I have also stored fabrics in plastic boxes for years with no problems. I agree about not using cardboard boxes. Unless they are acid free, they can leach onto your fabrics and ruin them (I know from experience)