Long term fabric storage for move
 

Good morning ladies and gents.

I am in the process of making what I hope is the final move in my lifetime, but I have a dilemma. Fabric storage..How do I pack and store all this fabric to keep bugs out and the fabric in good condition until I am ready to unpack and set up another sewing studio? My boxes may be stored in a garage or an empty bedroom for months or longer.

I appreciate any and all tips.

Roxanne

I was lucky. I used Xerox boxes for my move but we don't have much insects in So CA.

Don't know if this will work...but.....how about placing your boxes in plastic garbage bags & put a cedar block in the bag, just not inside the box.

I would just be safe and put in clear storage containers or label the outside with reds/blues/flannels/colors and textures. You can use Ziploc bags for this. In anything else you may not have to worry about bugs but possibly rodents.

I knew someone who put the fabric in plastic bags, and then into plastic garbage cans. She then unpacked everything when she got there.

Hopefully, you get to store in a bedroom and possibly set up a sewing space if the boxes are stored just right. I did that for awhile.

I moved from Florida to Iowa and had to pack up my sewing room to declutter while trying to sell the house back when the market dropped drastically. Never thought it would take 3 years to sell it. But doe to all the humidity and possible hurricanes I packed all my fabrics into plastic large totes. This way hopefully the palmetto bugs couldn't get inside as well as the humidity adding mold to it. It was almost 4 years before I found a house, remodeled it to my liking and then moved in before I could unpack my sewing room again. Still have some apparel fabrics in these totes yet today. I found no damage to any of my fabrics and if you know just how hot it can get down in Florida you know it was tested. Supposedly my household goods were to be in an A/C storage facility but when I got my stuff back I could see yellowing on my sewing machines, etc so that told me they lied. Also the way the movers packed it all into their trailer my totes and/or lids were crushed beyond use. But again, no damage to my fabrics or machines..............thankfully.

I had to go through this a few years ago. What really saved me were the big, clear, plastic bins, similar to the ones mentioned above. They're stackable and you can easily see what's in them. They're pretty good at keeping the bugs and moisture out too. Good luck with your move.

~ C

I recently moved. All my fabric was packed away for about 6 months, part of that time inside my house in Oregon and part in a storage unit in Southern California. I put the fabric inside a plastic bag inside a moving box and had no problems. Just be sure the fabric is dry when it's put into the bag. It's not a good way to store fabric longterm, but for a few months it should be fine.

When we made our last move all our household things were in several of those rental storage units for over 6 months. I packed all my fabric in large blue tupperware storage bins. Inside the bins the fabric was in garbage bags. For the wool that I had in storage, I threw in some moth balls with it just to dissuade bugs from taking up residence. All the fabric was fine when I finally unpacked it.

lol - and 8 years later .... some of it is in the "cubbies" upstairs in the bins :eek: