I have a dilemma. I ordered some fabric online, and the service was very speedy, and the fabric is just what I wanted.

When I opened the package, the fabric was wrapped in a plastic bag (like from a grocery store) and was covered with bug egg cases and bug feces. Nothing alive, thank goodness.

Unfortunately, I opened this package over my kitchen table and this stuff scattered everywhere. I ran outside with everything and dumped it in the trash and then came in and decontaminated my table and floor around it.

I honestly believe the contamination was in the envelope it was sent in (a flat rate priority one). I shook the fabric out really well and didn't see any on the fabric.

Should I write her and tell her she might want to check her envelopes, or just not ever order there again? What would you do? I do not want to give the fabric up - it's OOP and hard to find.

I would definately let the person know!!!! And wash the fabric ASAP!

I agree!

By all means let her know so she can correct whatever caused it if possible.

You still have the fabric? When you said you "dumped everything" - was that included?

If you still have the fabric - wash it, dry it - if you are obsessive, wash it again.

You've disposed of the wrapping.

Notify the company you purchased this from. Sometimes things can get infested overnight.

If they are good to work with otherwise, i would give them another chance.

As the saying goes - it happens.

OMGosh

By ALL means let them know what you went thru after recieving your order...they may correct it and even maybe give a free order in the future!! :D

Man... just to be safe I'd stick it in the freezer for a couple days. Take it out, let it thaw for a day in a plastic bag, then freeze it again. That's the best way to kill any critters in yarn, and there's no reason it wouldn't work on fabric. The thaw/freeze cycle will wake up any bugs that have gone dormant--some bugs can survive being frozen when they're still in the eggs. The thaw tricks them into coming out of dormancy and the second freeze kills 'em. I also know some people who've bagged their yarn in a black garbage bag and stuck it in the car under full sunlight for a couple days. If they can't be killed by cold, they can probably be killed by heat.

All that aside, I would definitely contact the seller. Let her know that the fabric seems unharmed, but that her shipping supplies may need some attention. I'd hate for her to gain a bad reputation with other buyers if it's something she could have fixed had she known about it.

Yes, I shook the fabric really well outside, and it is in the washer right now.

I have written to the company - as I said, I want to keep the fabric and have no intention of sending it back for a refund. Told them as nicely as I could what happened so maybe they can check their envelopes.

yep...we have a saying here... "feces occurs". In this case, it was quite literal, though LOL

Definately let her know.

Ewww.

Yes, let them know.

Glad you did write the company - will be anxious to see what kind of reply they give you.

Is this a popular on-site company that we might have used before? Guess we'll all be checking our purchases closer when we get them :(

Bed bugs are a major problem right now and heat will kill them and the dormant eggs. Once you wash the fabric it's important to put it in the dryer on high for an hour.

We have an epidemic of bed bugs in the USA and heat is the only thing that will destroy them and their eggs which are microscopic. They love material of any kind. Any fabric I bring home goes in the dryer for 1/2 hour on hot. It will not hurt the fabric and if you are like me I don't like to wash my fabric before I use it. Anything coming from Thrift store, Goodwill, etc. get this treatment or I leave it in my car for about 3 days and at 100+ degrees, it works.

i would let her know for sure. if you don't, it can happen to another customer and we wouldn't want that.

Well, still no response to my email. I'll let you know when I hear back from them.

It was site I found when searching for this particular fabric. From their blog, they have a lovely shop. I would hate to see this happen to their other customers, too. It if happens enough it will surely hurt their business.

The more I think about it, I think their mailing supplies are stored in a shed or something like it outside. Either that, or they have a bunch of plastic sacks all crumpled up where the buggies got in. But I would THINK they would notice all the crud...at first I thought it was mouse droppings, but when I looked closer I could see an opening on one end where something had "hatched".

I'm not usually anal about this kind of stuff..heck, bugs are everywhere..I just didn't expect it from a fabric store.

Thanks for everyone's tips. I'm gonna try them all... freezer and then a couple of days in my car. With our 100+ temps for over a month now, it shouldn't be hard to kill anything remaining!

I think you did the kindest thing possible...you let her know. Now it's up to her to do something about it!

I read somewhere to run infested clothing or fabric in a hot dryer to kill bugs & eggs. The emphasis was on HOT.

If it is bedbugs I would get rid of the garbage can you tossed the packaging in! Bedbugs are easy to infest and extremely hard to get rid of. All it takes is one bug to survive. I would let the person know immediately and try to see what the bugs were. I bet they were roaches!

good advise...Maybe they will send you a discount coupon on next purchase...they should...

You've gotten some really good advice. I hope you don't have anymore trouble with it.

glad u let them know!! ewww but it happens!!

you definitely need to call the shop and tell them....

I would let her know too. Definitely wash and dry the fabric. Just an FYI, years ago when I was working in a nursing home there was an outbreak of scabies and they couldn't get it under control. The local doctor was called in and he discovered they were drying the sheets on the outdoors clothesline. He ordered them to dry them in the dryer which he said will kill anything. That did get rid of them.

So sorry this happened. Guess we all will be checking our packages better. Heat is good for lots of stuff. BrendaK

it most likely was not IN the fabric..too many pestacides sprayed on those...but in the envelopes...they love cardboard/paper...they could have been there forever and nobody would notice...even back the post office warehouse...

you shouldn't have thrown them out, but put it all in a ziploc and sent it to them to see for themselves!

Another version is: Manure occureth!

I wondered later if I should have saved the wrappings and envelope, but quite frankly, I was too grossed out. If I had had my wits about me I would have taken a picture but all I could think about was getting that stuff out of the house.

I agree about bugs loving paper. And I have been to enough estate sales where stuff was stored in sheds and garages to recognize what had happened here.

I was just so shocked that it came from an apparently successful quilt shop. And funny thing....I still have not received a response to my email. I think I will wait until tomorrow afternoon and if I don't get an email back I will call and ask to speak to the owner. Maybe she isn't getting this information, and I think she needs it.

I would have been on the phone or writing an email as soon as I got the mess cleand up. Very good chance they were on in the envelope or maybe the plastic bag she put the fabric in and she just didn't notice when she was packaging it. Write or call her. She may have an infestation and know be aware of it.

The shopowner could very well be checking his/her shipping supplies before replying to you.

Also possible that he/she was so shocked :shock: that a little time is needed to emotionally recover before replying to you. :|

Sorry this happened to you. You just never know. Back in the 90's I worked delivering flowers and would you believe flowers are full of cockroaches. Sad but true. Had to keep baits in the van all the time and wash it out every weekend.

This is a good lesson for me.....open all boxes outside.

I don't think I would want to put that in my freezer either.

would you mind telling us what company you bought it from? I wouldn't want to buy from them. So it would be good to know.

I think someone else resently posted about this same thing happening to her, right down to the plastic bag. Might be same company. I know I saw a post within the last couple of weeks.

sorry this happened, I would have been grossed out as well. I hope you hear back from them soon.

Yuck!!! Tell her about it!!!

If you can get a picture of the bugs and stuff, I can identify it. when we know what it is, we can figure out what it was eating.

Were there any holes in the fabric??

If this is the second post about this problem we really do want to know the name of the company. Even if we do order from them we can be prepared when the package arrives.