zz-pd

thank you all for the information, so when I have enough to actuly worry about storage, the plastic bins are OK, right. God bless. Penny

butterflywing

i think one of the things is ventilation. most of the tubs have lids that are NOT airtight and in this case i think that's better. when Noah dropped off the last load of my plastic tubs (when the waters went down) the fabric was still good and i think it's because the lids offer ventilation.

LauraLavon

I have a hand make quilt that was stored in a plastic bag. I just inherited the quilt. It does have a gassey smell to it.I have the quilt now displayed on my spare bed.Will the gassey smell disappear? Or have do I get rid of the gassey smell?
Laura

omak

The solution to pollution is dilution.
By getting the quilt out of the bag, you have begun the process - - stored in unbreathable plastic, removed out into the fresh air.
Time should help dissipate the odor - - if you have a garage that has some fresh air movement to set it out overnight, so much the better. I would NOT spray it with Febreeze or other deoderants ... time and fresh air - - cant beat it! <wave>

LauraLavon

Thank you so much for your reply and I will not use febreeze.
Thanks Laura :thumbup:

EagarBeez

I had been storing fabric in plastic bins. Then when another post was started on this topic, I took everything out and put it in drawers. I learned this to be a no-no. So back in bins it went. I have a lot of fabric pieces I had cut for another project I had done, and put these into a plastic bag which went into the storage tub. I've had everything stored around 3 years, all my fabric seems ok. I live in a low humidity area, so that may have something to do with it. But, now that plastic bags are no adviseable, I will take them out and just have all the fabric in totes in a closet.

omak

That is a beautiful quilt! It will air out quickly, I am sure. <wave>

omak

Oh, my!
I have fabric in all sorts of places (one of the joys of being a hoarder, I guess - - we are very creative).
As I explained a bit earlier, the plastic in bags are created differently than a plastic tote, plus that air tight thing if the bag gets closed ... the air tight problem is not nice to natural fibers. But, just the process of making the bags, they are heated differently, the formulas and chemicals are different, and all those variables creates a different product which responds to its contents in a variety of ways.
The totes are not air tight - - one point. Different formula in creation - - natural products respond differently to a tote. They stack nicer than bags BIG + ! <g> more stacks = more fabric.
Now! the drawers - - depending on how the wood is processed in the drawers the effects on fabric will differ. Not all wood is toxic to cotton or wool (cedar) ... but, cedar press board may have cedar, but a manmade formula in the glue used to create the chip/press board turns the cedar into a possible trauma to fabric.
Oh, and don't forget! cardboard boxes are DEADLY to fabric - - NOT SO FAST!
My mother sent me a box that we dated back at least 25 years - - when I didn't complete that project either (lots of UFOs in my life! LOL)
she found it stored in the corner of an upstairs bedroom that is rarely heated at sea level ... I was a bit surprised to find the fabric just fine after all those years!
Of course, I was a bit sad to find those silly stuffed clown panels that I thought I had gotten rid of at least ten years ago! LOL
Y'all get lots of stars for keeping the economy going with all the purchases of totes, plastic bags, acid free paper, etc ... but, now that you know you can do more with less <g> ... you will have to find something else to buy, right? LOL <wave>

MsEithne

I can't remember not knowing how to sew (or embroider or knit). As I graduated from doll clothes to making clothes for myself, my mother taught me to always get a half yard to full yard more fabric than the pattern called for (if I used a pattern--she taught me how to draft patterns, too). Just in case I made a mistake. Of course, fabric was way less than a dollar a yard back then!

I never intended to build a stash and I never bought a fabric without a purpose in mind but when the project was done, there was usually just too much scrap left for me to feel comfortable throwing away. So now I have a stash and some of the fabrics are over 40 years old.

It has been stored various ways over the years, from a cardboard box, wrapped in a plastic garbage bag inside the cardboard box, in a wooden slatted crate and in plastic bins.

I've been going through all these old scraps with my husband, who wrote a database to catalog them. None of them are damaged, all of them look as new as the day I rolled each set up neatly and tied it with a scrap of the same fabric.

The only precaution I ever took with my scraps was to keep it in the main part of whatever house I was living in, away from basements (too humid in the summer) or attics (too hot and too humid).

omak

VIOLA! The beauty of The Board! Centuries of experience, all varied, but very much valid. I think this testimony is the best assurance of the durability of fabric and its ability to survive some seemingly harsh treatment.
Should you happen to come across some fabric you are unsure of, try putting a finger through it - - right through the center.
I do know that fabric can become rotten, though I have only found one or two pieces in many years of stashing it and gathering from other stashes. If you can put your finger through it with slight pressure, use it for a doggie bed stuffing. <wave>