Storing Fabric
07-26-2011, 08:16 AM
#21
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,646
I don't have too much humidity to worry about, only during our monsoon season, which is now. I store my fabric in totes, some blocks from another quilt left over, are in baggies which are also in my totes. Some say to seal the baggies while others don't. My totes are inside of closet
07-26-2011, 08:40 AM
#23
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 104
I work in the basement and have converted my sons bedroom, (he is a US Marine in Japan for a couple of years) into my storage area. I use my large 10 seat dining room table as my storage for all my cutting items, but my material is laid on his bed. That's my storage unit and so far it works ok.....I'm lucky my dh doesn't ask me to clean up the room, at least not until my son comes home and need a place to sleep
07-26-2011, 08:51 AM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Farmington Minnesota
Posts: 645
Originally Posted by JulieR
Originally Posted by QuiltnNan
Originally Posted by Yarn or Fabric
I have my material ruler folded and stacked on shelves in a closet. ...
I think you have to do whatever works for you. Some like bins. Some like cabinets. Some like shelves. Some like xerox boxes (which I also have a lot of material in) but for me the ruler fold and closet method works the best for me at this time in my life. Things might change.
I think you have to do whatever works for you. Some like bins. Some like cabinets. Some like shelves. Some like xerox boxes (which I also have a lot of material in) but for me the ruler fold and closet method works the best for me at this time in my life. Things might change.
Now if I could only find a better way to store my scraps...
07-26-2011, 02:33 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 527
My sewing area is the basement. I do have alot of floor to ceiling windows since it is a walk out basement, but none of my fabric is exposed to the light. I have it in metal cabinets with two doors in front of it. It is washed, folded, and is stacked according to color. All my greens are together, all blues, etc. I like to open both doors and be able to see all the colors so I know what I have. I also have some large drawers where I keep groups that go together for a specific project. It really just matters what you like. You may not get it done the way you like the first time. You just have to live with it for a while and see.
07-26-2011, 03:04 PM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Southeast Michigan
Posts: 339
When storing fabric, you should keep in mind how long you want to store it. Fabric composition is organic, and like storing precious documents, you should consider the elements. Moisture, sunlight are the primary factors. If you wash your fabric before storing, you remove the excess starch which deters little critters. But also consider that plastic containers emit chemicals that can affect the strength of the fibers if left in it for extended periods of time. Certain cardboard has a pH factor to consider which may cause leaching of the colors. Using these containers over a short time period won't affect the fabric much, but if you keep them for years and years, it may be something to think about.
07-26-2011, 03:12 PM
#27
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
Since we moved from a 3-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom apt. I have my fabric stored in clear plastic bins, mostly arranged by type - batiks, pinks, purples, Christmas, fall, etc. Due to lack of a better space, they are stacked against the wall in our dining room, so when I need a fabric, I can usually pick the right bin, but then I get surprised often as well.
07-26-2011, 08:00 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 416
Originally Posted by jaciqltznok
The correct ways to store your fabric is NOT the way most do it.
It should be folded or hund out of direct sunlight.
Moisture should be kept at a minimum as well.
Cotton is considered a living/breathing fiber. Meaning that even after being dyed/printed, it is still able to breathe in anything it comes in contact with. Cigarette smoke being the #1 thing we can all atest to ruining fabric.
But storing it in a sealed baggie, or tote can do just as much harm. It dries it out causing dry rot! Storing it in a closet or chest with bare wood, causes the yellowing as the acids in the wood make gas fumes that leach into the fabric. Storing in or on cardboard that is not acid free/archival board will cause bleaching out of the dyes as the acid in the cardboard makes fumes. All of these also cause detoriation in the fabrics over time.
SO if you are going to store it on a shelf, make sure it is completely painted/sealed. I also put down some cheap poly/cotton muslin as a shelf liner!
If using cardboard, make sure it is acid free(the bolts it comes on is NOT acid free and are meant for short term storage only).
The folding over the ruler to make each piece measure the same is the best way to make sure you know what you have and how much. It also makes for easy rotation!
It should be folded or hund out of direct sunlight.
Moisture should be kept at a minimum as well.
Cotton is considered a living/breathing fiber. Meaning that even after being dyed/printed, it is still able to breathe in anything it comes in contact with. Cigarette smoke being the #1 thing we can all atest to ruining fabric.
But storing it in a sealed baggie, or tote can do just as much harm. It dries it out causing dry rot! Storing it in a closet or chest with bare wood, causes the yellowing as the acids in the wood make gas fumes that leach into the fabric. Storing in or on cardboard that is not acid free/archival board will cause bleaching out of the dyes as the acid in the cardboard makes fumes. All of these also cause detoriation in the fabrics over time.
SO if you are going to store it on a shelf, make sure it is completely painted/sealed. I also put down some cheap poly/cotton muslin as a shelf liner!
If using cardboard, make sure it is acid free(the bolts it comes on is NOT acid free and are meant for short term storage only).
The folding over the ruler to make each piece measure the same is the best way to make sure you know what you have and how much. It also makes for easy rotation!
Thank you Jacquie, I wondered about all that you have mentioned here. This has been very helpful to me. I am just starting to get a "stash" so of course I was concerned about the elements of storage and what would preserve the fabric the best over a long time. I have seen fabrics in some stores and homes that the fold of the fabric was lighter than the rest of the bolt, probably from being there for a very long time and exposed to the lighting fixtures, dust, chemicals, etc.
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