Question re Fabric Storage

Can you tell me what you do to store fabric that you have purchased for future projects. I have a six foot armoire in which to place my *finds* and would like to ensure that when I come to use them they are in good condition. Most of the pieces I have collected are cotton/lycra blend and some pure cotton and a few synthetics. Should I encase them in see through plastic such as one might get when clothes return from the cleaners? Any suggestions?

Just Breeze :)

Reply to
breeze
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Don't encase in plastic if you are in a very humid area...

Having said that, I bag mine in ziplock type bags and store in the loft in lidded plastic crates, in the dark: keeps out the moths and dirt, keeps out the damp here in the UK, and some of my fabric has been maturing like this for 20-25 years... I dug a 12 YO chunk out the other day to make a winter coat: it's in perfect condition, and the coat is coming along nicely! :)

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Fabric needs to breathe; do not store it in plastic. I'd just fold everything carefully. Sometimes I make a small note as to what exactly a particular piece is and pin it on the selvedge.

Reply to
small change

I only sew with washable fabrics. Every piece of fabric that comes home with me gets placed near the serger immediately. The cut edges are usually serged or zig-zagged that day, and the fabric is added to the correct laundry pile. If it's in the Red color family or if I think the color might run, the fabric gets washed and dried by itself at least once or twice. Multiple runs through the washer and dryer are also indicated if I think the fabric will shrink (cotton) or shed (linen).

Some times this laundering will change the character of the fabric. If I'm sure that I don't like its new attributes, I can put it in the donate box.

After all this laundering, the fabric can find its rightful place among the stash. I really cleaned out my stash this last year. I knew that the very few pieces that did not have the raw edges finished off had not been washed yet, so they were advanced through my process accordingly.

Now my fabrics are stored in boxes (mostly cardboard) and marked by type. My types are: home dec, cotton/linen, rayon/poly/silk, knits, and fabrics to make garments for specific people (DH, and DS).

maer

Reply to
maer

I had read somewhere that you should NEVER store your fabrics where they will touch raw wood, or lightly finished wood. Will cause staining. I would guess this to be especially true of natural fibers. I believe I had read this on a quilting website. Some years ago I had a beautiful wool worsted skirt suit and it was keep in a closet that didn't have heavily finished wood and the suit became unwearable due to the staining. I was heart sick. Just something I have heard and learned through the years. Marlys in Indiana

Reply to
Marlys in Indiana

I store it depend on how quickly it will be used. For instance, the fabrics that will eventually go into quilts are washed, dried, ironed, folded and stored in a cabinet. The fabrics that I bought for specific clothing projects are washed, dried, ironed, folded, then sealed into a

1 or 2 gallon ziploc bag along with the pattern it was intended for and the notions to go with it as well. The reason I do this is because I do WAY more clothing sewing than quilts as I have 2 skinny children who can't fit store-bought clothing without difficulty. So, the clothing fabric really isn't in storage for that long. HOwever, if I know that a fabric has been sitting in a bag for over a month, I take it out and let it breath for a day or so (rooms end up looking like a fabric store exploded if I have too much built up). So, I guess I do a little of both the correct and incorrect storage methods...lol.

When I get my sewing room back, I will be reorganizing storage so that I can actually see all the fabricswithout having to dig through cabinets...I will be looking to all of you for ideas as to how to best display/store when that time comes :-)

Larisa

Reply to
lvann

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