How to store fabrics?
#41
I think I had heard that the plastic verses fabric 'rumor' came from a sealed plastic bag that contained some moisture... thus the mildew!!!! I use plastic bins (not entirely sealed, as some air circulation occurs) and have not had any problems. I did have some problems years ago when my fabric was stored in my basement in dresser drawers and cardboard (which attracted and held moisture)... Duh! Mildew!
I'm now a plastic girl! and no more basement storage!
I'm now a plastic girl! and no more basement storage!
#42
I used to store my fabrics, in folded stacks on inexpensive Staples 28" wide x 70" high bookcases. Because the thin shelves bowed from the weight, I bought 3/4" melemine shelving blanks at Home Depot and cut them to fit my bookcases. No more bow and 6 or 7 shelves per case! Stacked by color families and type of fabric (dress, home dec, quilting in color ways). I just closed my miniblinds in that room when I wasn't working. I suppose you could also put spring tension rods in the top of each case and hang a sewn to fit cover down over the shelves.
But THEN, we had to renovate the house. My sewing room dimensions didn't change... but when I redid my sew room, I purchased three 24" wide x 16" deep RSI/Estate cabinets from Lowes - the models with the nice smooth finish inside and out. I refolded my fabric to fit the shelves. Now I close the doors.
On plastic: I used to also have fabrics in plastic bins. Silver fish are a huge problem in florida, so plastic it HAS to be. But I took care to keep the A/C on... and would open up the tubs to air the fabric out on occasion. :lol:
But THEN, we had to renovate the house. My sewing room dimensions didn't change... but when I redid my sew room, I purchased three 24" wide x 16" deep RSI/Estate cabinets from Lowes - the models with the nice smooth finish inside and out. I refolded my fabric to fit the shelves. Now I close the doors.
On plastic: I used to also have fabrics in plastic bins. Silver fish are a huge problem in florida, so plastic it HAS to be. But I took care to keep the A/C on... and would open up the tubs to air the fabric out on occasion. :lol:
#43
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: west allis, wisconsin
Posts: 407
i do believe the not storing fabric in plastic refers mostly to the ziploc type bags. and that is for long time storage. i keep my fabrics in clear plastic tubs with lids, each color gets its own tub. theme fabrics get their own also. the size of the tubs depends on space and how much fabric you own. then all the tubs are on floor to ceiling shelves in my work room. i am in there often enough so they get to breathe alot.
#44
Originally Posted by Izaquilter
I fold mine on a 6 X 24 ruler. Then fold them in half. No matter what size your fabric is, they are all the same size. I have not yet sorted them in to 1/2 yds, yds & over yet but have thought about it. It took a lot of time & patience but has paid off twice over for me. I also keep an air freshener in mine too so they smell so good when they come out!
Love the picture.
#45
Originally Posted by rneugin
i saw somewhere yesterday to use plastic boards to put big peices of fabric on store on shelf like in fabric shop i wonder if cardboard would work as well i have a lady that saves me the cardboard that her bolts come on. smaller peices could go in plastic bins.
Yes, Polor Notions has the plastic boards (as do at least 2 other companies) where you tuck the fabric into tabs on the board, then wind it around (just like if it were on a bolt). They work great. Another group of quilters came up with using Comic Book Boards. These things are archival and safe, for they are used by serious Comic book collectors to package their priceless comic books on. They are not as stiff as the plastic boards, cause they are treated foam boards. But they come in different sizes, and are slightly cheaper. Sometimes they are listed as 'silver' boards. You can google Comic Book Boards to see them, or Google Polar Notions for the other (polar makes both fat quarter size and larger piece sized plastic boards). Both the plastic Polar Notions boards and the Comic Book boards work great - you wind up your material on them, tuck or pin... then sit them up on your shelving/bookcases just like books.
But seriously... don't use regular cardboard or the bolt boards from the stores. They are not meant to store fabrics on for long periods of time.
#46
Originally Posted by Quilter Day-by-Day
Why wood chips? What does plastic do to fabrics?
Other plastics are formulated to maintain their integrity over a longer period of time, those (in a gross generalization) are your harder plastics... such as those used in making the storage totes, tubs, rolling carts, drawers, boxes, and cubes. Rubbermaid, Sterlite, Iris and several other manufacturers make these. These products would be better to store your fabrics in - provided that you don't store them totally air tight. As someone already mentioned, the humidity/moisture in the air... would get locked into an airtight tub and cause mold or mildew. Yuck. Fortunately, all of the storage bins, totes, tubs, carts and cubes that I've seen on the market... are not truly air tight.
#47
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
Originally Posted by carolaug
Me too...I have seen some ideas but I do not have a large area for storage or a large book self....I am thinking smaller white containers on wheels. Joanne has them on sale today. My closet is full of fabric and just seems so messy. I organize it...but as soon as I need some fabric it becomes a mess.
#48
I also store my fabrics in translucent plastic drawer sets. Each set of 3 drawers on casters is 25" X 22" X 14" deep; I have 2 of these side by side, giving me 6 drawers to organize all my folded fabrics. The are currently: Christmas fabric; plain colored fabric; colored print fabric in 2 drawers and a separate drawer for pre-quilted fabric and then an entire character fabric drawer for: Disney Cars, Tinkerbell, Ariel, Frosty the snowman, Jungle Babies, Winnie the Pooh, and specific character princess fabrics. Keeping fabric organized is an excellent idea... When you want to create a quilt, potholder or reversible vest, look in your stack of fabrics first. Each fabric style stays in its own drawers and they are marked with stickers so its easy to find specific fabric for a specific project. Hope this keeps your fabrics organized for 2011. from, Debbie, Phoenix, AZ
#50
I just reorganized all my fabric, from cardboard boxes which I had a hard time seeing what I had, to a shelving area in a closet, behind mirrored doors. I used the 6 x 24" ruler method, and I think it went very smoothly. I can now just glance at what I have and find it. I found I could fold with this method up to 4 yrds. I've posted this pic. before, but in case you missed it, here it is.
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10-16-2010 03:50 PM