quilterguy27

I've stored fabric every which way you can think of. In plastic tubs, plastic bags, cardboard boxes, shelves of every kind of material. The only things I've ever had a problem with has been plastic bags. I guess they don't breathe. After revisiting them, there was moisture in the bags. Fortunately I caught it in time, washed the fabric and all is good. It probably has to do with location and humidity too. Anyway, just thought I'd share my 2 cents.

Prism99

All wood products, including cedar, contain acid that will slowly discolor and then actually eat through fabric. That is one reason why so many antique quilts that were stored folded in cedar chests have brown stains in spots.

If you have to store in a cedar chest, I would wrap the quilt in a large pillowcase or sheet so the quilt is not in direct contact with the wood.

Incidentally, cardboard and tissue paper have the same problem. For long-term storage, it's best to use archival-quality cardboard and tissue paper. This applies to storage of photographs too. They should be mounted on archival-quality paper, not regular paper.

Tippy

I don't pretend to be an expert on the topic.. however.. I have sewn for over a half of a century and I've got fabrics that have been stored in plastic "bins" for as much as 20 years.. some for up to 4 years without being opened. I have had NO problem with foul odors or deterioration. I have gone into fabric shops and been overwhelmed by the smell of formaldehyde used in processing the fabric.. it's used for setting color and in a process for making the fabric "permanent press". I frequently give the "sniff test" to fabrics.. especially the cheap stuff and if I catch a chemical whiff it stays on the shelf. This is one reason I've been a long time "prewasher" of fabrics.

D'Marie

Plastic bags are know to let of toxic gases. I ws told to never store my quilts in them. That's why I always use pillow cases to store things in.Then they can be put in the large tubes or totes.My mother stored material and quilts between layers of muslin. Alot of thah was stored in cedar chests or blanket boxes.Just avoid thin plastic,like the store shopping bags and garment bags.

stoppain

Hi again, I went to a class for this Reversible Quilt---this is the teacher E-mail add, if anyone has any questions
[email protected]
About those bags--they have a pocket on the outside,for information

marla

It probably can effect the fabric if you keep it in a very damp or hot area. I had yarn in those vaccuum bags and in another plastic bin in the garage and it had to air out for several days to rid the musty smell.

schwanton

I heard that rumor too on Fons and Porter! I had been storing some finished quilts in space bags - which I heard is a no no. I now store them in cotton pillowcase covers (with zippers) and place them in plastic tubs out of sunlight. But I have many fabrics in plastic tubs - they look fine to me!

Boston1954

Never a problem here. Had some of them since about 2002.

grandmafay

I have fabrics in long flat plastic bine that has been there for about 10yrs. they are stacked on the top shelf of what was my spare bedroom/craft/sewing room before my son and his two kids moved in in may 2004. I haven't even opened them and i guess now that i've started thinking of sewing again, i will check them.......i'm sure they will be fine as no sun gets in there..... : -)!

Fay

omak

My mother sent me a box of fabric (cardboard) that I had packed in an ordinary products box from the grocery store? As near as I could figure, it had been in that box for more than 25 years :shock: and the fabric was fine.
Sometimes, we get sold a bill of goods because someone wants us to buy something, I think.
The difference between plastic containers and plastic bags is a difference in the permeability ... that being said, even our plastic bottles are permeable, hence the reason my Pepsi goes flat if it has been opened for more than four days. As long as there is permeability in the container, then there is air circulation, which is one of the reasons one should never store or display natural fibers in a sealed glass container ..
the plastic container is manufactured differently than a plastic bag, so that could account for the difference in what the plastic gives on in micro fumes of gasoline.
I would think that a container with a snap on lid is still far from air tight (she says as she prays that is the case since she has YARDS of fabric that has been stored in YEARS!)
And, on that note ... consider that clear thread ... that is a very fine fishing line - - plastic ... I would be more concerned with that thread breaking down and coming apart before I would worry about containers causing problems for fabric. <wave>
I haven't read this complete thread, so if I have been redundant in my musings, I apologize ... but storage is always something we are aware of.