Skylark53

I've been buying lots of vintage fabrics lately, some dating to 1920's and perhaps even a bit earlier. Because I'm getting these from all different places, I'm always hesitant about what I might be bringing in along with the fabric (I'm thinking along the line of bed bugs). I haven't noticed any issues and don't really expect to; but it has me thinking about what exactly to do with these fabrics when I get them. I have been putting them in Ziplocs for a few days just to hopefully ensure anything that hitched a ride is dead, but I know the plastic is not good for the fabrics and that they need to breathe. I know there are plenty of archival storage items out there but those tend to be prohibitively expensive. As for my new fabrics, I have plastic pull-out drawer sets that they are in - but again I know the plastic isn't the greatest. I'm thinking of maybe using some archival tissue paper, either buffered or non-buffered depending on the fabric type, and lining the plastic drawers with them and wrapping the vintage fabric in them.

Most vintage fabrics I will be cleaning before more permanently storing, just waiting on the Retro Clean to arrive.

How do you all store your vintage fabrics?

Interesting link here:
http://www.vintagetextile.com/storag...20clothing.htm

juneayerza

I use cardboard shirt boxes with archival tissue and store the boxes away from any plastic. Plastic is constantly giving off fumes.

imsewnso

Why not make cotton bags....like pillow cases for them?

Freckles48

I was told by a local museum archivist that putting them in sheeting, rolling them or storing them one atop another and placing them on a bed. By sheeting I mean just plain sheets. (could get some at a local thrift store and wash them in hot water). She also said if you choose to fold them be prepared to unfold and refold them on different lines every few months. How this is a help.

Freckles48

I was told by a local museum archivist that putting them in sheeting, rolling them or storing them one atop another placed on a bed. By sheeting I mean just plain sheets. (could get some at a local thrift store and wash them in hot water). She also said if you choose to fold them be prepared to unfold and refold them on different lines every few months. How this is a help.

Skylark53

Good ideas - I actually do work at a museum (though usually with paper materials and not textiles) and we store full quilts on archival "cardboard" rolls, which prevents problems from folding, and then they are wrapped in archival tissue (great, but prohibitively expensive for the average person). Smaller fabrics are stored in archival boxes with archival tissue. I'd love to get archival boxes but seeing as a single one can run over $35 I just can't afford to. I will look into the sheeting with archival tissue.

Working in a museum is great because I know how I should ideally store things - but I can't afford to do so! This thread is providing some good "mid-way" options.

Edit to add: when things are folded in a box, we often add archival tissue into the crease to prevent it from being so sharp. That in turn with re-folding regularly will help prevent fading and permanent crease lines.