Re: Storing fabric - desperate husband seeks advice

I think we all miss Cea. Maybe she will return one day; we can all hope
the best for her in the meantime.
As for storage, I use the big bins from Wal-Mart, Target or wherever,
usually made by Sterlite or RubberMaid. Most are stored in my bedroom
closet, and always a couple in the sewing room.
Sometimes a piece of fabric that I know I'll use very soon after the
pre-wash is hung on a hangar in the closet. I would not put anything in
those air-tight bags or in your storage area if it is clean and dry.
Emily


On 11/1/07 7:13 PM, in article 472a6b9c$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Pogonip"
<nobody3@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Pogonip wrote:
IMS wrote:

On Thu, 1 Nov 2007 21:53:20 -0000, "Steve" <stevescholnick@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:


Hi

Please help me - marriage at stake!

We have recently had some cupboards built to store my dear wife's
fabric collection. The problem is that the cupboards are against an
external wall which can get cool. There is a risk of damp, which
could lead to fabric damage. I can install ventilation and even
heaters in the cupboards, but I wondered if either of the following
would be a good solution.

a) Storing the fabric in air tight plastic bags on the cupboard
shelves. You can get large 'vacuum bags' for clothes which are
designed to have the air sucked out, but I guess they could also be
used simply as air-tight containers without actually pumping the air
out.

b) As above, but using plastic boxes (large thin ones) with decent
air-tight lids.

If anyone has alternative solutions I would also love to hear them.

Many thanks

Steve




I keep all of my fabric in large plastic bins with the 'flap' tops.
There is some air circulation, which is important, as I often open the
bins to getsomething out or to rearrange the contents. I've never used
those fabric bags, or air tight containers, as I worry about trapping
moisture in them.

A quick GOOGLE search came up with:

http://www.fabriclink.com/Care/Long-term.cfm

http://www.sewnews.com/library/sewnews/library/aafabr9.htm

-Irene

Ahhh, I should not reply to my own post, but I found Cea's comments:

1. sewingbythe...@xxxxxxx
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More options Jul 31 2006, 5:14 pm
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
From: sewingbythe...@xxxxxxx
Date: 31 Jul 2006 17:14:39 -0700
Local: Mon, Jul 31 2006 5:14 pm
Subject: Fake "space bag" alert
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I bought a couple of these "knock-offs", thinking I could pack some
lightweight sewing supplies into them, suck all the air out, and stack
them on shelves, thereby doubling my storage space.
I managed to stuff about six large size quilt batts into each bag.
Vacuumed all the air out, and the bags flattened nicely. It was
amazing, how quilt batts could be shrunk up to nothing. Why, they are
all air! They weighed nothing. I was beginning to think I ruled. My
cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room.
I stacked three or four of these bags atop one another, on an open
wire shelf units, maybe two-and-a-half feet from the ceiling, up above
my dryer. Filled the whole space. A couple of bread machines, an old
dry iron, and assorted semi-fragiles shared the shelf nicely. All was
well, for about two weeks.
One morning recently, all hell broke loose, a crashing and
shattering which went on for three minutes; a seemingly endless
slow-motion suicide of assorted minor household appliances.
I arrived on scene to see the last of the lemmings leap onto the tile
floor. At the opposite end of the shelf, wedged tightly against the
ceiling, were the four pseudo space bags, each one enormously distended
with air. Beneath them, shelf braces were bent, folded, molly bolts
pulled out, and all the brackets were sprung away from the wall. I
would not have believed that airy batts could do that sort of damage
unless I'd seen it.
I am not a fan of open wire shelving. I think if I'd stacked the
batts on wood shelves, they'd have simply pushed their way off the
shelf, instead of destroying it. It took me a while to repair the
damage; I put in new molly bolts and brackets. My sewing room is again
full of fluffy, slithery quilt batt packages. I don't know if I should
try this again with the "original, genuine Space Bag", or just consider
this a one-time experiment, and get back to making quilts. That would
get rid of my batt storage problem, but most quilting is a slo-mo
process for me. (My dogs like to loll in the coolness under the beds,
or I'd simply slide the bags into all that lovely unused emptiness.)
Cea

How I wish she could come back to play with us again.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Fake "space bag" alert
    ... I managed to stuff about six large size quilt batts into each bag. ... Vacuumed all the air out, and the bags flattened nicely. ... cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room. ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.sewing)
  • Fake "space bag" alert
    ... I managed to stuff about six large size quilt batts into each bag. ... Vacuumed all the air out, and the bags flattened nicely. ... cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room. ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.sewing)
  • Re: Storing fabric - desperate husband seeks advice
    ... We have recently had some cupboards built to store my dear wife's fabric collection. ... You can get large 'vacuum bags' for clothes which are designed to have the air sucked out, but I guess they could also be used simply as air-tight containers without actually pumping the air out. ... cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room. ...
    (alt.sewing)
  • Re: Storing fabric - desperate husband seeks advice
    ... We have recently had some cupboards built to store my dear wife's fabric collection. ... You can get large 'vacuum bags' for clothes which are designed to have the air sucked out, but I guess they could also be used simply as air-tight containers without actually pumping the air out. ... She was delighted with how they squished down and became flat little packages, which she then piled on a shelf in the bedroom closet, securely behind the closed door. ...
    (alt.sewing)
  • Re: Fake "space bag" alert
    ... I managed to stuff about six large size quilt batts into each bag. ... Vacuumed all the air out, and the bags flattened nicely. ... cleverness resulted in loads of empty shelf space in the sewing room. ...
    (rec.crafts.textiles.sewing)