Did you know about our sister site- MiniBolts? It's part of our company, and it has its own little home at Minibolts.com. So yes, we are slightly impartial when it comes to the best way to store your fabric. And yes, we are here you tell you that Mini Bolts are the best option for your fabric. But we’re not just selling ocean front property in Arizona here! Did you know the most common options of storing fabric can actually DAMAGE your fabric? Yes, that fabric- the one you’ve been saving for ten years and can’t bring yourself to cut. That fabric is basically gold and must be protected at all costs! Here are some tried but untrue methods to store your fabric that need to be stopped.
Cardboard- The worst thing about cardboard is that it can actually damage your fabric. Cardboard contains a chemical called BHT which causes yellowing. Let’s revisit our color wheel here. Blue fabric plus yellow equals a green tinge. White fabric plus yellow chemical means a yellow-hue. Quilters spend far too much money on fabric to lose pieces to chemical changes.
Cardboard is also moisture-sensitive. If your fabric is stored somewhere humid, like in the South, AKA the Devil’s Armpit (ask me how I know), the cardboard can swell with moisture and transfer dampness to your fabric. Dampness creates mold. This is bad, bad, bad for fabric.
The corrugations in cardboard that create its strength also provide fun little homes for small bugs and spiders. This one explains itself. Ew!
This photo is of yardage wrapped on the original Bolt from the manufacturer for extended time. The acid within the cardboard combined with the sun's natural light, created a bleached, yellowish line down the length of the fabric, throughout each wrapped layer!
Plastic totes or tubs- This is a common storage method for easy long term storage, but it offers poor efficiency. Why is it the one fabric you need is always at the very bottom of the tote? You have to rummage to the bottom, disrupting all the layers, then you have to refold all the disrupted fabric. Or, you have to remove the top fabrics first, then remember how you had it arranged to fit in the tote. This is precious time you could be sewing!
Unless you’re hiding fabric from your spouse (this is your obsession, choose to let it shine), there’s no reason to stick that gorgeous yardage in an ugly plastic tub! Your fabric needs to breathe, otherwise it can get musty, or worse, damp and moldy.
Less common but equally horrifying methods:
-Garbage Bags
-Piles under your sewing machine
-Simply folding and stacking your fabric
Think of yourself as a fabric curator- you’ve spent enough money on fabric, shouldn’t you take the necessary steps to ensure its safety? While there is a lot of jest in this article, the point remains: Mini Bolts are the safest, most attractive way to store, preserve, and display your fabric.
If you've never tried Mini Bolts, it's the perfect time to try! Head to our sister site, MiniBolts.Com and use the code SAVE10 for $10 off your order!*
- Written by Amber Weiskircher
*Code valid through 1/31/2023. Must spend $50 or more. Mini Bolts ship only with in the United States.
1 comment
Very smart! Love the humor. We ARE curators. Very skilled as well.