DIY Network

Safe Fabric Storage Ideas

advertisement

By Susan Khalje
DIY-Do It Yourself Network

I cleaned out my studio recently and was surprised at the amount of fabric I had on hand. I was also amazed to find many long-forgotten fabrics and a little concerned about how some of the fabrics were stored in shopping bags in the attic. So I thought I'd share a few fabric storage methods with you.

• One friend has a large armoire which is filled with folded fabrics. The space is large and the armoire doors can be closed to keep dust and light away from the fabrics. She has to be careful to refold the fabrics from time to time -- creases can be hard to remove and fade lines can develop.

• Inexpensive shelving also works well; fabrics are rarely very heavy. And it's essential to keep fabrics from direct sunlight -- they'll fade if they're exposed to the sun. Even heavy wools will fade, not just lightweight silks.

• Another friend stores fabrics on hangers. It's a great method and the fabrics are easy to see and access. Don't use uncovered wire hangers; the dyes in the fabric can react with the metal and stain the fabric. Instead, ask your drycleaner if you can purchase some of the thick covered hangers used for draperies.

• I like to store fabrics on long cardboard tubes -- fold lines are eliminated and the fabric is easy to see. It's essential to store heavy satins and taffetas this way, as lines and creases are very difficult to remove from them. Over time you'll build up quite a collection of these cardboard tubes. You can use small pieces of masking tape to join the fabric to the tube -- put one piece at each end and another in the middle, and roll the fabric on carefully, making sure that you're not creating any creases or small fold lines. The fabric usually has enough body to hold itself in place once wound; if not, you can again use small pieces of masking tape.

  I'm always reluctant to mar the fabric more than I have to. Instead, I like to do what many fine fabric stores do: After you've finished rolling the fabric onto the tube, wrap a piece of thin paper around the middle of the tube, over the fabric and tape the paper to itself. The fabric will still be visible and the paper will hold it in place.

  Don't use pins on the fabric for any length of time. They'll mark the fabric and, over time, may leave rust marks. If you don't have enough of these tubes yourself your local fabric store should be able to supply you with some.

(Susan Khalje is an author and host of DIY-Do It Yourself Network "Sew Much More" which airs weekdays at 2:00 P.M. ET. Contact her at skhalje@aol.com or Box 51 Long Green, MD 21092. For more information, visit www.SusanKhalje.com or www.diynet.com.)