Cross Stitch Fabric Storage

When you take up a hobby like cross stitching, it doesn’t take very long before you start accumulating supplies. And one of those supplies is fabric. There are so many beautiful linens and other specialty fabrics, its hard to resist building a stash. And, if you’re like most people, you probably don’t think that much about fabric storage, and tend to keep cuts of fabric in the small plastic bags most shops will sell it in. After all, they keep the fabric clean, it’s easy to see the color, and you can put a label sticker on it to identify the count.

Bad idea. Plastic is, in general, not the best storage material. It doesn’t breathe, and it can react with other elements. I’ve picked up a few cuts of fabric for 1/2 off at my “local” needlework shop because they were flawed. And the flaw is a fading of the dye along the folded edges where they had been in contact with the storage bags. The proprietor told me that a recent federally mandated change in dyes had lead to an increased risk of this fading – when in contact with plastic. I’m not sure you can appreciate the fading, but here is a photo:

If you look closely, you can see the fading along the creases. Now, this doesn’t particularly bother me for the project I have planned. But it would be darned annoying if this had happened to a piece of fabric I needed to be consistent.

So, what’s a better method? We need something that breathes, something that will keep off dust, something that can be labeled. I got these muslin bags from the Massive Online Retailer Who Shall Not Be Named. These were 6″ x 9″. And, I think next time I’ll get a larger size. But they do work:

I do still prefer my bags to be labeled. But I don’t like to use adhesive labels. Sometimes the sticky gets TOO sticky and soaks through the back. Instead, I made up these little cards. They have space to note down the dyer or company, color, thread count, fiber content, and size of the piece. And the backs are blank, so sometimes I’ll jot the intended project or projects there. I’ll put the pdf for the cards in the free library.

Now, you COULD put your fabric into a plastic box for storage. The muslin bags will, at least, keep your fabric from touching the plastic AND keep it all clearly labeled. However, I prefer either acid-free comic book storage boxes – available at your local comic store. Or wooden boxes. These can beautiful and functional, if you have a woodworker in your life.

This is the interior of mine. If you are concerned about it, you can use a cedar-lined box to deter pests. Or put some cedar balls in the box – but I’d also put them in a muslin bag of their own. Sometimes cedar oil CAN stain fabric. Be careful, too, if you have acquired a hand-made box that the finish is fully cured before you store away your fabrics inside.

And there you are. A few helpful hints on fabric storage. After all, all those drool-worthy hand-dyed fabrics are expensive. Make sure that they stay beautiful until you’re ready to use them! Pro-tip: If you have a second box, that would be handy to store your threads. All of which are, of course, on beautiful thread drops you made yourself.