How to store quilting fabric long term without fading or yellowing

Light: the damage you cannot undo

Of everything that can happen to stored fabric, fading has no repair. The Canadian Conservation Institute, the Government of Canada's preservation agency, writes that the fading of light-sensitive colors is "utterly irreversible." The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension guide to quilt care, written by Shirley Niemeyer and Patricia Crews, puts it plainly: light quickly fades colors and weakens natural fibers.

Light damage also adds up. CCI explains that the total exposure, or dose, is light intensity multiplied by time. A stash on open shelves in a bright sewing room keeps collecting dose every hour it is on show, even if no single day seems sunny enough to matter.

Window film and UV-filtering bulbs help, but they are not the whole answer. According to CCI, ultraviolet usually causes less than half of the fading of color-sensitive materials, and often only a tenth; visible light does the rest. For a stash the practical rule is darkness: closed cabinets, drawers or lidded boxes rather than open shelves near a window.

Temperature and humidity: steady and moderate

The UNL Extension guide gives the preservation ideal for quilts: stored flat and unfolded, in total darkness, at a constant 50 to 60°F and a relative humidity of about 50 percent. Few sewing rooms hit that exactly. What the guidance stresses most is a stable, moderate space without big swings.

Where you put the stash matters more than any container. The same guide says to avoid storing textiles in attics, basements, kitchens and unheated areas, because temperature and humidity vary too much there. A closet or cabinet inside the heated and cooled part of the house is usually a better choice than any of those, even if it means less room.

Moisture is the other half. UNL warns that moisture trapped inside tightly sealed plastic bags can result in mildew. Anything you close up should go in dry, in a dry room.

Boxes, bins, wood and paper

Many ordinary storage materials are slightly acidic. The UNL guide says to protect textiles from direct contact with wood, including cedar chests, regular cardboard and paper, because as they age these materials give off acid byproducts that are harmful to textiles. The brown shipping box your last fabric order arrived in is exactly the kind of cardboard it means.

The fix is a barrier. UNL recommends lining shelves, boxes or cedar chests with acid-free tissue or washed, unbleached cotton muslin, replacing the tissue periodically (ideally every five years) and washing the muslin, ideally once a year. CCI suggests the same kind of lining: prewashed cotton sheeting or unbuffered acid-free tissue.

Plastic needs a distinction. UNL advises against storing quilts in plastic bags, which may not let air circulate and can give off harmful byproducts as they age. Rigid containers are a different case: CCI lists boxes of moulded polypropylene among suitable storage options. If you use lidded bins, line them, and close them only on fabric that is dry.

Folding, refolding and stacking

Fabric that sits folded the same way for years develops lines along the folds. UNL's advice for quilts is to fold as few times as possible and refold periodically to redistribute the strain. CCI's note on flat storage for textiles adds two habits: pad folds with accordion-pleated, unbuffered acid-free tissue, and reposition folded textiles regularly.

Weight is the other issue. CCI recommends not placing textiles on top of one another where possible, because the accumulated weight can crush the one underneath, and UNL says to avoid stacking heavy items on stored quilts. For a stash of folded yardage, that means shorter stacks and an occasional refold of the pieces at the bottom.

For long pieces such as backing fabric, rolling is an option. UNL suggests a tube longer than the width of the textile and at least 4 inches in diameter, to minimize strain on the fabric.

Pests and the clean-fabric rule

CCI's rule is short: textiles should be clean when stored, because soil invites infestation, which can endanger the entire collection. UNL adds that the storage area itself should be cleaned regularly to check for and prevent insects.

The insect most people worry about is the clothes moth, and quilting cotton is not its first choice. The University of California Statewide IPM Program says clothes moths damage wool and other animal fibers, and attack cotton or synthetic blends only if those fabrics also contain wool. Fabrics with food or perspiration stains are more at risk. Wool felt, wool appliqué pieces and wool batting stored in the same bin change the picture.

Starch is the other attraction. UC IPM lists starch in clothing among the foods of silverfish, which favor warm, damp places such as laundry rooms. If you starch fabric before putting it away, keep it somewhere dry and look through it now and then.

Common mistakes

Using the attic, the basement or an unheated garage because there is room. UNL names attics, basements and unheated areas as too variable for textiles.

Trusting UV film alone on a sunny shelf. Visible light causes most of the fading, according to CCI. Darkness works better than filtering.

Packing fabric straight into a cedar chest or a cardboard box. Line it first with acid-free tissue or washed muslin so the fabric does not touch the wood or board.

Sealing damp fabric in plastic. Trapped moisture is how mildew starts.

Opening every box under bright light to find one piece. Each search adds a little more exposure. Keeping a record of what each box holds means you can check before you open anything. Fabralog, for example, keeps a swatch photo, the amount left and a storage location such as Box B for each fabric, so the answer is on your phone rather than at the bottom of a bin.

Frequently asked questions