I appreciate this comment about using Borax to handle the "Invasion of Silverfish" and other insect pests. Silverfish are in hog heaven on cotton and linen fabrics that have been sprayed with aerosol starch while ironing. They lay their eggs in or on a substances where there is a guaranteed food supply for their young. "Sizing" applied by fabric manufacturers to keep their cotton and linen fabrics crisp and appealing to the consumer, is another substance that silverfish feed on.
I, like the majority of Quilters, have an abundance of fabrics in my stash or trove of goods. I also have a cache of hundreds of magazines as well as books, that I've purchased used from local charity thrift shops; garage and tag sales; and online. I consider calling fabric, threads and reading materials "used" if they were not purchased from a retail store. There are no assurances that the fabrics have not been in the presence of insects like silverfish, and usually one who is buying preowned fabrics, wouldn't consider asking about silverfish. Most buyers are concerned with damp, mildew basement or tobacco odors. And if the thought or hint of insects being anywhere near the fabrics, it's usually cockroaches that come to mind.
I do not launder my fabrics before I use them. So, in order to prevent any outbreak of of infestation from eggs layed in the fabric folds, I always place purchased fabrics in a plastic zipper bags used for food storage just as soon as I'm able too. Until then, the purchases remain in my garage until I place them in the bags for my sewing room. It's not enough to keep fabrics in plastic tote containers, insects are able to wiggle in and out of the tote's lids. I use small quart sized zip lock bags or sandwich size zip lock bags for fat quarters. The 1 gallon sized zipper bags are adequate for 1-2 yards of folded fabrics. And the 2 gallon sized zipper bags are perfect for larger sized measures of fabric. My fabrics are not used as a display or decor items, so it matters little to me if they're kept in plastic.
I buy bulk sized quantities of these storage bags. And I reuse them after I've emptied the individual ziplock bags, and before I would use a new one. And I don't worry about moisture build up in the bags because it's not my intentions to save or collect fabrics. And should I have my own garage sale or tag sale, the fabrics are kept in the bags when I put them out for sale. It's an assurance that I provide to buyers, that indicate that I don't have an infestation in my sewing room.
I hope this information is helpful to someone who has more fabrics that they are able to use in the near future.
I appreciate this comment about using Borax to handle the "Invasion of Silverfish" and other insect pests. Silverfish are in hog heaven on cotton and linen fabrics that have been sprayed with aerosol starch while ironing. They lay their eggs in or on a substances where there is a guaranteed food supply for their young. "Sizing" applied by fabric manufacturers to keep their cotton and linen fabrics crisp and appealing to the consumer, is another substance that silverfish feed on.
I, like the majority of Quilters, have an abundance of fabrics in my stash or trove of goods. I also have a cache of hundreds of magazines as well as books, that I've purchased used from local charity thrift shops; garage and tag sales; and online. I consider calling fabric, threads and reading materials "used" if they were not purchased from a retail store. There are no assurances that the fabrics have not been in the presence of insects like silverfish, and usually one who is buying preowned fabrics, wouldn't consider asking about silverfish. Most buyers are concerned with damp, mildew basement or tobacco odors. And if the thought or hint of insects being anywhere near the fabrics, it's usually cockroaches that come to mind.
I do not launder my fabrics before I use them. So, in order to prevent any outbreak of of infestation from eggs layed in the fabric folds, I always place purchased fabrics in a plastic zipper bags used for food storage just as soon as I'm able too. Until then, the purchases remain in my garage until I place them in the bags for my sewing room. It's not enough to keep fabrics in plastic tote containers, insects are able to wiggle in and out of the tote's lids. I use small quart sized zip lock bags or sandwich size zip lock bags for fat quarters. The 1 gallon sized zipper bags are adequate for 1-2 yards of folded fabrics. And the 2 gallon sized zipper bags are perfect for larger sized measures of fabric. My fabrics are not used as a display or decor items, so it matters little to me if they're kept in plastic.
I buy bulk sized quantities of these storage bags. And I reuse them after I've emptied the individual ziplock bags, and before I would use a new one. And I don't worry about moisture build up in the bags because it's not my intentions to save or collect fabrics. And should I have my own garage sale or tag sale, the fabrics are kept in the bags when I put them out for sale. It's an assurance that I provide to buyers, that indicate that I don't have an infestation in my sewing room.
I hope this information is helpful to someone who has more fabrics that they are able to use in the near future.