Saved From a Flood
A quilting friend called me in a panic. They had a plumbing problem in their basement and a good portion of her fabric stash ( about 14 full bolts and 2 rubber tubs full ) got wet. The basement had a few inches of water in it but it was clean water. She was afraid her fabric was destroyed and would have to be thrown out. Lucky for her, another friend had a similar experience a couple of years ago and I had a solution that was worth trying.
Because the flood water was clean, fresh water from her pipes we were able to save the fabric. First we cut the wet fabric into manageable 2-3 yard pieces. We unfolded the lengths of fabric and put them, a few at a time, into the dryer. --- We used both of our dryers and it still took quite a bit of time but it worked and was well worth the effort. The dried fabric was folded so it could be stored until she had time to wash and iron the fabric so it could be used in quilts.
We knew the fabric should be washed but there wasn't time for that at first because the rest of the wet basement had to be dealt with. The fabric, of course, could not be stored while it was wet. Drying the fabric made it safe to store and bought some time before it had to be washed!
I hope you never have to deal with a problem like this but if it should happen to you or someone you know, you now have a solution and know you can save the fabric.
Happy Quilting,
Laurel