Pollytink

I'm in a pickle and need some advice! Several years and several surgeries ago, when I belonged to a guild, we made quilts for ABC Quilts, donations for kids. I made a couple and then started another....got sidetracked and never finished it. Now a friend is expecting a baby girl and I pulled out the UFO to finish it for "Lenora". Well, having lost about a billion brain cells (at least it feels that way-they say anesthesia can do that--plus age-I'm 79), I can't remember anything about what I did back then. I had put the front and back together and sewn binding on one side....Why? I have no idea? So I removed the binding to prep to assemble it right (?). Then it hit me....those colors!! Bright red and blue...would the colors bleed? I couldn't remember if I'd treated them or not. I had a small piece of red and blue so I did the color testing in soap and hot water and the blue bled little or none, but the Red---Oy Vey....very bad!!! So what to do...the quilt front is assembled! I took the red piece and treated it with Retayne, just in a bowl of hot water, soaked and agitated, rinsed and dried in dryer. Then tested again and it seems as tho it's not bleeding anymore. Blue was ok. But I don't remember if I treated the fabric I'd already sewn or not. So I laid out the top and took some q-tips and a piece of white fabric, wet them in 140 degree water and rubbed one of the small red squares. No bleeding. Is this enough? The Retayne bottle says that after treating, wash only in warm water......what if mom wants to use hot water? She lives in Italy so I thought I'd send a box of color catchers with the quilt!

Should I wash the top before assembling it....in hot or warm water.....use Retayne and/or color catchers? At least I thought of this before finishing it! (pics below)

I haven't sewn for 2-3 years and want to get back into it....did a couple of ABC quilts, simple ones, a some "whole cloth" little ones for DGGK's but feel as tho I've never sewn before! I've been saving info like crazy from the Board, on basting, binding, bleeding etc....this place is a gold mine and you all are angels!! But I am scared! I'll prob just do a simple sitd on the pieced blocks and found a cute little flower in a flower I MIGHT try to put in the redwork blocks. The pic don't show it well, it looks better in person. Hope the pics get loaded ok. Waiting with bated breath for advice and suggestions!

spokanequilter

I would try washing the top in warm water. Because it's for a child, you really want to get all the excess dyes out. I'm unfamiliar with Retayne, but I use color catchers regularly. You may have to rinse it a couple of times but hopefully it will rinse out. I also occasionally put a little Oxyclean or another non-chlorine bleach for colors in the wash and it helps get out the excess dyes. It's a cute quilt! Hope

dunster

It sounds to me like you're getting into the swing of things very quickly. Your quilt top is adorable. Don't use Retayne on the quilt, because it will set any loose dye into whatever fabric it lands on. It's only used for setting dyes before the fabrics are used in a quilt. Color catchers or Synthrapol will help with the quilt when it's finished.

barny

By the way. You haven't lost any brain cells. Sound pretty smart about quilting to me. All the info you are talking about Tells me you are fine. I can't remember all this stuff. LOL

Prism99

Do *not* wash the top first! The risk of distortion of the fabric (from unequal shrinkage) is too big, plus unless you first baste the top to a foundation fabric you run the risk of lots of ravelled seams.

What you want to do is wait until the quilt is finished, then wash with Synthrapol. Synthrapol makes unset dye particles stay in the water so they get rinsed away instead of settling into other fabrics. To use Synthrapol, you need hot water and a top-loading washing machine. (Home front-loaders do not use enough water to make Synthrapol effective.) You may need to wash in Synthrapol several times. Watch the wash and rinse waters and keep going until there is little or no bleeding into the water.

Retayne is used on fabrics before they go into a quilt. It sets dye particles permanently into the fabric. Synthrapol is used on quilts to prevent bleeds from settling into other fabrics. You definitely do not want to use Retayne on a finished quilt, as it will set any bleeds.

Just send a note with the quilt advising cold or warm water, and enclose a few color catchers. It should be fine as long as you have washed the quilt with Synthrapol as described above.

Edit: Just want to explain why shrinkage of the fabrics is not a problem after quilting. This is because quilting binds all the fabrics to the batting, and the batting then takes control of how much the fabrics can shrink. In other words, quilting prevents individual fabric pieces from shrinking more than the batting shrinks.

Dina

Your quilt is cute! Welcome back to the hobby.

Dina

NJ Quilter

I agree with the poster who said not to wash the top separately. Finish the quilt. Binding; quilting. Then wash as you would expect the new mom to wash - with color catchers. Inspect before drying. If there is no bleeding go ahead and dry. If there is bleeding, continue the wash w/color catchers until there is no more dye in the catchers. THEN go ahead and dry. At that point, any bleeding should be done and the new mom should be safe with whatever washing process she might follow.

Treasureit

I can't advise on the bleeding, but wanted to say how nice your quilt is...such PERFECT points! You were a very good quilter when all your brain cells were together....just kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you find time to do some more quilting!

Pollytink

I want to thank everyone for your input! I'll go ahead and put it together and then wash it. Let me go through this for my own reassurance! 1. Put it together: I have a piece of insul board I used to use as a design bd, in the basement; bring it up, clean it up, lay it on the card table. Need to tape the back to the board, right? then the batting....I have one pkg of fusible but don't know if it's big enough, have two other batts for kids quilts, have to ck size. This is nuts! I have done this before but don't remember a bit of it! I like the recent discussions on basting with Elmer's so may try this.

When together, quilt it first or bind it then quilt it? I'll be doing it on my Necchi Supernova Ultra.....from remembering doing the kids' little more or less whole cloth quilts, it does a good job at what little quilting I did!

I'm ok with the binding....On one of the ABC quilts I did, I sewed it on the back, brought to front and used a dec stitch on the Necchi to stitch it down. Looked pretty good. That was a cute little quilt but I was too chicken to try to quilt it so I tied it.

I know I shouldn't be so anxious about this but I want it to be nice for little Lenora. That's the name Lila says they'll name her. Lila is my moderator on the Necchi list I have on Yahoo...have never met her but she's been a real godsend for me on the list!! She has a little boy about 3 and I'm going to make him a pillowcase so he doesn't feel left out....he's nuts about airplanes so I got some airplane fabric and that's what his pillowcase will be. I have a vintage Kenmore 1803 with a monogrammer and want to put his name, Gaby, on the p-case if I figure out how to use it! Haven't had it out in a long time.

Well, I've rattled on long enough.....And you know what......thinking about washing it when it's finished also has me a bit freaked out. I know, calm down and just do it! I love this board but do need to stop using it to procrastinate, I guess. Thank you all again and I'll report back.
Polly

Prism99

Quilt first, then bind, then wash with Synthrapol in lots of hot water (several times, if necessary).

I can assure you the quilt will be much loved. Besides, it's a lovely top and back!