bleeding fabric and pecuts?
 

I bought 10 yards of dark turquoise fabric from Jo ann's it was the country classic solids, for the back of a quilt, I washed it and oh my goodness did it bleed so after 5 washes with Shout color catcher in the wash the catchers are still coming out the same color as the fabric a very dark turquoise.. I did go back to Jo ann's and they told me they could not give me a refund as I washed the fabric.. I could not believe that they would say that, how would I know if the fabric would bleed if I didn't wash it.. they also told me to put vinger and salt in the wash and wash the fabric again..so as I speak that is what I am doing..Maybe this will work..

Now the top for this back.... I made a single Irish chain quilt and used a precut jelly roll of different color turquoise some light and some dark for the chain with white for the background, now I am wondering if this fabric will bleed like the backing..I did not wash the jelly roll, do any of you wash your precuts before you put them in a quilt top? I was afriad that the fabric would fray a lot and it would end up not the 2.5 inches that it started out to be.

Wouldn't you know it... this is a quilt someone asked me to make, it's the first quilt that I am making for someone that I am getting paid for. but oh my all the trouble ...if it was for me I wouldn't worry about it.. anyway thanks ladies for all your advice...

Glad you mentioned this as I just bought a small ton of this fabric during the coupoon madness sale.

alfosa421......all I can say it wash all of it ..to make sure it does not bleed like the fabric I bought..

I don't pre wash pre cuts or kits. All other fabrics do get pre washed and dried in the dryer. I would not buy that color. I have had very few colors bleed. You can use more color catchers. Someone will be along to help you.

As for the top that you completed. Wait until the quilt is finished and wash the enitre quilt with Synthropol. It will suspend any of the excess dye so it does not discolor any surrounding fabrics. You can use it for the backing fabric prior to use, or for this instance ( the backing fabric prior to be cut or sewn ) use retayne , but if you do the quilt must be washed in cold water.
I reccomend you wash the backing in sythropol as well prior to cutting or sewing, since you will not have any control over how the quilt will be washed in the future.
Yes I wash/soak precuts to remove any excess dye before construction. Precuts I wash/soak in the sink till the water runs clear. Hang to dry.

The thing is, it could bleed forever and if none of the light fabrics pick that dye up it's not a problem. A dye bleed only becomes a problem when another fabric picks it up and doesn't release it. Even when a lighter fabric picks up a dye bleed it's still not set and will likely wash out if you keep washing it. Front loading washers are horrible for washing quilts that have a fabric with a lot of excess dye. There just isn't enough water to float away the excess dye in a front loader. A top loader and Synthropol is the best solution. Synthropol keeps the excess dyes from settling on the fabrics.

I believe that would be the very last time, I ever bought from that JoAnn's! I recently had the same problem, with a fabric I bought from Hobby Lobby. It was a turquoise print and was still bleeding, after at least 10 washes! I returned it and they refunded my money. No problem, whatsoever!

I think it depends on the manager that is working that day!!!

I would consider it defective!

Turquoise is another color that I don't trust - actually, I don't trust any of them.

I wasn't a fan of Country Classic solids years ago and nothing has changed. My problem is the flat colors and wrinkling. I didn't know about the unfast colors. Wet a paper towel and rub it over a scrap of your turquoise from the front. If the towel stays white, don't worry, but do provide 2 color catchers with the quilt and remind the owner to never let it lay wet in the washer. I wouldn't trust the backing fabric.

i think you need to talk to the manager about a refund. hopefully, you still have your receipt to prove that you didn't use a coupon (if you didn't). go higher up if the manager doesn't refund the money. i believe you will eventually get a refund by talking to the right people and being persistent.

Thank goodnesss you had not used it without prewashing. Have you tried washing with Retayne and hot water to set the color?

Quiltlady, Try drying & ironing between washes. I find this helps set the color. My BFF rang me with the same problem. I told her what I do and it worked for her too. Hope this helps you.
P.S. The worst bleeder I ever had was a pink from Jinny Beyer.

It must depend on the store manager, as I bought some red flannel once that wouldn't quit bleeding. Took it back and got my money back.

For the uncut turquoise, wash it with Retayne, not Synthrapol, to set the dyes. You may have to do it twice and be sure the water is at the required temp of 140ºF. Then wash again (or test as below) to see if it's still running.

If you have a front loading HE washer, you can use Dharma's Dye Fixative as a substitute for Retayne, soak the fabric in it in a bucket and then wash in the machine as suggested by Paula Burch, master dyer, or hand wash with Retayne (you still need the 140ºF water temp though and it must be stirred for 20 minutes).
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyeblog...652/index.html

For the quilt top, you don't have to wash it to find out if it's going to run. Use a damp Q-tip or a white paper towel to test each fabric for possible loose dyes. Rub or blot the fabric surface and see if the Q-tip picks up any color. If it does, at least you'll know and can act accordingly. Do not use Retayne on the top, use Synthrapol for that as has been suggested. Be sure to follow product directions carefully for all of these products.

We have had so many posts with sad stories about fabrics bleeding. We work too hard and spend too much money to have the heartache of a quilt ruined that way.

The lesson is clear - to pre-wash or at least test before using.

And sometimes even then, there are issues.

I don't ever prewash any of my fabrics prior to using them. So far, I've never had a problem. However, if I think any of the colors might run, I toss in a couple Color Catchers.

And if this item that seems to be okay with itself - is washed with items that do pick up the dye?

Never mind - wash the item separately - and if it has bad manners, it won't 'bother' anything else.

. . . and if that doesn't work, demand a refund, when the store if full of customers!

This is what I do also. Although I have been known to toss in more than 2 Color Catchers! I also tell people to whom the quilt is going to wash their quilt (if it is bed size) in a commercial front load washer in cold water with 2 or 3 color catchers included. The commercial front loader is huge, so the quilt has plenty of space to tumble and the stitching will not be stressed as it would be in a smaller machine or in a top loader that pulls the quilt back and forth in a small space. We all work too hard to make beautiful quilt stitching on our quilts, so who wants to see all those beautiful stitches broken etc! Which is another issue, I realize!! I've always been confused with the Synthrapol, Retayne issues and when and how to use them. One person says one thing, another says another. I'm just happy with the Color Catchers!
Does anyone think this problem is the fault of the fabric manufacturers - they should all make fabrics color-fast. It is possible, for sure. Of course when trying to make the biggest profit possible, it's a great temptation to skip steps. Sigh.

I pre wash everything, even pre cuts, which I just wash by hand in the kitchen sink & spin in a salad spinner.
I agree with washing the uncut turquoise backing with Retayne. I have a front loader and follow the instructions on the bottle for treating the fabric in a bucket. Works great!

How old were these clerks? Salt and/or vinegar haven't been effective in years!

I like to give "worry-free" gifts. If a fabric is going to need washing with color catchers, I do NOT use that fabric. Needless to say, I pre-wash all fabrics, before using.

Again Thanks to all of the ladies for your advice on this problem....I tried the salt and vingar and two color catcher and the catcher can out a dark turqouise so I know that the vingar and salt didn't work...
Neesie wow 10 washes and it still was bleeding. I'm up to 6 washes so far and still bleeding, yes I agree with you about not giving someone a quilt they have to worry about..

Majormom, I have used color catchers in all the washes and it is a top loading machine, I'm also wondering if it is the falut of the company or just this dark color. So far JoAnn's is giving me a hard time, I guess I will go in again and talk to someone higher up and see if they will refund or give me another color ..that was 10 yards of fabric!
Katenanna...I did iron the fabric after the first wash and then got to thinking I better wash and check again to see if it would bleed...
rush8888...oh boy now the bad part I misplaced the receipt for the fabric...not a good thing,,I did put it on my change card so I have that it shows what I spent that day but not what... so this may be a big problem,,,

I think I will go and look for some other fabric for the back and it will be a lighter color and not turqouise..

I'm not sure where to buy retayne or synthrapol and do I use the retayne first and them the synthrapol? I think I will go to the quilt shop and talk to them and see if they have this stuff..what a pain this has been..

if all else fails I will use the bleeding fabric for one of my wagon wheel rugs that I make so it will not go to waste but it just makes me disappointed that I have had so much trouble getting this quilt done,

A big Hug and a big Thank you for all of your advice...

Every once in a while I also come aross a piece of sh - I mean, fabric - that is just a dud!

Sometimes one just has to cut one's losses and go on.

I feel your pain. When making a baby quilt using primary colors I decided that I had better prewash (I don't usually). I sure was glad I did the green bled and kept on bleeding - nothing helped including vinegar. Finally I just decided not to use the green.

I think I would email Joann's and complaing because I don't think that the stores response was reasonable. Truth is many of the staff at Joann's know nothing about fabric, sewing, or quilting. Good luck

Just because they're pre-cuts, don't assume they won't bleed. One of the worst bleeds I've had was with a quilt top made with jelly rolls. I washed it in cold water, small amount of orvus soap, and 3 color catchers. The darks bled into the lights, and it was unsalvageable. I was sick! I now pre-wash ALL my pre-cuts. Mainly I let them soak overnight with quilt soap and slightly warm water. Hand agitation only. I use vinegar in the rinse just to get the soap out. I know it doesn't "set" anything. If there's any color on the color catchers, I try to identify what colors, and those go back in for more washing. The rest are dried flat on a sheet outside. They are also tested for bleeding before being used (anything that came from a wash where there was bleeding is re-tested). Even after drying and pressing (not ironing), they are again tested for bleeding. I'm a fanatic about this. I work hard on my quilts, and to have one ruined by bleeding is just sickening. And I do blame the manufacturers for this. They're making cheaper fabric, and taking less care of it, so they can sell it to us cheaper, so we can spend money and time on excessive pre-washing and products like color catchers, retayne and synthrapol. I'd spend more money on the fabric if I knew it was true quality fabric, but you can get bleeding fabric from the knock off manufacturers, as well as the very best manufacturers.

Retayne and Synthrapol are available from Dharma on the web. The site describes when and how to use each product. Some LQSs carry them. The product has directions for use on the package. Retayne of for setting hand/home dyed fabrics. Synthrapol is for MOST of the ones we buy in fabric stores.

fabric
 

I went throught this not long ago with the green well I took it back to Joanns raised h-- with the recept in hand and they ended up giving full refund just demand it as all I can say you;ll get the money

Retayne
 

I made a indigo blue batik and white quilt. I was afraid of the blues running on the whites. I washed the blues in retayne before i sta rted the quilt and their was no bleeding after it wa s finished whe n I washed it. I would use Retayne prior to cutting the fabrics. Hope this helps.





QUOTE=quiltlady1941;5539065]I bought 10 yards of dark turquoise fabric from Jo ann's it was the country classic solids, for the back of a quilt, I washed it and oh my goodness did it bleed so after 5 washes with Shout color catcher in the wash the catchers are still coming out the same color as the fabric a very dark turquoise.. I did go back to Jo ann's and they told me they could not give me a refund as I washed the fabric.. I could not believe that they would say that, how would I know if the fabric would bleed if I didn't wash it.. they also told me to put vinger and salt in the wash and wash the fabric again..so as I speak that is what I am doing..Maybe this will work..

Now the top for this back.... I made a single Irish chain quilt and used a precut jelly roll of different color turquoise some light and some dark for the chain with white for the background, now I am wondering if this fabric will bleed like the backing..I did not wash the jelly roll, do any of you wash your precuts before you put them in a quilt top? I was afriad that the fabric would fray a lot and it would end up not the 2.5 inches that it started out to be.

Wouldn't you know it... this is a quilt someone asked me to make, it's the first quilt that I am making for someone that I am getting paid for. but oh my all the trouble ...if it was for me I wouldn't worry about it.. anyway thanks ladies for all your advice...[/QUOTE]

I was at Jo-ann's this afternoon and tried to buy retayne and/or synthrapol. I talked to four different clerks (one I think was a manager), and no one had heard of it, no one knew what it was for and no one knew if it was in the store.

They have both online and it says "online only."

No, not really. Retayne is for setting fiber reactive dyes in any cotton fabric, hand dyed or commercial. It is to be used before the fabric is combined with other fabrics (e.g., made into a quilt or washed with other fabrics), otherwise it may set the dyes from one fabric onto another. Retayne is a 'fixer'.

Synthrapol is a 'scrubber'. It suspends loose dyes (and other chemicals) found on the surface of cotton fabrics so they float away with the wash water. It can be used on hand dyes and commercial fabrics and is generally used for completed quilts when there may be a bleeding issue. It is also used to prepare commercial fabrics for dyeing (i.e., it turns any cotton fabric into PFD...prepared for dyeing).

Neither product is limited to cottons from any particular maker, dyer, source, country, etc.

I've learned to soak each color separately in hot water - then if the water starts to turn color, I try to isolate which piece is releasing the dye - and then that one gets special attention.

I'm starting to sound like a stuck record on this - but I think a commercially dyed fabric should not bleed . I consider a bleeder to be defective. I can deal with excess dye that is 'gone' after one or two washes - but why should I - as the final consumer of this fabric - have to buy anything else to set the dyes?

If I WANTED to deal with the dying process - I would see some point in needing to buy Retayne and Synthropol. Needing to buy it to set dyes on supposedly 'finished goods' really ticks me off!

From my experience - and I have washed hundreds of different fabrics - I can't tell ahead of time which one will be a problem. Brand name and cost don't seem to have much to do with it. I've had inexpensive fabrics ('no-name' fabrics from WalMart) behave well and some not-so-inexpensive fabrics (a red Moda from LQS, for example) release color.

Also - I've had at least one fabric from every color family be a bleeder. Turquoise and purple - are to me - as notorious for bleeding as red.

If JoAnn's won't make this right, dispute the charge with your credit card company. They will support you, period. JoAnn's will just be 'sol'. better them, than you!!

good luck!

I have seen someone on this board say that bleeding is not only caused by the dark fabric, but by the light fabric accepting the bleeding dye. You can put a piece of your bleeding fabric in hot water with light fabrics that you intend to use in the quilt to see if they absorb the turquoise. If they don't, then you shouldn't have the problem.

To be picky -

If a bleeding fabric is still bleeding - it's still bleeding

It's a problem if the OTHER fabrics pick up the dye/color - some are dye resistant - some aren't
It even seems that with some fabrics, only some AREAS pick up stray colors

Thanks, Scissor Queen,
I looked on the internet and found them both. I think I would not need the retayne. I also found that synthrapol might be found at places like Walmart or grocery store laundry aisles. It's just a soap.

I tried some of the red today in cool water. The water did turn a little pink. This was some red fabric that I bought yesterday, but some of the other reds that I have been using may be many years old. I'll have to test more of them with a wet paper towel to see if they release color.

Sometimes it takes more than a few seconds for the fabric to release color.

Very good and accurate answer.