My poor fingers are terrible, they peel and crack and bleed. The Drs. say I'm allergic to fabric dye, can you believe it? But I sew anyway and just bought some finger cots to try, any of you others have this problem? My fingers really break open after I do a lot of machine embroidery too, am wondering if is from the rayon thread.

It may not be the actual dye it could easily be the chemical treatments used on the fabrics. Do you prewash your fabrics? If not, give that a try and see if this does not help with your allergy. If you want the crispness back in the fabric use liquid starch.

WOW!!! I would keep using the finger cots and also cotton gloves might help too, you can throw those into the washer and dryer. I wonder if different companies use different types of dyes... It would be pretty difficult to tell even if it was only one color or brand... (((HUGS))) this has to be soooo miserable for you!!!

That is terrible. I like the idea of gloves. They may be a little warm but a least you could keep quilting.

Thanks, but I can see me sewing the gloves right in with the quilt blocks. I'd have to have surgical gloves that fit like skin to be able to wear them I think. The finger cots aren't too bad, I tried them this week, think I can survive with them. Hope they help.

I am allergic to the fabric dyes. That is one of the reasons why I wash them before I use them.

Sybil

Mine do that if I do not pre-wash my fabric. It is a pain in the neck to do it, but has really helped my hands.

New to board. First posting. Just had to comment on this. At first I thought I was crazy with burning around mouth and lower face. Now prewash all new fabrics. Also wash hands and face with soap frequently. Seems to help a little. Will keep on quilting.love it to much. Caroline

Fabric from China or is it Japan I can't remember, has natural food dyes not chemicals they are more costly but maybe you should see about buying them in the future.

Cotton fabric is a natural fiber and should cause no problems on it's own, chemical dyes should not cause a problem if they are rinsed out enough during the manufacturing process. What most people are allergic to including myself, is the surface 'dressing' which is added to the fabric after rinsing and before being rolled up. It gives the fabric 'body' a lot like starch does. It is important to wash this out well if you are sensitive to these things. I believe a lot of my allergies come from working in the textile industry over 30 yr period. The worst thing was when I had to use a big industrial winding machine which went so fast all the dust fluff and dressing was in the air to breath in all around me. I get that burning sensation up my nose throat and into my lungs. I am on steriod meds now for life! ( Allergies and asthema) I am happy using my recycled fabrics etc but still give them a good wash too!

Gal

PS It is possible to buy organic natural dyed fabric but it is usually very expensive and not available in huge yardages, usually from studio textile designers.