Hi everybody,

I am a new quilter and don't have a lot of experience. In one of the magazines I saw a quilt made out of men's ties and liked the idea. But I came across two problems which cann't solve without help.

1 Not all the ties have a tag that says 'all silk', and I cann't see the difference between silk and good polyester. Are there any tips or tricks I can use?

2 Some of the ties especially the reds and greens have bleeding color, I tried using vinegar but it's not really helping. Are there any ways to set the color?

P.S. Currently I live in California, but originally from Ukraine. My daughter helped me write this message, so please be understanding if I don't write a lot. :)