Thread: red fabric that won't bleed?

Hmm. - I have found that most of the reds i have in my stash (literally hundreds of different pieces) did NOT bleed when they were put in hot water and washed.

HOWEVER, a very few did - and I am still unable to tell just by looking - or by the brand- which ones would.

I have also had at least one bleeder from each color group - blue, black, brown, orange, purple, turquoise, green, and yellow.

I am still of the mind that commercially dyed fabrics should need no further processing to set the dyes.

Has anyone used vinegar to set colors? My girlfriend, who does a lot of quilting, told me to rinse/soak red fabric in a large wash basin of hot water with approximately 2 or more cups of vinegar and then wash the fabric in the washing machine.

I learned to use vinegar to set color in fabrics when I took a sewing class in high school (many moons ago).

I have never had trouble with Shadow Play from Maywood or any other reds, and my last quilt was loaded with them.

The worst offender I ever had was a group of loud blues and greens by Patrick Lose from Timeless Treasures. I called them in NY to complain about it and they said something on the order of "oh well, we just make the fabrics, and what you do with it is not our concern." I never bought one of theirs again.

Charlotte

I wash in hot water and little bit of Dawn (about a Tbsp) and laundry detergent with color catchers and a cotton terry cloth towel. The color catchers and towel help a lot. I check the fabric before throwing into the dryer. I try not to pair up the bleeding colors with lighter colors. But have to be careful with them all. Even the yellows will bleed.