Originally Posted by
bearisgray
In addition to looking at the color catcher, how about looking at the water? Is it colored or not?
I do a test prior to working with any fabric that I suspect may bleed - reds, blues, dark colors etc. and that is where I can see the water. If the water is colored in the test, I wash it alone in the machine and test outside the machine until the water is clear or just don't use that fabric. Once in my machine, no way to see the water. So for safety sake and other obvious reasons, I use a color catcher when washing a finished quilt.