Fabric bleeding...
#41
Try a product called Synthrapol. I hope the spelling is right. It will take the excess dye out of fabric. I had a quilt in which one color bled (won at a raffle) and it worked on it just fine. I bought it at my local quilt shop.
#45
I tryed the Retayne on 28 fq's hand dyes, it did not work at all they bled all over my yardage and made it pepto pink. I am so sad the yardage did not bled at all just the hand dyes. The yardage was a robert Kaufman red fabric with white reindeer on it it is pepto pink now. :(
#46
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Originally Posted by Aully
I tryed the Retayne on 28 fq's hand dyes, it did not work at all they bled all over my yardage and made it pepto pink. I am so sad the yardage did not bled at all just the hand dyes. The yardage was a robert Kaufman red fabric with white reindeer on it it is pepto pink now. :(
It sounds as if whoever did the hand-dyed FQs did not set the dyes properly and/or skimped on the rinsing. Correctly setting the dyes means that as much dye as the fibers can absorb is set permanently into the fabric. With hand dyes, there may be a lot more dye in the fabric than the fibers can possibly absorb; that's why rinsing at the end is a critical step. Hand dyes (which have been properly set) should be rinsed until there is no more bleeding of color (excess dye). Excess dye is just as bad as unset dye in terms of coloring other fabrics.
Synthrapol is what I use for the first washing of a quilt. It performs a different task than Retayne. Synthrapol *prevents* loose dye from being set into other fabrics. It cannot handle horrible bleeds, but it is really good about preventing minor bleeds from discoloring other fabrics. Basically it works on keeping unset dye particles suspended in the water so they are rinsed away.
#47
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Originally Posted by bearisgray
I know it is never good to "assume" - but I do assume that the recipient of a quilt will probably not have retayne, synthropol, or a color catcher "on hand" when/if that person wants/needs to wash a quilt.
#48
I use vinegar. I will put about 3 cups of vinegar in sink and add about 2 gallon of water. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then rinse with clear cold water. This usually works, even for red fabric. I use vinegar in washer also to keep anything from fading.
#49
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Santa Clarita, CA
Posts: 198
I have a quilt top done and did not prewash fabric since it was 75 pre-cut strips of batiks in a kit. Is it okay to wash the top alone, no backing or batting yet and should I use Retayne or Synthropol?
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