mhobbs

Just found these quilt blocks while cleaning out my closet today. Was elated until I unfolded them to find the brown batik (which I didn't prewash) had run on the blocks. These are part of a sampler I started some time ago and I can remake if needed but, if these are salvageble with some elbow grease I am game. They've already been trimmed to size so I don' have any room for fraying if the integrity of the blocks are to be maintained so............. HELP! Any and all suggestions welcome. If you think they should be scrapped and not worth the time, that's ok. I'm prepared to hear it. I paid full retail for this fabric at a LQS and this is the first time I've been burned with a run. I always use die catchers for other things batik and am stunned why this would run since it has been stored in a dry place. However, they were under another quilt so it's possible the humidity of the south is the culprit. Nonetheless, this is what I have. Thanks in advance.

Tartan

Seems a shame to scrap them. I wonder if you could over dye them instead of trying to remove the bleed? A tan over dye would make them look darker but still pretty.

Jan in VA

If I were doing this for myself, not as a gift or for sale, I'd complete the quilt as is, wash with retayne or synthropol (I can't EVER remember which is right for afterwards!!) or Color Catchers, and love the quilt no matter what. I just don't believe any quilt is so ugly that it can't serve the purpose for which it was intended, and no quilting fabric is worth throwing out.

Best of luck.

Jan in VA

GingerK

My first thought was the same as Jan's but Tartan's idea intrigues me. I vaguely remember seeing a quilting show about overdying a variety of fabrics and how the whole look of the project changed. Hmmmm something else to add to my bucket list--dang!!

Prism99

They are salvageable. The dye that has moved into other fabrics has not been permanently set, so it can be removed.

What you need to do is create your quilt with these blocks. Do *not* prewash the blocks, as you can have a real mess on your hands if you try to do this (aside from fraying, the different fabrics in the blocks can shrink differently if they are not already quilted to a batting).

Once the quilt is quilted and bound, wash it in a machine that uses *lots* of water and throw in some Synthrapol. Synthrapol is widely available online at places such as Amazon, and carried by quilt shops that cater to dyers. You will need to wash in hot water to make sure that the Synthrapol is activated. Synthrapol acts to lift and suspend loose dye particles in water, so the loose dye is rinsed away. Occasionally you may need to wash two or three times to get all of the loose dye particles out. Examine the quilt before drying to see if you need to wash again. I would take a close look at the light fabrics, as they will be the most obvious.

Here is a link to Synthrapol on Amazon (it takes only a small amount for each wash):
http://www.amazon.com/Jacquard-Synth...dp/B0009IJZPY/

You can add color catchers also, but Synthrapol is the primary requirement.

PaperPrincess

I agree with Prism99's suggestion, and in the off chance that doesn't work, google 'tea dying'!
Make sure you use a washer that uses lots of water, not a front loader.

dunster

I think prism is probably right. If you have a block or two that you won't be using anyway, why not quickly quilt it into a pot holder, wash in hot water and synthrapol, and assure yourself that there's no problem? Then you won't be worried the whole time you're making the quilt.

Jo C

I agree with Jan in VA. I'd continue on, try to wash it and enjoy it either way. Cool blocks!

mawluv

Try the cheap blue Dawn. You can read about it here on the QB, it has always worked for me. Its almost unbelievable how well it works! My GD told me that they were taught to use the blue Dawn in beauty school, to take the color out of hair that had been over dyed or came out the wrong color.

ManiacQuilter2

I would read everybody's advice which seems to be to finish making it into a quilt. Then start the experimenting. I would start with the least expensive using Dawn. Heck, it gets grease or oil off of the birds.