Originally Posted by Moon Holiday
Originally Posted by Rntraveler
I bought some "Gee's Bend" fabric that is burgendy red. I have washed this stuff several times and dried it in the dryer... it won't stop bleeding.
I can't use it for any project like it is.. any suggestions on how to set the color or stop it from bleeding?
Thanks!
When I have fabrics I'm concerned might bleed, I use Retayne. Years ago when I was making sweatshirt jackets for people, I used either salt or vinegar to retard the bleeding. However, I ran into a problem with some fabric I had treated. The client was very unhappy because it did bleed (red into white fabric), so I had to make her up another jacket at no charge because she didn't notice the bleed and tossed the jacket in the dryer. After this happened another time, I gave up and began using Retayne. Now I Retayne any fabric I use with strong colors... especially red.
If I'm making up something with suspect fabric.. I first take a small swatch and place it in a glass of very hot water. If I see any color seeping into the water, I Retayne it following instructions in the bottle. After using the Retayne I rinse the fabric out and then put it into a tub of hot water and let it sit for another 10 minutes (to double check there is no leftover color (have never seen leftover color). Then I toss fabric into the dryer. The only thing I don't like about Retayne is it can be toxic to handle or breathe in the fumes. Nowadays I find I don't need to use Retayne like I did 10 years ago... and I can only assume it is because alot more of the manufacturers have listened to complaints about the bleed-through and seem to be fixing the problem before the fabric comes to market. I've gone from having to use Retayne 5–10 times a year to only once or twice in two years.