Originally Posted by Yarn or Fabric
Okay... you guys probably know what I'm about to say... but I have to grumble anyway just to get it off my chest...
I've started piecing table runners for the dressers & nightstands in my newly painted and rearranged bedroom (which if I haven't said it lately, man I love the new color & yay! Finally after 5 years of fighting to get the furniture rearranged, it's done and hubby loves it and wishes we did it ages ago...) but anyhoooo.... I picked out some fabrics, including one deep, dark marbled purple batik to use in the runners...
I am a prewasher since I don't like shrinkage after all my time and energy .. and this is one of those times that I am soooo glad that I actually looked in the washing machine as I was dumping "like" colors in to it - and saw the dye just running like a stream off of that batik...
I pulled it out, quickly, drained the washer to get any dye out of it and ran the machine without it....
Took said beautiful deep purple batik to the kitchen sink and proceeded to hand wash the heck out of it until it looked like it was running clear.. then had it soak in a bucket with some vinegar and then after awhile, rinsed it, only to see yet more dye... hand washed it some more.. and more and finally when I felt comfortable enough, put it in the washer... with an extra rinse. by the end of the final extra rinse, there was no more dye tinge in the water... safe!
Dried it, ironed it, nearly in tears as I held the iron..
Yup. It's lavender and those 4 yards of beautiful, deep purple batiks will not be used for this project... at least for the front of it. I might just use it for backing at this point... but I'm saddened. I'll probably have to make a special trip out to the store to get more dark purple fabric to go in to the project but at this point, I'm hoping I can just do without :'(
Okay.
I feel better now. It's off my chest.
Blankety blank batik. Grrrr.
Okay. NOW it's off my chest :D
I had this happen to a quilt that was made for me, and I didn't realize that it would bleed. Now I wash my quilts #1 in cold water, #two, I always use twqoor three fabric sheets that grab the color so it doesn't run back into the fabric, and I also use some Synthropol to help make the extra dye come out. Too much washing like you did will eventually lighten the color. Better you discovered this before you used it in a quilt.
You might email the company who makes the fabric and ask them how you can stop this dye release. If you get an answer, let us know, okay!