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.
The recipient does not need to wash in Retayne or Synthrapol if the fabric has been treated correctly beforehand. For example, a fabric that has been treated with Retayne and re-tested for colorfastness can be washed normally afterwards. I always wash my quilts before giving them away, and that is the one time I will use Synthrapol -- just to ensure that no stray dye particles move around in the quilt. Since I have tested fabrics that go into the quilt, I know that there are no extreme bleeders; the one washing in Synthrapol takes care of any excess dye that may or may not be in the other fabrics. The recipient can wash the quilt normally after that (unless I have made a huge mistake and have a "bleeder" on my hands, in which case I would re-wash in Synthrapol until there was no more bleeding; hasn't happened to me yet.......).