Originally Posted by hoagiesj
I bought batiks while in St. John Virgin Is, last summer to make a quilt of travels. Do you wash the batiks? Also have quilt kit of batik squares of dark colors. Will I be able to wash this when finished? Don't like things I can't wash. I am also new to quilting. These are my first "specialty" fabrics.
Sharon
Like any other fabric, some batiks will bleed; most won't. I don't prewash any of my fabrics, including batiks. Instead, I give the quilt its first washing as soon as it's finished, using Synthrapol in the washing machine water. Synthrapol suspends unset dye in the water so it washes away instead of staining other fabric. If there is a lot of dye in the first wash water, I would wash it again with Synthrapol before drying. Synthrapol is available in many quilt stores or online at places like Dharma Trading and ProChem.
Some people pre-test their fabrics for bleeding. One way is to cut off a small piece and drop it in water. You can also rub with a piece of damp white fabric to see if any dye transfers.