Quiltingboard Forums - View Single Post - Batiks bleeding horribly!

07-27-2011, 01:10 PM

#22

Flying_V_Goddess

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Join Date: Mar 2007

Location: Wisconsin

Posts: 1,703

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lori S

Just an FYI - I have found the watercolor "batiks" to be some of the absolute worst bleeders of all time.... and it does not matter if they are Hoffman or Kaufman ( both companies have similar line). I don't even bother to test anymore .. just treat as I purchase them. I found out the hard way some may not bleed until the second wash .. depending on how much wax resist was left in the fabric. So now All of them get a hot water bath and Retayne. Some people have told me their batiks they purchased do not run ... well maybe not yet!
While we are on the subject .. not sure if you have ever purchased a Cherrywood fabric( 100 percent cotton dyed to look like suede.. really beautiful ) ... OMG !!! They need a whole new word for running and bleeding it just beyond anything I had ever seen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flying_V_Goddess

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lori S

I am always amazed at the amount of dye that can come out of Batiks... it is amazing that it just keeps coming out .. and sometimes its colors that you really did not think were in the fabric.
The only way to really stop the bleed is Retayne. Vinegar and salt is not effective on batiks or any other cotton fabric. You can mail order Retayne friom several sources I think even Amazon.
Color catchers only absorb what is released. If you want to stop it ... Retayne. Ironically I just finished treating a bunch myself .. to bad you were not closer I run over with some.

http://www.amazon.com/Retayne-Color-.../dp/B000YZ5HL8

Amazing is right. The bad one just keeps releasing dye. Just went back and washed and rinsed it and soaked it again. Rinsed the other batik, which is on its last leg for bleeding, and looked back at the first one...the water was already blue. Like Listerine blue. Wasn't even five minutes. How can it rinse out clear yet sit in a bowl for five minutes and make the water change color? At least the second one is giving up.

This experiance has kind of made me afraid to wash all my Moda marbles for my stained glass quilting project. Not sure if those actually bleed or not, but its a little disconcerning because Moda marbles look awfully lot like that watercolor batik I got sitting in a bowl of Listerine colored water right now.

Crap. I do believe I do have a couple Hoffman watercolors. No Cherrywood though.

I might as well get the Retayne. I have 25 different greens for this quilt and my other project requires around 70 watercolor/marble fabrics (yes 7-0).

Now how do you use the stuff?

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