Originally Posted by Daylesewblessed
The situation involving "bleeding" involves the chemistry of the dyes and the dying process. A color catcher acts like a white sock in the laundry and probably has some additional chemical to "draw" out the "loose" dye. Using a color catcher will help prevent the bleeding from landing on other fabrics, but it will continue bleeding with each wash until all "loose" dye is gone -- could take one wash or it could take many, many washes.
What is needed is a chemical to "set" the "loose" dye, and that is what the Retayne product does. It is called a "color fixative", and it is effective in setting dyes when the original dye process at the factory was not done properly. There are probably other brands of color fixatives, and I would be interested in hearing about them if any of you have had experience with them.
What is interesting to me is that using an excellent quality brand name quilting fabric is no guarantee that the fabric won't bleed. Not all inexpensive fabrics bleed, and not all expensive fabrics don't bleed.
Dayle
Having read so much on this board in the past on Retayne, I purchased some at the Festival of Quilts last month as I have some extra wide, bright pink, batik fabric for the back of a king-size quilt. However, having read the instructions, I'm a bit concerned as to how to use it. It says to fill your machine with HOT water but, here, our washing machines fill with COLD so there's no way I can add the Retayne and then the dry fabric to the hot water! The instructions then go on to say that the finished quilt should only be washed in cool water - never hot! Do you have hot water fill in the States? - how do you cope with these instructions, both the fabric washing and the quilt washing afterwards? Once the quilt has left your hands, there's no quarantee as to how it will be washed!