I bumped a thread about fading fabrics. This is what I wrote in it:
Originally Posted by Cathe
Originally Posted by Roben
What a great topic! My first thought was that a change in the chemicals that fabric manufacturers are allowed to use was responsible - the older stuff (what ever that was) was deemed unsafe so alternatives had to be found that were safer but probably didn't work as well.
I believe this is true. A while ago (maybe 20 years?), DMC sent out notices that their red floss would no longer be colorfast because they weren't allowed to use the old standard mordants anymore. I think it was an environmental hazard or something??? Anyhow, they have new fixatives for that now, but some embroiderers are still boiling and/or setting it with vinegar or salt water before use.
I read this newsletter back in 1998:
In a newsletter generated by a special Keepsake Quilting mail order catalog in Spring 1998, Jinny Beyer, the famous quilt entrepreneur and designer of fabrics, reveals the following:
The industry standard for light fading of 100% cotton fabric is 20 hours! This means that an 'apparel fabric' (the industry category that 100% cotton falls into) must hold its color up to 20 hours in direct sunlight; after that time, if it fades, the industry is not held responsible.