Wow, I am a newbie here too and this discussion has been wonderful. I knew red bleeds and so I have always washed my red materials (dark blues too) But I never thought about the embroidery thread. Great wake up call. I love all the suggestions and have written them done so that when I experience this problem (which I am sure will happen someday) I will know what to do. Of course if I misplace the paper, I can always come back here and ask for help.