Originally Posted by rivka
Well, I washed it 3 times with color catchers, and unfortunately it looks even worse than before! The red that had bled through from the back through the thread is not gone, and now the lighter fabric has a definite red tinge to it. :( Do I have any other options at this point?
Try washing it with Synthrapol several times. Even if the fabric keeps bleeding, Synthrapol should prevent unset dye particles from settling in the other fabrics. It also has at least a chance of removing the dye that has stained the white fabric as long as those bleeds have not been set with heat.
It could take several washings. I would start with cold water and work up to hot water. Synthrapol says to use hot water with it, but my fear is that with this amount of bleeding the hot water may release more dye than the Synhrapol can keep suspended. That's why I'd change the temperature gradually with each washing.
At the very end, if you get to a point where the wash water is nearly clear and there is still staining in the white fabric, I would do a final wash with Synthrapol and a powdered bleach that is safe for colors (such as Clorox-2). That might remove the remaining unwanted color.
Many quilt shops carry Synthrapol now.