Originally Posted by
mjpEncinitas
Thank you Carrie, I think I may dye this fabric and use it in a quilt so I better go with the Procion dye. How do you make sure the fabric won't bleed after it's dyed? I know I can prewash it and use the synthropl??? thanks
After your fabric is dyed, Rinse Rinse Rinse! I set up a couple containers or buckets of cold water and i rinse in the first bucket by dunking a few times and swishing the fabric around. Then i squeeze the water out by hand and move to the next bucket. A white bucket is great so you can see how much color is in the water. If you have 2 buckets then you can rinse in one while the other is filling with clean water. As you go the water will get lighter and lighter. I usually stop when my hands just can't take it anymore, they get really stiff from the cold. Sometimes i will just soak a while and go back and work again. Rinsing is really really important because of bleeding.
After rinsing, wash in hot water with synthrapol and check the color of the water when it fills for the rinse cycle. If there's still color in the water, you can wash another time with the dawn dish soap. Lighter colors don't seem to bleed as much or maybe they aren't as noticeable, darker or brighter colors can bleed a lot. You can check the color of the water by scooping it out with a white container or cup.
Once the water is clear and there is no more color in the rinse water, there is no more worry about bleeding.