Originally Posted by
toverly
Sounds like you have washed away most of the dye if the towel came out clean. I would probably use it if the red is still red. Sometimes it's just excess dye. But if it has faded, toss it.
Luckily the fabric is still a lovely crimson. so maybe it is excess dye, toverly, as you suggest. I have ordered some Retayne from JoAnn fabrics on-line; they don't stock it in the store, so my plan is now to treat it with Retayne, then wash it again with color catchers to see what happens. Since the Pineapple Crazy pattern uses a neutral background, it's important to be sure this fabric doesn't bleed, but is such a pretty red that I really want to use it if at all possible.