Originally Posted by
Sewdust
The red fabric was washed three times before I started piecing with it; however, a scrap that I test-washed today still bleeds red dye.
I think you've been given good advice about how to fix the bleeding fabric after it's been assembled into a quilt top.
My advice is for fixing bleeders
before you cut into the fabric.
A lot of today's washers (especially the front loaders) simply do not use enough water to rinse dye completely out of fabrics. This is why many quilters will wash their fabric over and over and over again, a process I find both wasteful and slow. I fix my bleeders by putting about 4" of hot water in the bathtub and adding a drop of Dawn. (The amount of water varies with the amount of fabric - for instance, if I had 4 yards of fabric, I'd use more water.) Swish the fabric around and let it sit 10-12 hours, or overnight. Then toss it into the washer for a rinse-and-spin cycle. I've never had a fabric bleed after this process.
By the way, this is how dyers process their hand-dyed fabrics before using.