Ack! The Red Fabric Bled on The White Background
 

So happy that you were able to rescue your quilt. I can imagine the moment that you discovered the issue and the sinking feeling.

I have learned that "just washing" is not adequate - so that is why I've started soaking all my fabrics in hot water for hours before washing them.

So glad that you were able to get the red out.

I have been going to try this on a quilt that I did pretty much the same thing. I used color catchers on the reds before using them. Used the fabric in a paper pieced quilt and the red bled through to the back of the white backing! This is hope for one of my favorite quilts. Thanks for sharing.

I am so happy you were able to rescue your quilt!

The one bad experience I had was so bad all the white in the quilt turned baby pink... it was a very bad fabric. I refused to use pure white fabric for a long time after that but I'm very careful now in checking but even still sometimes bad things happen.

I'm a big believer in Dawn dish soap. It works so well with so many things.

BTW, I had some modern all red flannel which is usually pretty stable, but it "crocked" that is, dye transferred onto the white background print it was next to. These were pieces I bought at an after Christmas sale and just stored for awhile. Now if I don't have time to prewash and if there is anything I'm really suspicious about (for me that's reds and dark blues), I'll wrap it in a piece of the acid free tissue paper I have in my sewing room.

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I would not have thought hot water. I am so glad it worked!

Thanks for sharing! Definitely a “good to know.”
I’m so glad it worked out (miraculously):).

How wonderful!
I love red but shy away from it because of bleeding. Now I have hope!
Dawn is such an awesome product. I use it for a lot of things.
Glad you had a happy ending.

So very glad for you that you fixed the quilt. That was a close one!

I'm glad you found the solution that I recommend to quilters. I, too, have had this happen to me....on a show quilt! After I did the hot water/dawn procedure, no more bleeding. The quilt has gone on to win 2 2nd place ribbons, & is slated for another show in March.

I had that happened to me on a quilt I made my mother. DIdn't notice that the red had bled on the white before throwing it into the dryer so was shocked and upset. Someone on this site said to throw it back into the washer with a color catcher. I did and the bleeding came out............even after it had been dried no less so I was floored and very happy to say the least. I swear by the color catchers these days. I only wash with cold water though.

I'd heard about using the blue Dawn but haven't had to use it (thankfully) so glad to hear that it does work.

Did you prewash the red fabric before piecing? I am starting a red and white in January and just curious if prewashing helps.

I would suggest prewashing for any red fabric. Use the hot water/dawn treatment for it. After the 1st treatment, it still bleeds, do it again. By the way, blue is actually worse than red for bleeding. So prewash them as well.

The first sentence in my post: "I always prewash all of my fabrics with color catchers and have never had a bleeder... until now!"

Thank you so much for sharing your solution. I recently completed 13 complex star blocks and only realized that the purple fat quarter I had used was a bleeder. I had not assembled the quilt. I think I will get them out and try your solution. Maybe--just maybe--all that work will be useful after all.

Thanks for sharing! That's a good thing to know just in case. Even when one is totally doing all one can to have things run amok, sometimes they do. Glad you were able to "save" your quilt.

So glad this was able to help you, I have heard of this before, dawn seems to be the cure all, I love it, and thank you for the reminder

Oh man we have all been there! What a great tip. Thanks for sharing.