newbee3

the quilt I made was red and white with black it washed fine used color catchers

Gerbie

I would definitely wash the black and use retayne to keep it from bleeding.

Reba'squilts

I have joined the pre-wash club. I recently purchased 2 pieces of fabric from JAF. One a perfect blue and a red. Would look great in my planned project. Have not been able to get the blue to stop running. I finally pitched it. I do not want my finished quilt to be ruined! Most of the fabric I use does not run....but black and white together....my advice would be to wash the black!

msdb159

One of the first large quilts I made was black and white. I did not prewash and it turned out okay. I don't know if it was luck or the fact that the fabric was quilt shop quality that I had collected overtime. I do however use Syntropol and a color catcher in the wash.

shy

I never wash my material first..to me it helps with the stretch and etc. not to..I use black a lot in my quilts..What I do is when they are wash the first time..Pour in white vinegar..it sets the colors..this has always worked for me ..I do it for most all my quilts..Have never had a bleed of any color..and the color stays bright longer.

Sewnoma

I made a black & white & red scrappy quilt as one of my first projects. I pre-washed and I'm glad I did because one of the reds bled. Interestingly, the bleeder was in the wash with a mix of white fabrics and only ONE of the white fabrics picked up the red, and I couldn't get it back out. The other whites, in the same load, didn't pick up any color at all!

So it seems like bleeding is like dancing and it takes two to tango. One fabric to do the bleeding, and the second fabric to accept the bled-over dye.

This was before I knew about color catchers, I think if I'd had one of those in the wash it might have all turned out OK.

I've never had bleeding problems from a black fabric (knock on wood). I've had color catchers come out grey, but never had it bleed onto another fabric. I think you're PROBABLY safe not pre-washing if you use color catchers, but I don't know how you'll be sure until you try it!

I don't pre-wash pre-cuts, and I did a quilt with Hoffman batik strips and used Kona black for sashing, none of it pre-washed, and zero problems.

wendiq

I would definitely pre-wash the black and use a color catcher to show if it bleeds. Maybe not the white as if not, then you will be assured some crinkling.....Personally, I've always had crinkling with any quilt I've washed, pre-washed or not. I do not pre-wash my batting and have used several different kinds.....Poly and cotton....

MargeD

I made a black and white family reunion quilt a couple years ago and I belong to the "prewash" fabric club. I definitely had a few pieces of fabric that bled, so that is always a concern for me. If you want the crinkle look, I would think that washing with unwashed W&N batting would have the desired effect, however, I'm not sure. Not sure this is helpful or not.

Buckeye Rose

I have made a quilt with black, white, red and gray....the black bled enough that the white turned dingy gray in the first wash....so now I always prewash until the color catcher comes out white....not taking chances!

Jeanette Frantz

Ladies, I belong to the test colors (vibrant colors) to determine whether the fabric will bleed. I treat the fabric with Ritz Dye Fixative, depending on the size of the yardage, either on top of the range, or using hot water in the washer for larger yardages. For instance, with a reds and white quilt, I treat the lightest color first, then, the next lightest color on up to the most vibrant color, adding a tablespoon of the fixative for each color. For the one project that I have pending (fabric purchased and treated) I used 3 yards of fabric of each color -- yes, it's going to be a huge quilt. I filled my large stew pot with the amount of water (in the instructions with the product) and brought it to just below a simmer, put in dry fabric, and let it almost simmer for 20 minutes, dump it in sink or washer, rinse with cold water, wash and dry, repeating for every color (except the solid whites). I did a whole cloth, hand embroidered quilt with solid white and red borders. When I got the red cloth, a sliver of fabric put into a glass of hottest tap water revealed a reddish tinge which was picked up on a solid white paper towel--BINGO a bleeder. I knew I had to do something to prevent the bleeding (which is probable with most reds). I would STILL recommend that the quilt be washed with a couple of color catchers (just to be absolutely safe). The first LARGE bed quilt I ever did with the red borders is pictured in my avatar!

Jeanette