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Batik help

Batik help

Old 03-17-2008, 08:27 PM
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I really want to get batik for this new project (specifically a watercolor batik or something similar), but (like with many things) I never worked with batik before. I don't want to find myself pre-washing a beautiful red batik and then end up with a white or pink piece of fabric. And I really don't want to go for a close substitute to batik unless I really have to...I'm not going to let fear stand in the way of me and a beautiful fabric for this quilt. So how should I handle a batik fabric (epessily a red one...I hear any fabric with red dye can be a troublesome)?
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Old 03-17-2008, 08:40 PM
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I always pretreat batiks with Retayne. Retayne will set the dye as batiks always bleed. Use 1 tsp of Retayne for every yard of fabric. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry. The instructions are on the bottle.

I love working with batiks.

Judy

http://www.prochemical.com/directions/Retayne.htm
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Old 03-17-2008, 08:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Judy Gail
I always pretreat batiks with Retayne. Retayne will set the dye as batiks always bleed. Use 1 tsp of Retayne for every yard of fabric. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry. The instructions are on the bottle.

I love working with batiks.

Judy

http://www.prochemical.com/directions/Retayne.htm
Okay. So can batiks be washed any way you want after being treated with Retayne or is there a special way of doing it (like only cold water, etc.) Also, is fabric treated with this stuff safe around children? I'm just putting Deni's future child into consideration and I don't want her kid to get sick because she/he has been around this quilt treated with a special chemical.
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Old 03-18-2008, 01:33 PM
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I don't know. The instructions say to wash in warm water and rinse in cold. I think I would contact the company and ask if it is safe for children.

Batiks are notorious for bleeding. Although I have never tried it, you could try setting the dye with white vinegar. Before Retayne I used salt water but found I had to do it over and over and over again.

Judy
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Judy Gail
I don't know. The instructions say to wash in warm water and rinse in cold. I think I would contact the company and ask if it is safe for children.

Batiks are notorious for bleeding. Although I have never tried it, you could try setting the dye with white vinegar. Before Retayne I used salt water but found I had to do it over and over and over again.

Judy
I'll contact them. I'm hoping it is safe for children...right now, I only have one back-up fabric in case my batik idea falls through (and I wouldn't even have that if someone hadn't suggested it---I believe it was Sue who posted it).

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Old 03-18-2008, 07:17 PM
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Wow! Ya learn something new everyday!
I did not know batiks would bleed.
I have some pretty ones just sitting on the shelf awaiting their fate.
They are the kind that are "too pretty" to cut.
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Old 03-18-2008, 09:01 PM
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I've never had any of my batik bleed, I've washed it the same as my other fabrics and never had a problem. Although i do wash in cold water, the dryer preshrinks it. I don't treat it any differently than cotton that I buy for quilting.
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Old 03-19-2008, 03:20 PM
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This doesn't help. One says batiks bleed like crazy and one says they don't. Now I'm confused!

As far as the batik bleeding into the other fabric, that wouldn't be a problem since the dye wouldn't show up on the black background. I'm just concerned that if I wash batik like any other fabric it will change the color drastically...either dull the color or turn it into a pastel (Eew).
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Old 03-19-2008, 03:53 PM
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Batiks often bleed a lot - especially reds and greens - but I have never seen a visible color change in the fabric afterward.
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Old 03-19-2008, 04:23 PM
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I don't think I've had a batik that didn't bleed. Fill the sink with hot water and put your fabric in it. If it doesn't bleed you don't need to treat it. Or, I have read that you can tell if a fabric will bleed by putting a small sample of it in water and then in the microwave. I haven't tried the microwave test myself.

Judy
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