oksewglad

Sigh..a tale worth telling and lessons learned...now enjoy your quilt.

117becca

That is one beautiful quilt top and I totally understand why you went to all the work to save it.

Enjoy it!! It is to die for beautiful!!!!

peaceandjoy

My favorite color combination - love the reds and tans! Time to stop calling it a mistake and enjoy the beauty as well as all you've learned, and so generously shared with all of us.

Jeanette Frantz

I, too, think your quilt is beautiful. And. as so many have previously stated, I am so sorry that you had to go through this. I am thankful that I had the advise and assistance of my cousin who has her own quilt shop in Oklahoma. She cautioned me to check out the red BEFORE I ever cut it. And, when I discovered that the fabric DID, IN FACT, BLEED RIVERS, I began to search for a "fixative", or whatever it would take to resolve the problem before I used the fabric. A lot of suggestions have been made, and what works for you -- that's what you should use. Synthrapol and Retayne have been recommended -- in fact, I've never used either of those fabrics. I also stated that discretion is the better part of valor, and that I would wash a red and white (or any other combination of colors) quilt using color catchers. I hope no one ever has to go through something like this again. Jane, I'm glad your quilt came out of the "bleeding" looking so good. It's a gorgeous quilt! I'm working on a red and white quilt now (but ALL the fabrics have been treated with the dye fixative).
Jeanette

Damkina

Jane, I've just read through all the post and really feel for you. So sorry you had to go through all the stress. Your quilt is beautiful and will look lovely on your own bed.

I'm now dithering on having to wash a hand quilt that has red in it and was made before I knew I should wash the fabric first. Your post has been a real education and I'll now collect anything I can get my hands on for bleeds, just in case.

Jeanette Frantz

Damkina, by all means, when you wash your red quilt, use color catchers. There are some other chemicals which were recommended on this thread -- by all means use them. My best recommendation is use a dye fixative BEFORE YOU MAKE THE FIRST CUT FOR YOUR QUILT. I've posted some long, drawn out posts on this subject. I would not wish to see anyone have to endure the distress and stress which Jane Quilter has endured. I never knew that red fabric would bleed, but it does -- I had some the first bed-size quilt I ever made (my avatar) that bled rivers. Luckily, I had the advice of my cousin who has her own quilt shop in Oklahoma. I tested the fabric -- it's relatively easy to determine a bleeder. Simply snip a 1/2" wide by 6" long strip and immerse it in a glass of hot tap water. If the fabric is a bleeder, you'll know it by dipping a WHITE paper towel into the water. If there's bleeding, it will definitely show up in the paper towel.

Damkina

Thank you for the advice, Jeanette, never thought of using a paper towel. I have some red fabric that I've had for a while and does need checking before I use it, although it's not on the to do list as yet.

The quilt I need to wash is my sons Battalion/Army quilt that is hand appliquéd and has red borders and pieces in the designs. The background is cream and is definitely looking like it needs sprucing up. He used it and took it all over the place with him, but it is now staying here for a while. I'm absolutely dreading washing it. I usually wash all my quilts and those going to their new homes with a couple of sheets of colour catches... I thinks I might toss in a couple of boxes with this one

madamekelly

If it were mine, I would try carpet shampoo like you get for the rental machines. I have had some luck removing ink from carpets with it. I use a spoon to saturate the fabric, let it sit for up to a half hour, and wash. Might work better than putting all that work into the trash....

Margie

Did you try a steaming with an iron. That has worked for me

zozee

Jane, the quilt is absolutely beautiful! Really, truly great looking with a homey feel about it. Let the residual red bleeds on the back remind you of us--your fellow quilters whose hearts bled with you in your time of trouble. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but we all wanted to "stop the bleeding"in more ways than one! LOL

Enjoy and thank you for your persevering and for posting the results of your tests. I'm sure your hard work will save many a heartache for others.