Batiks, Bleeding?
 

I just read the thread on bleeding fabric and the fixes for them. I would like to know about Batik. I just ordered a lot of precuts and now I,m wondering, since you can't wash precuts, do I have to worry? How about mixing them with white backround fabric? Can all you experts chime in with some advice. Thanks in advance. Elaine:confused:

One of the LQS tells me they never prewash anything - just give some color catchers to whoever gets the quilt to use when it is washed and they've never had a problem.

I hand wash precuts in the sink. like colors together. Hot-ish water & a few drops of laundry detergent. Swish a bit, then rinse. I put them in a salad spinner. I have line dried them, layed them on the counter and also dried them in the dryer in a lingerie bag.
Watch the wash and rinse water for shed dye.

I wash the finished quilt in a *large* washing machine that uses a lot of water (domestic front-loaders do not use enough water; laundromat front-loaders do) with Synthrapol. Synthrapol suspends unset dye particles in the water so they do not settle into other fabrics.

It's risky to wash or soak precuts because of potential shrinking. Once quilted, fabric shrinkage is not such a problem because the batting controls shrinkage. It's okay to prewash or presoak if you can deal with the potentially different shrinkage rates from prewashing or presoaking. This might require adjustments to seam allowances, for example, if the pattern requires exact finished dimensions. For something like a jelly roll quilt, variations in fabric shrinkage wouldn't matter.

Oh dear - my experience with batiks is that almost all of them bleed. The darker, brighter the color - the worse that it bleeds. I hand washed/swished mine - folded - in my pure white kitchen dish pan and then rolled them up on thick towels and then line dried them. I actually had to throw away two of them - bled like an octopus. Did not want to risk putting them into a quilt.

Washed a yellow batik with my lights and had yellow whites. Always learn from my mistakes.

I've not had a problem with batiks. Guess I've been lucky. Denim on the other hand. . .

I washed a batch of pre-cuts the other day but I put them in lingerie bags on perma press cycle then threw them into the dryer. I do the same with all my fabric. Even in the lingerie bags they will tangle so I separate them, then put them back into the bag and dry. I have also used old white pillow cases. I just tie them shut or pin them shut. sometimes, i'll lay them on a towel on the ironing board to dry then run the iron across in one fell swoop.

It really isn't about fabric bleeding. It's about fabrics picking loose dye up. And even when a fabric picks loose dye up out of the wash it still isn't set. You'd have to do something to that dye to set it.

I prewash all my fabric, even precuts before I use them!

An experienced quilter told me that yes some fabrics loose dye when washed and some fabrics are more likely to pick up the color. She has been quilting for over 20 years and gave me the following advice. I have to say with following the rules I haven't had a problem
1. Wash quilt in water temp you usually use
2. Use 1 color catchers if light fabric, more of them with dark fabric. Even 3 or 4 if Batiks
3. The biggest problem is washing a quilt without enough water so if you have a emergency saving type washer or a front loader she suggests going to a laundry mat with really large washers and use that. If its a twin or smaller a standard top washer with the water level at totally full. Her point is that if there is a little water then the bleeding fabric ends up touching the other fabric without water to be a buffer
4. Take it out of the washer immediately
5. Dry however you will continue to dry the quilt.
6. If giving as a gift, send some color catchers with instructions
I believe her and my quilts are proof.
Hope this helps

Setting loose dye
 

What do you suggest to do to set it?

I don't suggest doing anything to set the dye. Some fabrics will bleed forever. I've been washing fabrics for almost 50 years now and I've only ever had 1 item pick loose dye up that it didn't eventually wash back out.

I washed mine in lingerie bag on warm and delicate. My dryer has a rack insert that I can lay them on and they don't tumble, tangle or ravel. Very handy.