Okay... you guys probably know what I'm about to say... but I have to grumble anyway just to get it off my chest...

I've started piecing table runners for the dressers & nightstands in my newly painted and rearranged bedroom (which if I haven't said it lately, man I love the new color & yay! Finally after 5 years of fighting to get the furniture rearranged, it's done and hubby loves it and wishes we did it ages ago...) but anyhoooo.... I picked out some fabrics, including one deep, dark marbled purple batik to use in the runners...

I am a prewasher since I don't like shrinkage after all my time and energy .. and this is one of those times that I am soooo glad that I actually looked in the washing machine as I was dumping "like" colors in to it - and saw the dye just running like a stream off of that batik...

I pulled it out, quickly, drained the washer to get any dye out of it and ran the machine without it....

Took said beautiful deep purple batik to the kitchen sink and proceeded to hand wash the heck out of it until it looked like it was running clear.. then had it soak in a bucket with some vinegar and then after awhile, rinsed it, only to see yet more dye... hand washed it some more.. and more and finally when I felt comfortable enough, put it in the washer... with an extra rinse. by the end of the final extra rinse, there was no more dye tinge in the water... safe!

Dried it, ironed it, nearly in tears as I held the iron..

Yup. It's lavender and those 4 yards of beautiful, deep purple batiks will not be used for this project... at least for the front of it. I might just use it for backing at this point... but I'm saddened. I'll probably have to make a special trip out to the store to get more dark purple fabric to go in to the project but at this point, I'm hoping I can just do without :'(


Okay.
I feel better now. It's off my chest.
Blankety blank batik. Grrrr.
Okay. NOW it's off my chest :D

oh i feel for you.
http://www.quiltbus.com/retayne.htm
perhaps setting the colors first would have helped. i've not used batiks a lot, but will be more wary of them in future.

Who was the maker of that batik fabric? I sure hope you remember...

have you considered contacting the shop you bought it from? that's an awful lot of color loss. they'll appreciate it if you let them know. they might let you return it or exchange it.

What was the brand of the batik? I have some deep purple Hoffman and it didn't bleed at all. I'm know you are happy you decided to pre wash!

You asked your DH if you could rearrange the furniture? And he said no? I know for fact that furniture would have been rearranged, right out in the yard just as soon as I could get it out there. :-D :-D

I always wash mine with a Color Catcher...but must say, I rarely see much bleeding. I do tend to get the better brands of batiks though.

I'd rewash it with a color catcher and see how it does.

That sounds like unset dye continuing to run. I would have prewashed the fabric in Retayne to set the dye permanently. Vinegar doesn't work to set modern chemical dyes, and that is what is used in most of the fabrics we purchase. (Vinegar is useful to set organic dyes.)

I never prewash myself and have been using batiks for a few years. Of course I tend to buy from the same places unless it is a gift. I have been shying away from blue, red and purples in batiks now. Some of my batiks, if they run together you could not see it because they are wild already. Sorry about the color loss but good idea to use ont he backing. I use retayne and also the Shout color catcher. Am lucky I don't "Catch" many dyes. Hope it all works out. Thanks for the warning.

I have been a non washer for a long time. However, I started a applique quilt with pink, dark pink, and green batiks. In the course of working on the blocks, I think I got a place dirty and rinsed the block. The red bled. I have hand washed the red now.

One thing I learned is that red has very large dye molecules. I use auburn hair dye, and hair dressers tell me it doesn't last as long because of this large molecule issue.

I have only had issues with red running, but purple is part red. Thank you for the warning. I think Prisim 99 is right in that what washed out is unset dye. However, it never should have made it to market with that much discharge. (enought to change a dark purple, to a lavender)

I do think I would take it back to who ever you bought it from and show them what happened. They may make restitution.

Sorry you had problems, hope tommorow is better. If you can't grumble here, where else could you where people would listen.