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.

I had considered taking it back - although I didn't get it from a quilt shop.. it came from the evil empire. Having said that, I have never had fabric run like this in the past - even evil empire material. I didn't see a purple that quite worked at Hancocks and Hobby Lobby was closed since I got it on a Sunday... I know the dye is out now or at least I'm pretty confident it is.

I wonder if the evil empire would take it back... I might call the manufacturer if I can find it on the bolt next time I'm at the store... til then, it's okay. I am just soooo happy that I'm a prewasher cause I tell you what, I would have been soooo ticked if it happened afterwards. It would have totally ruined my runners & anything else that was in the wash too.. not to mention, it would not look quite match... so much for finding that perfect shade of purple. I was sooo thrilled when I found it since it matched 100% perfectly... well, til I washed it lol.

There is always the debate as to whether to wash or not to wash before you start a quilt. I was not a pre-washer, however a friend of mine who hand appliques everything had to try to wash out a quilt of hers where a purple/green batik ran. The purple in the batik ran & she worked several days to get it out. Still has some spots but only if you look hard. I have washed every batik I bring into the house now for over a year and even though I was told by a LQS that they boil the fabric to get all of the wax out I still have had color run.
So, yes, I always wash and dry my batiks in the hottest water I can use just to be safe.

Happy Quilting,
Susan

I've not heard of a batik running that bad. Batiks should be dyed, boiled, washed, rinsed and the like quite a bit BEFORE they make to the public. Wax is used as a resist for the dye and that is how you get the wonderful patterns in the batik. Then the fabric should be washed in nearly boiling water to remove all the wax before they wind it on bolts and sell to the public.

You have a fabric that was not properly manufactured. You need to return that fabric to the store! Even if you don't get your money back, they should exchange it. They should then return their bolt to their supplier.

But, you can also use Epsom Salt to set dye in fabrics. It works great and much cheaper and readily available.

Sorry to hear about the "running of the batiks"-sounds like it decided to win first place! Hopefully you will find what you need for the front and it will work better for you!

I would be back at that store so fast...

while we are talking about running dyes, why is it they run and get on other fabric so easy, but then it is so hard to get it out of where you don't want it. We are talking about some pink BVDs here.

A friend of mine bought a cranberry colored fabric, washed it 9 times in the washer and it was still bleeding.

Also, I had a quilt quilted with reddish thread and the thread bleed. I had to wash it 4 times and ended up using the whole box of color catchers. The color catchers came to to rescue. What a relief.

I use Retayne when i prewash my batiks. It helps set the dye.

YIKES!!! I just bought a piece of deep purple batik from Walmart and hadn't decided what to do with it. I usually am not a pre-washer but glad I read this, so will definetely do so before I forget. If I wash in the sink and there is that much dye bleed I wonder if I could dye some cotton to a light shade? Also have some Rit dye fixative I might try. I bought a emerald green piece also, better work on that also. Thanks for the info.

I wonder if you have the same purple batik as I do - or did lol. I am going to wet it down one last time I think just to be on the safe side before I use it. I don't think Walmart will take it back...

Sorry, at least you didn't ruin the other fabrics.....

I use Retayne also. It is not expensive at all. Some quilt stores do not know about this! EVERYBODY, GET SOME-keep it on hand=YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

Batiks are Notorious for running. I will not use any batik without using Retayne. It does not matter who the manufacture of hte batik is , I have had them all run Vinegar will not work on cotton fabrics. Do note once treated with Retayne only wash with cold water.
I am surprised that there is not some kind of label on the fabric , that we all end up having to "learn" this lesson from experience or word of mouth.

Crashnquilt, thanks for the tip on Epsom Salts! That's a new one to me. I use Retayne but like you say Epsom Salts are way cheaper

My kind of gal! LOL!

Okay, so what is "evil empire?" I'm assuming WM? Joannes? Chain store? Been telling people for years that they carry first run stuff, discontinued lines, over-runs, misprints, incorrect DYES, and other sneaky stuff. We don't get quality fabrics at discount prices most of the time.

That being said, NO 100% cotton fabric sold for quilting/clothing/craft use should bleed like that and it should be returned. Reputable batikers rinse their fabrics well and lay them out in the air, often on the ground or shrubs, to dry. In the shop we occasionally received from our manufacturers batiks that still had small debris rolled up in the bolts. It just let us know they truly were batik dyed fabrics.

I'm sorry you had to fight this frustrating issue.

Jan in VA

It's not that vinegar won't work on cotton, it's that the dye itself.....depending on the chemical colors....may not set with acid-based mordants. Sometimes salt works, sometimes acid, sometimes alum, sometimes something else.

Remember the term "Madder" that is often seen in reproduction fabric prints? It is a plant used for dying fabric red. At that same time they were using madder (and other plants), the dyers used alum, iron, etc. to "set" the dye. What does iron do? It rusts.....hence many antique fabrics which were set with iron mordant have 'rusted' away, leaving strings and holes in some really wonderful old quilts and clothing.

It's likely the mordant, the setting agent, that wasn't added properly to this batik that bled for her. And as we don't know what chemical dyes are now used on any given fabric, we can't know whether salt/vinegar/etc. is what we should use at home on it.

Retayne is a huge benefit to us! And if you're dying your own stuff, try Synthropol when setting it, then wash later with Retayne.

Jan in VA

Actually, I would recommend just the opposite -- setting the dye with Retayne, then washing later with Synthrapol (so any unset dye particles are suspended in water and rinsed away).

I agree , that Synthropol should be used for items that are already constructed . Retayne for yardage prior to construction.
Do note that the instructions for care once treated with Sythropol require that the item be washed in warm water for subsiquint washings to remain effective( this is on the manufactures instructions) . Retayne requires cold wash for any washes after treatment( also on the manufactures care instructions) .

What's more important is they may want to pull that bolt off the shelf and report it to their supplier.

What a shame but some of the "True" Batiks do run and you have to use "ReTayne' on them, I bought Jelly Rolls from Indonesia and they RUN!!

Oh sweetie, TAKE IT BACK.....I appreciate that batiks will run, but that is beyond acceptable.....
Ellen

I would take it back too! Thank goodness,you prewashed it!!!!!!!!

I sometimes take fabric that's bleeding and put a large (8 gal) pot with water and a bottle of vinegar to boil. I boil the fabric in the vinegar/water mix and it seems to set the colors.

You might get some RIT purple dye and redye the entire piece. At this point you wouldn't be losing anything and the dye will react differently with the different colors already in the batik. If you want to see how it'll come out take a package of grape or raspberry koolaid (without sugar) and a fat quarter or just an 8 x 10 square. Soak it in the koolaid for about an hour. Take it out, dry it, and iron it. That'll tell you what it will look like after dyeing.

To ptquilts: I dont know, but my family has the loveliest shade of cotton underwear...I have bleached, boiled and have done everything I can think of - outside of dyeing them all a shade of purple...wonder what the boys in the gym would think of that?

I dye a lot of my own fabric. Look for a product called Retayne. It is added to the wash water to safely remove any excess dye and fix the dye in the cloth. Sounds like the dyer in your case did not leave the cloth in the dyebath long enough to get it to set. I get my dye supplies from Dharma Trading and they have an online store. Retayne is good for any fabric you think might bleed and helps with color migration from light to dark fabrics.

i also use retayne the way it says to on the label. if i have any doubt after one washing i do it again. since i started doing that, i haven't had any problems.
we won't talk about before.

I disagree about Walmart. I have never had a problem taking ANYTHING back. Customer service is the name of the game in todays market. Good luck.

Oops! I stand corrected, LOL!
Jan in VA

Definitely take it back to the place you bought it. It should not have done that. I always prewash my batiks for fear of bleeding, but I use Shout Color Catcher and the batiks rarely bleed even a tiny bit, even the dark colors. You also should be sure to buy good quality fabrics and you won't have these problems. Good luck.

I'll see about taking it back next time I'm there. I need to go in to town tomorrow or Friday. I want to take it back to compare it to the original as well... maybe I'm just blowing it out of proportion but I don't think so. It is definitely not the shade I bought abut we'll see...

I'll let you all know what happens after I go back to the store. I do want to get the manufacturer info off of the bolt no matter what....