I bought 4 yards of red fabric at a walmart in another town . I cut a few strips and put it together with my yellow and blue strips. was pressing the blocks and noticed a pink tint on my ironing board cover. So I threw it back in the washer with 2 more color catchers. I had washed it with one the first time . HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I HAVE TO WASH THIS WITH COLOR CATCHERS?? I tested it again , with a spray of water and ironed it and it is still bleeding on my iron board cover. I don't know if I can return it to Walmart , I have my receipt, but bought other fabric , so the price rings up as a total fabric price. This is a quilt I am making for a gift; so I am trying to hurry to get it done, and can't waste time running around looking for a well behaved red.
Elaine

I think you can wash it with a setting chemical, can't you? Someone on here posted about something you could add to the wash to "set" the dye. Not sure how available that would be if you aren't close to a fairly large city.

You can wash it with a 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar and that will set the color. Salt works too.

Ok, Thank you S D. I just through it back in the washer along with another red yardage , that I had for my Amish quilt. and a cup of vinegar. I have never had this much problem with reds before.

oh no Elaine how awful :(
You might want to check this site out for future reference http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/settingdye.shtml
I know that won't help you now.
If the color grabber sheet didn't get it all the first wash it isn't going to happen :evil: Bite the bullet and start over with another red fabric. Take the other material back with the fabric grabber to show them at some time when it is convenient. I can tell you from experience that fabric will just keep bleeding.
So sorry for your trouble ... isn't that always the way when you are in a hurry?! Wishing you better luck from here on out. :D

I am always wary when I buy a known "bleeding" fabric from Walmart. I seem to have better luck when I purchase a better grade, either online or at my LQS.

Our teacher at sewing club the other day said to be sure & not use laundry soap as that adds more chemicals to the water. I use vinegar. Hope that works.

I don't wash all my fabric, but if ita bright red, I wash with cold water and vinegar and a color catcher and add salt.......................red is red it didn't matter where it was from.some bleeds some doesn't. just remember to treat your quilts and fabric like your best washables :D

that's a shame. and an interesting coincidence. i just bought a red print there, too. it didn't bleed in the wash, but my iron gets red gunk on it when i press.

i was really surprised because i've never had a single fabric of any color from walmart bleed. only 2 or 3 have ever shrunk (shrank?) a teeny bit. the only fabs that have ever bled on me or shrunk badly have been LQS grade that are $9 and up if not on sale.

which fabric was it? was it this one? if not, can you post a pic?

college quilt.. all darks purple, greens, and a white Letter.. The letter became gray !

Broke may heart.. At least you are finding you need differant fabric.. Toss it.. It will always bleed !

Rethink it. not worth the time and heartbreak !

Ell

Bleeding darks will get you every time! I lways wash until the water runs clear. I hope the vinegar does the trick!

That much bleeding indicates the dye wasn't set properly into the fabric. The surest way to set dye is to wash it with Retayne. Retayne is available at quilt shops catering to hand dyers, and online from places such as Dharma Trading and ProChem.

Vinegar and salt were traditional methods of setting dyes, but they effective primarily with organic dyes. They often do not work with the chemical dyes used in today's fabrics.

If you don't have time to find Retayne, I would try to return the fabric to Walmart. You can call their customer service first to make sure they will take it back.

Walmart should take it back. The lady in our fabric dept told me to have them tag it & then take back to fabrics to have them measure it & then they will give you a refund. I bought 10 yards of some fabric & because it had a grease spot on they gave me the rest of the bolt. 14 yards. Took it home & washed it & when I was folding it I found that it had white spots down it ever so many yards. I still haven't taken it back. I'm going to try & work around the spots. The grease spot didn't come out either. Glad I got it on the markdown & didn't pay that much for it. You never know about Wally World's fabric. Sometimes you get good sometimes bad.

Patrice , it was a solid red fabric. After washing it with the vinegar ; I ironed an area of it with a white scrap fabric underneath. There is a faint pink tint coming through. my other red , I got at Hobby Lobby doesn't seem to have a bleeding problem. You can bet I will be taking this fabric back to WM , and making a fuss.
Elaine

if you have your receipt I would take it back. They should not give you a problem.

I didn't know that the vinegar and salt would set the colors in fabric.

if red bleeds for me, i always wash again with retayne. always. if that doesn't work, out it goes. you can never trust it. it will bleed forever. that's why pre-washing is so important. no surprises. if you have the receipt return it. but will they take it back ?

I took the fabric on Sunday. The gals at the return counter didn't know if they could take it back and give a refund . Isaid it is defective. One said to go back to fabrics and talk to the lady there. she looked at it and printed out a refund receipt. she said it was 65% polyester and it shouldn't have bled. So yes I got my money back. But so much frustration and wasted time.

YEAH!! :D I am so glad to hear that you got your money back. :D That is wonderful. :D So far, I haven't had any trouble with WM's fabric bleeding, but it is always a possibility. Hope you never have this problem in the future.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


so glad for you.

I always wash my fabrics. If they are darks I use Clorox 2 with my detergent in the first wash. Then wash just with detergent. If it still runs color a bit give it another wash. Always works for me and I do use fabrics from Walmart. gloria

wash in cold and put black pepper in with it

Can you please cite a source of info to back up your advice of using black pepper?

I had someone at local quilt shop where i live in west virginia to tell me that they say it really works but i dont know for sure because i haven't tried it

when working with dark, questionable fabrics (especially red) you really should wash it and wash it until it doesn't bleed any more...sometimes ...cheap fabrics mainly...it will never stop, but you can try to set the color with a commercial product or vinegar; soda; salt; (not all together :) .... always test a small piece and and see how much washing it is going to take to get it to stop; maybe save that fabric for a 'red' quilt, or one dark that the bleeding won't matter. another one of those moments where you really do get what you pay for...quality fabrics don't bleed like the inexpensive fabrics tend to. sorry and good luck

hello! i am a fabric dept. manager at WM. sorry about your problem. what kind of fabric is it? Palencia broadcloth, cotton club, sheer mist? I know my WM would return you $ if you weren't satisfied. Especially if you have the cash register tape. Even though it rings up as one purchase, it lists each upc number of fabric purchased. I've never used the color blocks so i don't know about their success. Good Luck.

Hi - sorry about your bleeding problem! Anytime I use a cheaper, very bright color, I wash the fabric before I use it. I have been burned by this before. Colors especially prone to bleed are reds, purples and black. If you have to wash it in warm/hot water more than 2 times, don't use it!! I've tried washing with salt in the water without any luck. Haven't tried vinegar. There are two commercial products -- synthrapol and retayne. I especially like the second one. They are good when you haven't pre-washed fabric and would like to set the colors to be sure they don't bleed. Add the proper amounts to the wash load - use HOT water and let sit for the recommended time in the wash. Continue the wash cycle to the end, then dry immediately. Do not let the quilt sit wet for a long time. Good luck!

Terri

Salt, pepper, vinegar. Almost a salad...

Our local Walmart, a newer Super Walmart, has discontinued their fabric dept. I am fortunate to be able to buy LQS fabrics at a really reasonable price (Mennonite shops nearby), I have bought WM fabrics, when I could. As others have found, just have to be careful & use good judgement when purchasing.

I don't understand why the service counter would question whether or not it could be returned, but am glad they did eventually give you your money back!

Elaine, I feel your pain. I bought (online) some Kaufman Kona red and prewashed with a color catcher. The color catcher turned pink so I figured I would just wash the fabric a second time. You guessed it, still pink.

Now, I'm going to try salt and white vinegar. Hope it works.

(But, actually I'm just glad I didn't start the quilt only to have it bleed all over when finished.)

I always prewash my fabrics. Now I am a bit leary of buying any reds. The lady at Walmart said that since it was 65% polyester, it shouldn't have bled.