I bought some "Gee's Bend" fabric that is burgendy red. I have washed this stuff several times and dried it in the dryer... it won't stop bleeding.

I can't use it for any project like it is.. any suggestions on how to set the color or stop it from bleeding?

Thanks!

Hi there

I usually put the cottons in salt water to stop them from bleeding.

"Naughty fabric! Naughty, naughty!!"

Aggravating, isn't it?!! Welcome to the Board, by the way.

There's a product called Rytayne(sp?) or Synthrapo (sp?) you can use. Alos, use the Search function up top to look for other threads on bleeding fabric and color running.

Good luck!

I also bought the red Gee's Bend fabric and had a horrible time. It didn't just bleed it was like cutting an artery. I took it back to the shop, got my money back and the owner said she used vinegar and a tumble in a hot dryer and got it to stop bleeding. I won't trust it in a quilt.

Use Retayne prior to construction to lock in the dye. Use Synthropol once constructed. Synthropol will not really stop the bleeding it just keeps the dye that has migrated from the fabric from attaching to other fabrics in the water. It does assist in removing excess dye that has not "bonded" to the fibers. If washing with Synthropol make sure you remove the quilt ASAP from the cycle as there could still be a bit of migration if moisture is in the quilt if there are really bad bleeders, because once rinsed the Synthropol is gone.
I use Retayne and then test again to make sure. If it is a known "offender" such as some batiks I have used twice the dosage and gotten excellent results. It is pretty reasonable to use at only 1 teaspoon per yard. But you must get the water temp up to 140 degrees . Once treated with Retayne wash only in COLD WATER.
Using Synthropol requires more , so ... one teaspoon per gallon of HOT water. Anything treated using Synthropol must be washed in warm water 110 degrees.
Vinegar is not effective for cotton fabrics. Some may get results but it is mostly from the water, vinegar will remove most treatments such as starch and sizing used in the manufacturing finishing process.

Retayne

I recently bought some Synthropol on the recommendation from a friend but haven't tried it yet. Thanks for the advice!

I will have to get some Retayne too - soundslike that is what I need more to prevent further bleeding. :)

Retayne and a color catcher in the wash. but sometimes you do get one that just wont quit, best use if that is the case...wall hanging that won't get washed :(
if it is going to stop
retayne will do the trick (or synthropol which is what we use to wash away any 'loose-colors' when we dye our own fabrics. it only takes about a teaspoon in a washer, but it works.
good luck; good thing you tested!

I used Synthropol on this fabric according to the directions from the bottle. It did not touch the bleeding from this fabric. I did not have any Retayne at the time.
Myself and two other quilters who have dyed fabric have seen nothing like this Gee's Bend fabric! It just would not quit!
I would not recommend using this particular fabric in any piece...even a wallhanging. My opinion, take it for what it's worth. This is not my first quilt. ;0)
But I now have a pink blouse that I had to overdye because of splashing while attempting to put a tourniquet on this fabric. Also, the color of the fabric was not at all lessened. It was still a luscious dark red after an hour or so of washing and rinsing. It is a shame because it is wonderfully beautiful fabric.

Soak in vinegar hot dryer should help. I would be cautious about using in a quilt. For the cost of fabric we should not have these problems.