Has anyone used this fabric & it bleed?
 

My friend wants me to use this fabric for the backing of a t-shirt quilt that contains lots of whites on the top, I am scared to death of this red fabric bleeding, I have read reviews and they say it will bleed. Is there a way I can wash this fabric and make sure that I take care of the bleeding issue before I put it onto this quilt? Thanks


Color: Red

• 100% Cotton
• Machine wash cold on delicate cycle. Do not use chlorine bleach. Tumble dry on low, remove promptly
• 108'' wide, sold in whole yard increments only. This fabric comes on a 15 yard bolt

108" wide fabric is suitable for backing quilts, tablecloths, bedding, or any project that requires a large piece of fabric.


http://www.joann.com/108-solid-fabric-asst-d-colors-/prd18929/

Retayne helps set colors.

From what I've read, pre-wash it (alone!) in hot/warm water with retayne. That should set the dye, and it will be fine (in COLD water) for all future washes. Personally, I'd run it through a cold wash with a colour catcher to make sure the retayne did the job, after the retayne and before quilting it.

I don't usually pre-wash, but when it's red, I do. I haven't used the product mentioned by alikat110, but I have seen it mentioned several times by members of the board. Better to be safe than sorry, I think. Good luck.

Wash it in hot water with retayne, then wash it again in hot water with a color catcher. If the color catcher comes out clean you will be OK with future washes. I've had to wash reds several times sometimes.

Retayne. You can find it on Amazon and DharmaTrading online, or locally in quilt shops that cater to dyers. Wash with Retayne in hot water, then test for colorfastness by dropping a small piece in a glass of water. See if there is any bleeding of red into the water. Afterwards, rub the damp red fabric against a sample of the white t-shirt fabric to see if any red transfers that way. If the fabric fails either test, wash again with Retayne in hot water and test again. If it still transfers dye, do not use it in the quilt (find something else!).

Why wouldn't you wash the fabric? Use the hottest water you've got.

Hot water and Retayne should help.

Don't buy it. Use Kona cotton form Kauffman instead and you won't need to worry about it running.

If any doubt - pre wash and wash again with a colour catcher

that is a very tempting price for backing-width fabric.

Kona solids and those from Connecting Threads don't usually run.
You'd have to piece the back, but they are an alternative.
You'd spend more $$$ because they come in standard widths.

i agree with those who recommend multiple pre-washes; also agree it should be done in the hottest water setting your washer offers.

Color Catchers come in very handy when pre-washing - especially for reds, which seem to run more often than just about any other color. They're re-usable. However, I'd recommend throwing in a new one with each pre-wash. Repeat until the Color Catcher stays white. Save the used catchers for future use with regular laundry.

If you settle on the red you've shown us, I hope you'll come back to let us know how it performed in the pre-wash.
I'm sure lots of us would like to know. :)

Unfortunately I've had Kauffman Kona (and loads of other spendy stuff) run all over, too.

I agree with the multiple washings. Good luck!

I have heard about the Kona reds bleeding too - but no reason to be scared. What about purchasing synthropol from Dharma Trading? You can buy smaller quanitites and they have a "house" brand too. It's for washing out excess color and was designed to keep the excess dye from tye dyes bleeding into each other.

If it were me I'd probably explain your concerns to your pal, talk to her about the synthropol and see what she'd like to do. At the end of the day say you'll quilt it for her at her own risk! :) Also - if you do get a little bleeding I've heard GREAT things about color catchers. Tazzie Quilts blog years ago had a great post about a two color quilt she made with Kona fabrics and the red bled...she washed it with color catchers and was able to remove the excess dye.

I agree! It must be wash til it the rinse water come out clear to be safe from bleeding...

-Ok all, I washed it the 1st time with hot water & Retayne, then dried it, then I washed it a 2nd time with a color catcher in hot water (it came out pink), so I washed it a 3rd time with a color catcher and it came out pink, and I then dried it again....soo tonight, what shall I try, washing it in cold with white scrap pieces of t-shirts and see if the color sets on them? Keep washing it in hot with Retayne again? what to do what to do? Thanks :)

I would be very leary of a fabric that says to wash in cold water.

Keep washing until it comes out clear.

Was the second pink lighter than the first? Pink is actually encouraging - I would have expected almost red, from that fabric.
I would probably wash again in Retayne. Are you sure you should have washed in hot after that? I've never used Retayne but I was told that hot water will de-activate it. So I would wash in hot with Retayne one more time, then in cold with a colour catcher and see how it is. Then, assuming you can trust the recipient to never use hot water, you should be good to go.

Whenever I use a fabric like that I prewash in Retayne. Then after I think I have it to where it won't run I wash it again in warm with a piece of white fabric like something in the quilt to see what happens. Good luck!

I use Retayne frequently. Occasionally it takes 2 sessions, but as Kristakz mentioned, once you use the Retayne hot water treatment, you are supposed to wash only cool after that per instructions on the bottle. I agree to try the hot Retayne treatment once more. Then do not wash hot after that.

Dayle

I prewashed my red and then washed the finished quilt. IT RAN. The quilt top was red and white. So, I suggest pre washing several times to be sure.

I had some red and blue fabric run on the white backing of a quilt when I put it in the dryer to fluff it up. I didn't think it would bleed with heat only. But I washed it with white vinegar and salt and most of it came out. And, no color came on the color catcher.

Back in the days of "Zumba" pants I learned that to retain the color and stop it from bleeding you should first put it in a salt water bath and that would set the color. I don't know if it would work on that fabric but it did work on all thos "Zumba" pants I made for my kids back in the day.

This is what we did with "Val Surf" shirts last century.

Cold saltwater soak for an hour and then wash in warmwater with a piece of muslin

The instructions told me to wash it 1st in hot water 140 degrees...but did not tell me what to do after that...:/
So, I am going to do what you all say and do another treatment of Retayne in hot water, then after that wash it in cold with a color catcher again...I sooo do not want to ruin this quilt so I will do whatever it takes to make my customer happy with his red backing that doesn't bleed hahaha thank you all so much for your advise it is soo helpful and I listen to every bit of it! :)

This board is soo amazing and full of helpful people who have been there, done that, its soo nice :)

use shout brand color catches i have used them on my off white with burgandy trim and burgandy valance they truly work i would put at least 5 or 6 to be on the safe side.you could wash the red fabric first that might help..i wish you the best of luck if all else fails tell your friend that you don't feel comfortable using the red,tell her why then let her choose if it bleeds it will be on her not you.

I would keep washing it in hot water until it stops bleeding - or at least until the bleeding is so minimal that it won't turn the t-shirts on the top pink.

I wouldn't bother with Retayne, if you can only wash in cool after you use it. A quilt needs to be able to stand up under the most adverse conditions imaginable and that includes the accidental washing in hot water. :)

I would wash it alone with color catcher's in hot hot water. I try to do this first for a couple of washes - then do a hot wash with retayne. I do not dry it in the dryer until the water comes out clear. Some reds never stop bleeding.

I pre-wash everything with Retayne before I use it. Then I don't have to worry about it.

If you wash a fabric that has been treated with Retayne in hot water once its been through the first complete treatment, you will remove the Retayne and it can/will start to bleed again if you use hot water. The manufacture of Retayne recommends all subsiquent washes must be cold water.

IMHO never trust red. Always prewash first no matter the source. Navy blue can be very persnickity too.

My question to the washing process....when you do this color bleeding washing process are you putting this in a washing machine, and going thru all the cycles, or doing this is a washtub in a utility sink, or how. When I am reading washing 3/4 times w/hot water to get the excess dye out I am just wondering..........

I agree with kristakz..............pre-wash in hot/warm with retayne, then run through with a colour catcher. I bought a Royal blue "quilt backing" made by Kona Cotton and We washed it 5X's and it still was bleeding. Each color catcher was almost darker then the fabric. Pretty scary when it will be near a off white border and mixed blocks of white/cream and other blue's. I am also giving it as a gift with a box of color catchers for the quilt.
I ALWAYS pre-wash fabrics for I make something with it. And once again after 40 some years of sewing and quilting, I am glad I always do. Extra work, but I would of been sick if they would of washed it and it all turned BLUE.

I have bought Joann's backing fabric twice and didn't use it either time after I bought it. It was of very poor quality and seemed very stretchy in all directions, even after I washed them in hot water. I was afraid they would be impossible to quilt without puckers on the back. I'm going to cut them up and use them in rag rugs.

If I'm using a red (and I'm a rank amateur), I just assume that it will bleed. I treat the fabric with Rit Dye Fixative. I've looked far and wide for the product in the local supermarkets, discount stores, fabric stores, you name it--I've looked, to no avail. I ended up going online and ordering it direct from Rit. I know it's a pain, but I would rather treat the fabric first. If I'm going to put that much work and effort into it, it will be treated so that it won't bleed! I've only done a couple of large quilts, and both of them involved reds and whites. The first fabric, I tested it -- turned a glass of hot water into what looked like a cherry soda! I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Jeanette Frantz

wash in vinger, add a 1/2 cup that should stop the bleeding. I do this and it works.

I just did a customer quilt using a wide back from joanns. She prewashed and dried it in case it bled. Caution: the original 108" fabric became 102" fabric after washing. Lost quite a few inches on the width also!

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Well everyone, I am on wash #7 now...its been treated with Retayne twice and now I am just washing it in cold until my color catchers come out perfectly white...I threw a scrap piece of white t-shirt in with it to see if the color would bleed on it and well, it came out just a tiny tint of pinkish on it soo I guess I will rack up my water bill and keep washing until it stops...uff I do believe this will be the last time I ever buy red. :/ Thank you all for all your help I could not have started and continued this process without you...
I am soaking it in cold right now debating on putting some vinegar in the water to maybe help speed things up...here is a picture of all of my color catcher sheets...

-Washing machine, putting it on regular wash with warm/hot, treating it with retayne, then all the future washes do cold water so as to not deactivate the retayne.