Help, "Glitter Fabric"
 

I found a beautiful fabric to make a Christmas quilt & it has "glitter" on it. I'm guessing in the making of the fabric this is sprayed onto the fabric. I was wondering about pouring white vinegar in the wash to loosen the glue. Right now my house really sparkles. :D Any suggestions of how to wash the "glitter" off. Thank for your help.

From personal experience.... go to the laudromat, DON'T use your own washing machine.

I had some GORGEOUS fabric... with glitter.
ALL of our clothes had sparkles in them for quite some time thereafter... do you know how cranky a man can get when his jockey's sparkle?!? LOL!!

Seriously, I am NOT kidding... even if you only wash the quilt or fabric ONCE in your washer, it's like the flakes hide in the depths of the washing machine and appear in every load for WEEKS.

Trust me. I honestly know about this.

I had bought some shirts/tops from WalMart that had glitter on them. I also had glitter all over "everything" for weeks.

I bought girly fabric with glitter. When I washed and folded it. I did not see glitter again. I also bought some other fabrics , seems it is woven into the fabric. I plan to use it to make quilts for kids. I guess others had more glitter than mine.

What manufacturer and line is it? If it's Fairy Frost, it's gonna take a long, long, long time to wash off.

The fabric is from Joann's, it's Keepsake Calico.

I love your post because I have used fabric like this in the past & my husband had the same problem. Thanks for making me laugh & knowing that I am not the only one that learned this the hard way.

if you take it to a laundromat wouldn't you be "infecting" the clothes of innocent strangers with the glitter you know you don't want yourself?

Imagine that I just hit the "Like" button. I've been thinking this also as I read the posts.

I read somewhere that acetone would dissolve the glue that held the glitter on, but you'd probably want to test it on a small spot first to see if it also took out any dye.

Also wanted to note that glitter is considered a microparticle that our water treatment systems aren't equipped to filter out, and it is one of the tiny particles that is poisoning our oceans. Definitely not a judgment on you or your purchase, but was merely something I hadn't considered until recently.

I can't stand this current manufacturer's fad of adding sparkle to perfectly good fabric. I wish people would stop buying it so it could go away! Why does our fabric need to sparkle? Yuck. :hunf:

Don't use acetone on your fabric. It will take out the dye too.

I would think that after a couple of washings the sparkles will be gone. I didn't know how quickly it washed out when I bought it to make stars - ended up with gray looking fabric when the sparkle was done.

Glitter is the herpes of the crafting world. :D

Thank you "quiltingcandy" that is what I am hoping for. Finger's crossed.

why is it still n shelves if it's such an environmental problem.....

GOOD LUCK! When I 'retired', and moved, I took off about 3 months from working at Joanns (an extra part-time job). When I thought about returning, I wondered if I should - the working, the standing, the stocking, etc. But when leaving the first day (in fall), I called my kids and laughingly told them I had forgotten about the glitter!!! I had bits of holiday fabric glitter up my arms, in my hair, even on my socks. And you pretty much just get used to it because it does not go away!

Seriously?? There are still tons of face washes and cleansers on the shelves that contain microbeads that are know to be hazardous to wildlife and ocean environments that there are no laws against.

That is like asking why do stores still use plastic bags for purchases (although some states now charge a surcharge for this to promote reusable bag use) when it is proven what an environmental hazard they are to marine life and take eons to decompose in landfills, why to corporations continue to pollute our waterways? (in my area it was just discovered the water for an entire community was tainted by the manufacture of Teflon goods and poisoning the populace) why are there pet treats in the grocery stores that are killing our pets ( the most recent travesty is the bones sold in pet store supermarkets and regular store chains that the FDA has put out warnings are killing dogs).

While it is nice to think there are laws to safeguard us the truth is many bypass the laws or falsify, etc. It is up to us, the consumer to dictate that these kinds of products are no longer on the shelves by refusing to buy/use them.

And there are some products that are sparkly as a result of inks and dyes, not glitter and many consumers don't know the difference.

My advice ... wear it with pride! LOL

Not to derail the OP's question regarding removal of glitter, but microbeads are illegal now.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/30/health...ads/index.html

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-...bill/1321/text

The general manufacturing effective date was July 2017, and the delivery date is July 2018.

"<note: effective="" dates<note:="" dates.="" 21="" usc="" 331="" note.="">> Applicability.</note:>
(1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a)
applies--
(A) with respect to manufacturing, beginning on July
1, 2017, and with respect to introduction or delivery
for introduction into interstate commerce, beginning on
July 1, 2018"

Unfortunately, this doesn't include craft glitter, though it is also part of the problem.

eta: Lawmaking is a tedious and time consuming process. There are many who don't care about the environment, but care more about keeping businesses happy. Getting the microbeads out of cleansers, cosmetics, and toothpastes are only part of the battle. It also takes time for the law to take effect, as companies cannot be expected to rip a product from the shelves and not have a suitable replacement ready.


Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried Goo Gone for glue on fabric? Would that possibly work for the glitter removal?

I purchased a 2 yard piece of OLD (at least 10 years) cotton fabric (black with green 4 leaf clovers) and really coated with glitter. I washed in hot water, I don't think I lost a flake of glitter. I used on a Dino quilt, in 1, 2 and 3 inch strips, it turned out really cute, but not a bit of the glitter has transferred (I washed the finished quilt in HOT, to complete any shrinkage and check for sewing issues). It is now being used by a baby boy, and his Mom and Dad never even noticed the glitter fabric. It was easier on my eyes than the Black with White micro polka-dots I used on a previous Dino quilt!

I would say, wash the fabric in hot, and as long as the glitter doesn't detract from the design, let it ride. If it sheds, wash it multiple times. But I do feel for the gents who object to glittery undies! (Imagine the ER visit, right?) My Dad was traumatized when Mom washed a single panel of her RED velvet curtains with his whites, so I do understand!!!!

On the Environmental issue, maybe if more people request a design to be made without glitter, the manufacturers will start responding, after all, they create for us to buy!

Thank you Patrice for saying what I am thinking.

PatriceJ, This made me laugh, I'm sorry but it struck me funny. True , but funny, the mere thought of "infecting innocent strangers with glitter''.

As someone who uses a laundromat on a weekly basis I would not be happy to spend the money to wash my clothes (family of four) only to have them covered in someone else’s glitter!

Sorry can’t help on the removing glitter option, I would probably hand wash over and over until it seemed reasonable. Best of luck with it!

I have used fabric with the "glitter" several times. I have not had any trouble with it. It has not washed out - did not have any problems with it on my other clothes at all. I really thought it was cute for little girl quilts.

maybe some brands are better than others??

I'm not sure how glitter could be a microparticle. Microparticles can't be seen with the naked eye. Water filtration systems had better be able to filter glitter out. My husband used to work with oil water separators to filter water. They filtered out things a heck of a lot smaller than glitter.