I just got the book about jelly rolls by Pam Lintott, and she says that the fabric shouldn't be washed and dried for obvious reasons. I now wonder what to do about fabric bleeding or transfer, especially if the blender is a white or cream?
My first jelly roll was a batik roll in blues, and I washed it a while ago and much of the colour came out, even though it was not cheap fabric and it came from a quilting shop.

I'd like to hear more experienced ladies/men have to say on this topic..........I wash EVERYTHING I get. Though I have read here before that it is cheaper to make your own strips than to buy jelly rolls. And that's logical. You buy a yard or so and wash that baby good, then you cut it up into strips or perhaps just a strip or two off each fabric that you'd want to do strips with. If I get strips from the back of the craft store in my local Cultural Center for say a $1 (all community donated fabric they resell), I wash those too and I don't care one bit if they will possibly no longer be 2 1/2 strips. I wash them cause some ladies pre-wash and many say they never have prewashed any of their fabrics until after they are completed.......I don't have hot water hooked up to my washing machine so I've personally hand-washed 8-30gal totes of fabric and omg sooo many fabrics bleed. I figure oh well if not 2 1/2" then I'll one day use them for other stuff like strip-piecing or for foundation paper piecing.

If you are worried about the fabric bleeding, I would just soak it in the sink for a bit. Then roll it in a towel to get all the water out of it. I wouldn't put it in the dryer, for obvious reasons......

I have my first couple of jelly rolls and haven't done anything with them for this same wash/not wash question.

I have a couple of wooden and stainless clothes racks so I usually soak fabric in the sink in hot water and let them drip dry in a bathtub. But Strips?

What about those 5 inch squares?

I haven't used jelly rolls yet but would think the machine would chew 'em up good! I'd agree with gentle washing them by hand in some luke warm water - maybe with a cup of white vinegar added for batiks? I've done this on batik yardage that ran and it worked a treat. Just to be on the safe side, you could use a 'Colour Catcher' when you first washed the finished quilt.

I have never pre washed anything, but I had some 5 in blocks that I made into place mats, of course they got dirty and I had to wash one of them the next day. I was very disappointed that it bleed and ruined the place mat. I will never buy them again, just for that reason. I can't imagine washing them and ironing them all.

The fabric won't bleed, if your worried about it, buy the "color catcher" in the detergent isle of the grocery store..after it is quilted and you wash it, put one in the washer with the quilt...

i have a couple pattern that say not to pre wash the Nickles and Dimes. (5" and 10" squares)

There's no way I'm willing to pay that much extra for pre-cut strips and then basically ruin them by washing. They shrink a bit, the grain is off a bit and they get all wonky after you wash them.

Use them unwashed and then use a "Color Catcher" by Shout in the first wash.

Thanks for all the replies!
As I live in the UK I have never heard of colour catcher and am not sure we have it here. I will take a look in the detergent aisle next time I shop though.
I wouldn't dry them in the dryer, but I washed them in the sink and drip dried them on a rack and ironed them all. For my first quilt I used metres of batik from a LQS back then and prewashed and dried them all, and when I finished my quilt had a tiny stain on one square, and when I tried to wash it out it did bleed horribly still and nearly ruined the quilt. Since then I am a bit paranoid.
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?

If the jelly roll bleeds take the project to the quilt store and ask for your money back. I haven't had a jelly roll bleed so far. The only ones I have used are Moda. If word got around that Moda jelly roll fabric will bleed, Moda wouldn't be selling squat. The brand name of any fabric that bleeds needs to be known. I name names good and bad.

Maybe you could have someone in the States mail you a box? You might also look for Retayne and Synthropol at your quilt store.

Vinegar doesn't do anything for modern dyes.

if you can't find it, i will mail you a box..let me know. i mail overseas all the time, my mum lives in England. no big deal. Kim

You can get colour catchers in the UK - I think they're made by Vanish there.

I have had a jelly roll run. I rinsed them in the sink and my water turned a nice pink. The navy and brown strips made the water a nice mud color. Put them in the dryer and they shrunk and I know how pre cut strips that measure between a two and half and two and a quarter inches. NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN WILL I BUY a jelly roll unless it is all light colors and the blender/background fabric is also light and of the same line. But I am a pre-washer, and always will be.

Here's a link for Color Catchers. I use them all the time. Hopefully you can see the link in the UK.

http://www.shoutitout.com/preserve-colors.aspx

I don't prewash fabric, but do always wash a quilt in Synthrapol for the first time (and for subsequent washings if there is any color in the water). Synthrapol suspends unset dye particles in water so they are rinsed away.

You can "test" fabrics in a jelly roll by getting inexpensive clear plastic cups, filling them with water, and putting a piece of each fabric in a cup. Let sit to see if any color bleeds into the water. Also, afterwards, rub each fabric against a white fabric to see if there is any color transfer. If the fabrics pass these two tests, you can be confident that the quilt will wash up without bleeding -- especially if you use Synthrapol.

Vinegar was used in the past to set natural dyes. Dyes these days are almost all chemical in origin, and vinegar usually does not work to set them.

This kind of fabric is a "bleeder", which means there are unset dye particles in the fabric.

Sometimes it is simply excess dye particles -- more dye than the fabric was able to absorb, and not enough rinsing to get rid of the excess. In this case, rinsing repeatedly until no more dye bleeds into the water will solve the problem.

However, sometimes the dye was never set correctly in the fabric. When this is the case, the fabric will continue to bleed every time it is washed unless you can permanently set the dye. Retayne is a solution that chemically sets most dyes and is available for home use.

Retayne is only appropriate to use on one fabric at a time because it permanently sets dye. It should *never* be used to wash a completed quilt because it will permanently set bleeds into other fabrics. Finished quilts are washed in Synthrapol.

That's interesting Prism - I use vinegar because that's what my Mum told me! So it probably 'works' on my batiks only because the excess dye soaks into the water - the vinegar is superfluous?

Probably. Even batik dyes are primarily chemical in origin these days. Most likely you are just rinsing out excess dye from the fabric and the vinegar isn't doing anything. You could divide yardage in half, rinse half in plain water and half in vinegar water to see if there is any difference. My bet is there won't be any difference.

OK I'll give it a try next time I buy batiks!

Missi what was the brand name of your jelly roll fabric that bled?

The OTHER side to pre washing (besides shrinking and bleeding) is that your batting also has a percentage of shrinkage. The package tells you what it is. If the fabric shrinks a little and the batting shrinks a little and the backing does roughly the same, well you (I) won't have too much of a problem making the item flatten out, right?

Right now I'm making baby things and backing them with pink, blue or green flannel. I even dry the flannel in the dryer - something I don't do with other fabrics. Right or wrong (correct me if you know) the flannel will be the worst shrinker of all my quilting fabrics.

Thanks again for all your input!

BellaBoo, the fabric I had that bled on my project was bought 8 or 9 years ago in Canada, and I didn't finish the quilt until last December, and now live in the UK. The other jelly roll was bought from an online quilt shop that also sold me a bunch of other fabrics of very high quality, and none of them bled. The bleeding fabric was batiks though, and only the darker ones bled a lot.

Watterstide, that is so very kind of you. :D I will look for the Vanish or other brands that others suggested and let you know if I find it, but thanks again for your offer!

Quilter7x thank you for that link! I did see it nad will be looking out for Shout.

Also thanks for the info on vinegar and dyes, I had a feeling the vinegar wasn't helping too much, but now I know why.

I guess I'll stick to Moda jelly rolls from now on. Anyone know about Kaffe Fassett fabrics?

Check this post. She had an entry about just this topic.
http://thequiltingdiaries.blogspot.com/

I'd rather make my own charms and jelly rolls, bc I am a prewasher in the washing machine.

The only fabrics i prewash..are dark solids..and flannel if i am mixing it up with cotton in a baby quilt, and Batiks.

i have never prewashed batting, and have never had a problem with it either..i use W&N about 90% of the time.

I always use a color catcher,if i am uneasy about the quilt colors bleeding.better safe than sorry.

I have used loads of charms and maybe a half dozen or less jelly rolls, and have never had a problem with them bleeding. Never. all were Moda,i believe.

when i learned to quilt, i was taught to pre-wash, and did it religiously..but i found that anything that had some sort of stripe,wether it be flowers in a row, or regular stripes..it all went wonky after it was washed, even when i started hanging it up to dry. they still went off course..so i quit washing fabric..

I love the way the quilts looks when it comes out of the dryer..for me it is the exciting part of the process..making it though the washer and dryer, with no seams that came apart, and looking all warm and cushy..and almost "old" looking.
to each his own..i just don't. i don't have that many good days in my life to spend in washing my quilting fabrics! lol!
besides, i can't get up and down my stairs like i used to,and to begin with, and my husband does all our laundry..Bless his heart..he has for years..i would feel bad if i added quilting fabrics to his laundry list! 8-)

This is all IMHO only...of course!

Watterstide: "i have never prewashed batting, and have never had a problem with it either..i use W&N about 90% of the time.

I always use a color catcher,if i am uneasy about the quilt colors bleeding.better safe than sorry.

I have used loads of charms and maybe a half dozen or less jelly rolls, and have never had a problem with them bleeding. Never. all were Moda,i believe."

Maybe I need to go W&N, too. Nice batting I've used it a few times but if it behaves without pre washing - that's for me.

Thanks!
Jois

Hi stummel - the advert for Colour Catchers was on TV last night! (we have English telly). It's made by Dylon in the UK and you should be able to get it in Tesco, Sainsburys etc. The website is http://www.colourcatcher.co.uk/

.

Thank you so much! I will go look for it today!

I use Retayne. It is not that expensive as you only use a small amount. I put small pieces of fabric in a glass canning jar with hot water and Retayne then let it set for about 30 . I gently shake the jar a little from time to time, then rinse thoroughly. Do not ring out. Roll in a towel if you must then hang to dry. This has worked for me for batiks and other bleeding fabric. I always give my fabric the bleed test with a corner stuck in warm water for a few minutes before I wash things togethter.

I got some today!!! Haven't tried it yet, but am very excited.
Also found Retayne online in the UK, so may order that.

I'd never heard of Retayne before joining the board and mixing with all these American gals! And I had assumed I couldn't get it here, would you mind sharing the website? I can order from the UK no probs - do it with fabric all the time!

I agree with this, if you do wash, do it in the sink.

Thanks!

I am very frustrated with the people who state jelly rolls or fabrics won't run or bleed. Horse pucky! I've personally seen it because I do prewash all my fabrics including jelly rolls and balipops. I soak them like colors in my sink and determine if they are safe. Those that aren't get a dose of white vinegar or retayne depending on the quantity of bleed. Sheesh ladies, why set her up for disaster? You can also put the strips in longerie bags in the washer if you are concerned about agitation and distortion. The sink generally works well and dry over a broom stick in my shower stall.

I use Color-Catcher by Shout took a little looking but found it.

[quote=cka]I am very frustrated with the people who state jelly rolls or fabrics won't run or bleed. Horse pucky! I've personally seen it because I do prewash all my fabrics including jelly rolls and balipops. (Snip) quote]

Horse pucky, LOL, haven't heard that one for a while!

NOW I will start writing down the fabric and maker of the fabrics that run. Some are quilting brand names and I do wonder why any modern fabric should run. Maybe true batiks? Overly saturated with dye and not given a final wash where they were made?

Thank you, cka, made me laugh to see that expression after 20 years or so!

yeah, those color catchers are fabulous!! I don't know how they work, but they do!

I always wash my fabric before using it. The only time i used retayne was when i bought lots of batik yardage to make a king size quilt-only made the top, so it didn't get washed again. i've only bought one jelly roll and it was 30's repro strips. i put white with it and had to buy 30's yardage to go with it. i didn't wash any of it and haven't washed the completed quilt yet. after reading this thread, when i do wash it, i'll put a color catcher or use synthropol . also with my BOm when i finish that. thank you ladies for helping to avoud a possible disaster!