looking for sympathy
 

Quilters! I need to cry on your collective shoulders. I made an enormous, queen-size, zig zag quilt for our bed. I love it. It's the first time I've ever used flannel backing -- I believe it was the snuggle flannel from Joann's. Anyway, I finally washed it and the flannel (hot pink) has bled through to the front where the quilting lines are!!!! Oh no!!!! So, so sad:( Is there anything I can do now?

Oh, dear. The only thing I can think of is possibly tossing it back into the wash with a couple of color catchers?

I'll try it! Where do I get those?

I think washing it in cold water, with color catchers will help keep the bleed-through from getting worse. I don't know of anything that will take the pink back out once it's bled through though. :(

Try Oxyclean. Spray it directly on the bleeding and let it soak for a while. Then put in in a cold water wash & rinse. Hopefully you didn't dry it in the dryer. Drying it usually sets the color. Good luck. It's a pretty quilt.

Color Catchers can be found in the laundry section of most any store. You could also try washing it with Synthrapol. It's a special detergent (most quilt shops carry it) that will sometimes remove excess dye. If you've already put it in the dryer, that might make it harder to remove the dye. Either product, you might have to wash several times - do NOT put it in the dryer until the dye is gone. Good luck!

Synthropol is the best way to go.. .I have had success getting a bleed out after assembly and wash. Just don't dry it. And the sooner the treatment the better.

wow I have never see it do that before agree wash again with a color catcher.hummm

My very first quilt did this - royal blue backing, bled through along all the quilting lines. I didn't know what to do at the time, and ended up using bleach (which did remove the bleed, but also faded the quilt of course).

Colour Catchers are hard to find outside the US (Not sure where you are located) but if you can find them they may be your best shot. Oxyclean did a pretty good job on my last dye disaster (indigo blue onto white - see a trend here?).

I was just thinking maybe I'd try applying bleach to the quilting lines that show up really bad on that bright green fabric. I guess it couldn't get any worse!

So much work, I hope one of these methods will remove the pink lines, it's a lovely quilt, so homespun-looking and comfortable.

NO NO NO to the bleach!!!

BLESS YOUR HEART. I don't have suggestions, but you have my total sympathy and shoulder for crying!

Hot pink is one of those colors I don't trust - actually - I don't trust ANY color -

Hope you get it out.

I will spare you the "you should have washed/rinsed it until the water is clear before using it" speech -

So sorry this happened. It's a lovely quilt. I am crossing my fingers that one of the suggestions works for you! I agree with posters - don't dry while your working on it. I have had stains on clothes that I was told I would never be able to get out - but with multiple treatments/washings (and NO dryer) - it has often times worked out well.

Too late! I just finished bleaching the most obnoxious line with a small paint brush. I do think the bleached line looks better than the hot pink stripe. Ugh. What a nightmare!!!

So sorry this happened to you. Even though it's a hassle every time I hear a story like this I am more convinced than ever I should prewash everything. Do I? In the process of whipping up a quick baby quilt that I did not pre- wash. Do good intentions count?

Ha! As a novice quilter I needed to hear this! Next time!!! NOW, how do I treat this quilt in the future? Do I ever wash it again???

Did you dry the quilt in the dryer? If so, the damage is most likely done. Hoping you didn't: Don't use bleach because then you'll have permanent bleached stripes where you now have pink. I'd try Oxyclean - it comes in a spray bottle. After that is washed out, I would wash it in Synthrapol. Good luck.

I always prewash flannel because it has a tendency to shrink.

Oops, didn't realize that you had already started the bleaching.

I would try the others before I used the bleach. Even if you had previously dried it try washing a couple more times with the color catchers and oxyclean. My mom had a red & white print - well after she washed and dried it red & pink. I think we washed about 5 more times and it finally came out red & white

Synchropol, Joann's may have it. I had. One with orange dye on white and after trying everything I could think of I tried it and it,s 99% out, just don,t use dryer. I think I used hot water and about a half a small bottle but it was last resort. Those luck it,s very pretty.

If you've dried it in the dryer, it's probably permanent. I would just call it a design element!

Oh, honey, what a tragedy! Can you feel me holding your hands and patting your shoulders? I have no idea how to help this situation.

Oh, no! I'm so sorry this happened, to your beautiful quilt. :(

So sorry this happened to your pretty quilt!

If you didn't put it in the dryer then yes rewash and put it in the sun with lemon and salt. If you put it in the dryer sorry it's heated permanent. I think though it gives character and a cool effect.

Yes! Don't dry it if you have not done yet.

You do have my sympathy as well. But look at the bright side, you have learned a valuable lesson about testing and pre-washing. I would also suggest finding a different source for fabric for all your wonderful projects in the future. I am not a fan of the quality of JoAnn's products. Like you I learned the hard way as well. Made a beautiful hand quilted sampler that faded horribly (with very little use as it is in a guest room) as well as the fabric literally coming apart in places. Additionally, I have read numerous horror stories here about their flannels. I prefer to only use them for notions, tools and specialty items like fusible interfacing. You can get wonderful flannels and quilt shop quality fabrics on line for a fraction of the price JA charges. Try www.thousandsofbolts.com. And for Synthropol, which you may have difficulty finding in your area, I highly recommend Dharma Trading Co. http://www.dharmatrading.com/topnav/chemicals/

One of the poblems with using the bleach on those areas is that the bleaching will weaken the threads, and you will find it wearing faster in those areas. Also it will continue to bleach as you wash it each time in the future. I have discovered that buying fabric at Joann's, especially their flannel, is not the smartest thing I have done. I usually wash their flannel at least 2 times, sometimes 3 to get the excess dyes out, and to get it well pre-shrunk. Sadly, this is one of those "live-and-learn" lessons that we all have at one time or another.

NO Bleach.. Try the Synthropol , oxyclean and color catches first.. I have had luck with that. This is one of the reasons every single piece of fabric I bring in the house gets washed first... but it still happens sometimes .. I had to get black out of mine and it worked. I washed in Synthropol , got a bit out then did the oxyclean and color catches a couple of times. I didn't dry it until I was sure everything was out.

I agree with this....

Yes, prewash, especially after reading yesterday's QB about formaldehyde in fabrics. You really don't want to expose a baby to that chemical.

Oh, sending you a big hug. So much love and work into a quilt; that's not how you want it to end up.

This is what I would use also. I worked for me once when a red bled on white. Good luck.

You have my sympathy. Now that you've already used bleach on the pink lines, I think I would use my dsm to quilt over them with a wide decorative stitch. That will help to hide what happened, and also strengthen those places, because that bleach is going to weaken the fabric there over time. I remember reading about something which you can use to stop the action of the bleach, and I think it's vinegar, but not positive. Anyone know for sure?

Try the suggestions and see if they work. If not,use it and love it anyway..... no one or no thing is perfect.

Suggestion AFTER the disaster. I use flannel sheets for backing. King size sheet for queen size quilt. Never an issue w/bleeding. I get the sets when they are on sale at JC Penny's. I prewash them for shrinkage. Done this for two quilts and no bleeding issues at all....even w/the brown sheet. So sorry for your bleeding on fab. I know you are so upset.

Oh my! That's terrible, and after all of that work! I'd try the Oxyclean, as well as color catchers. You can get the color catchers at walMart, but don't wait too long. The longer it stays, the more it sets!

I also learned a very hard lesson with red flannel from Joann's. I allows pre wash flannel because of shrinkage.
One of the colors with a plain red. Worst case of color bleeding I'd ever seen. All the fabric I'd washed was ruined.
I carried it back to the store to complain. They were even shocked at how bad it was. They refunded my money and I learned never to wash RED with anything. I actually have learned I no longer use red flannel from Joann's.

So sorry this happened! Sorry you bleached it too. I like JustABit's idea to use decorative stitching over the bleached lines. I was going to suggest Resolve Stain Stick which I have found takes out just about anything, but that's before it's been dried, or bleached.