Odd problem with color bleeding
 

Hello all -

I just finished a quilt and gave it its first wash. It's browns and golds with a cream background and a dark brown backing. The cream is Moda Bella Solids Snow, some pieces cut from yardage and some from jelly roll strips. I washed it in cold water on delicate with a couple of color catchers, and one of the brown fabrics (I'm guessing it was the backing) bled, turning some of the cream fabric a light pinkish tan. Here's the odd part, though - the yardage was the ONLY fabric that took up the dye; the pieces cut from the jelly roll strips are still the original cream color, even though some of the two are actually side by side.

Have any of you ever had this happen? I'm quite sure that the yardage was really Moda fabric, as I bought it from Hancock's of Paducah (although I did buy it online and not in person).

I tried washing it a second time with 5 more color catchers and a small scoop of OxyClean, but it didn't help. This was going to be a gift for my sister-in-law; not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I'll see what it looks like when it's completely dry and decide if I still want to give it to her. The "new" color isn't awful, it just isn't what I wanted it to be. I just can't figure out why supposedly identical fabric behaved so differently - are the jelly rolls treated in some way to make them easier to cut by machine, or something like that?

I've posted this on another quilt forum to ask the same question, so this may sound familiar to some who (like me) read multiple boards . . . I'm just really curious to find out if anyone else has had this experience.

Depending on the manufacturing process, some fabrics pick up color more easily than others.

Instead of color catchers, I use Synthrapol for the first washing of a quilt, using hot water and a large front-loader at the laundromat. Color catchers do not necessarily catch all loose dye particles, especially if there is fabric in the mix that is also good at picking up loose dye. Synthrapol suspends loose dye particles in the water, preventing them from being picked up by fabrics. It won't necessarily protect against a perpetual "bleeder" fabric, but for normal excess dyes in fabrics it has always worked for me.

In my opinion, your best bet is to wash again using Synthrapol and lots of hot water. The dye particles that have settled into your Moda Snow are not permanently set. Permanent setting usually requires a chemical manufacturing process. Although some dyes are heat set, the heat in a domestic dryer is typically not high enough to permanently set dyes. Synthrapol will work at lifting those unset dye particles as well as keeping them suspended in the water to be rinsed away. It can take multiple washings with Synthrapol and hot water to get rid of all the dye bleeds, but it usually works eventually.

What kind of washing machine did you use? Bleeding issues are worse in domestic front loaders because they use so little water. When you have a large dye bleed, such as with backing fabric, there will not be enough water to dilute the bleed. Again, this is why I use a large laundromat front loader for the first wash. Aside from the Synthrapol and hot water, just the fact that there is more water in that first wash helps keep dye bleeds diluted and less likely to be picked up by fabric.

Edit: Most loose dye is caused by the manufacturer not rinsing the fabric well enough. There is excess, loose dye left in the fabric that comes out in the first wash. The occasional perpetual bleeder fabric is caused by a different manufacturing problem, this time with improper setting of the dye. Perhaps the right mix of chemicals wasn't used, or the heat was too low or heat cycle too short. Most likely your backing fabric simply had excess dye in it.

Regarding the Moda Snow, fabrics are not necessarily treated to resist picking up loose dye. A fabric that has not needed to undergo any dying process will be manufactured differently than a fabric that has had a color design transferred to it. The manufacturing steps will be different, and likely the processes needed to secure the colored design to a fabric will also stop the fabric from picking up loose dye.

I definitely have had one fabric in a wash pick up dye while other fabrics of the same color did not.

I don't have great tips for fixing it - I'm a pre-washer so I tend to catch this stuff early and just get rid of the bleeder. The stained fabric, I just use for test blocks or dog quilts.

Thanks for the replies! Prism99, I have a front loader, so that exacerbated the problem. Now I know! This particular quilt taught me several things along the way, and I guess this was its last (very unwelcome) lesson. If I decide to try to rescue it I'll try the Synthrapol; thank you for the suggestion.

Use this method - tried and true. You can’t go wrong with it. https://www.colorwaysbyvicki.com/sav...ing-quilt.html

I remember reading here about PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) fabric. I read it with much interest as I had bought some at a LQS, not really knowing what I was getting. It does make it more susceptible to picking up dyes from bleeding fabrics. If you type PFD in advanced search, several threads will come up. Perhaps that is what you got?

I have no suggestions other than what Prism has already posted. I pre-wash everything. And, I test any colored fabric to make certain it doesn't bleed before I use it. If it bleeds in the testing process, I treat it to "set" the dye. I am so sorry you're having this problem. I hope you can get the excess dye out of the quilt.

This method worked for me once when I had this problem. It's extreme, but it works. Follow her directions to a "T" and you will have success.

I don't think Vicki Welsh's method (nutshell: soak in 140° F water with a dab of Dawn for 12 hours) is any more extreme than washing your fabrics five, six, or seven times. ;) It's actually easier and less wasteful.

Cindi and I took a hand-dyeing class in Houston this year. Here are some things we learned:

1. Dawn dish soap does the exact same thing that Synthrapol does: it suspends the dye in the water and helps prevent the dye from being absorbed by other fabrics. According to several professional hand-dyers ("professional" meaning people buy their hand-dyed producs), Dawn is actually marginally better at it, while also being very affordable and very available, unlike Synthrapol.

2. Color catchers are a waste of money.

3. Be very, very careful when rinsing your hand-dyes out in a hotel bathtub. :D

Why the caution about rinsing hand-dyes in a hotel bathtub?

Let's just say it was a good thing we were in a suite with a kitchenette, and dishwasher detergent (with bleach) was provided. :D

I don't buy expensive fabrics and have very little bleeding. I prewash all fabrics as soon as I get them home. I also wash them with at least 3 color catchers I can see if they work and they do. I also use them until they start falling apart. I also wash my finished quilts and use color catchers.

I’m using this method right now to rinse out the excess dyes on the fabrics we dyed.

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It’s amazing how well Dawn gets the excess dye out of the fabric - and no, it doesn’t fade the fabric at all. As far as the bathtub, I don’t think you’ll have the problem we had - we were doing newly-dyed fabrics that were saturated with a ton of dye. Yours won’t have anything remotely close that much dye in them. But, if you do get a little staining, granular dishwasher soap or bleach will take the dye right off the tub. Dawn is much cheaper than Synrapol, and I’m buying a gallon bottle of it to keep for just this reason, lol...

When washing my quilts for the first time, I always use color catchers in the wash. Have never had a problem since I started using these.

I'm curious about this one! I use color catchers a lot and they seem to help - why are they deemed to be a waste of money?

Glad to hear about Dawn, thanks for the tip.

I love this board! I learn something new all the time.

Using Dawn dish soap for bleeding fabric
 

Did you do this test in a washing machine? I am concerned about using Dawn dish soap in my washing machine which is why I am asking.

I make sure my fabrics are not coloring the water before I cut them.

Basically, the Vicky Welsh method.

I have also learned that "Just a Quick Rinse/Wash" was not adequate for making sure the fabric was not bleeding or had excess dye.

For me, it's just easier to not take a chance on the dyes - I don't feel like dealing with situations like the original poster has mentioned. (Been there, done that. I was not entertained!)

I use Dawn Ultra dish shop when prewashig fabric in the machine. I buy the stuff that is clear to start with (no dyes or fragrances). Been using it for over 6 months now and not noticing it affects the machine any. I have a top loader. I wash every fabric that comes into the house - just did another load last night. I do sort the fabric and wash like colors together.

Because there are more affordable, efficient, effective methods.

I wouldn't use Dawn in a front-loader that requires HE (low-sudsing) detergent.

Cindi didn't do the test, Vicki Welsh did. When you go to Vicki's site, there is a link that says "Download the full instructions here". THAT is what everyone needs to read. It tells you what to do and how to do it. Very informative and helpful.

Using Dawn dish soap in a front loader would probably void the warranty. Front loaders are typically HE (high efficiency) and cannot handle a lot of suds. In any case, domestic front loaders do not use enough water to dilute dye bleeds, so it's kind of a moot question.

It should be fine to use Dawn in a top loader unless it's a high efficiency top loader; read your manual before trying to make sure it doesn't void your warranty.

The Dawn liquid that is recommended is Dawn Pure -- a clear version of the blue Dawn we are most familiar with. I am surprised that so many people can find it easily; I have not been able to find it in any of our local stores.

I noticed that the bathtub instructions use a *lot* of Dawn. Since the quilt is left to soak for long periods of time without agitation, I'm sure it is necessary to use quite a bit of soap to prevent movement of dye to other fabrics. (Note: if using a top loader you can still use quite a bit of Dawn; however, be aware that using the machine's agitation could create an enormous amount of suds. You may want to agitate by hand.)

One reason I like to use a laundromat front loader is that the quilt is continuously agitated, so one fabric does not lie next to another for a long period of time. Dye can travel from a damp fabric to another fabric when they are touching. Other reasons I like the laundromat front loader is because it is easy on my back and relatively fast compared to soaking. No risk of dying our expensive bathtub either. However, the bathtub approach is very interesting and I'm glad someone took the time to develop that method.

Here is a link to an older thread when someone had a bleed in a show quilt and successfully used a bathtub to remove the bleed: https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...t144836-2.html . Note that she changed the water as it became discolored and added more soap until the water remained clear. I would be hesitant to leave a quilt lying in dark colored water for very long, even with all that soap in the water.

I washed a red, white and blue quilt to hang it up in a show. The quilt is 15 years old and had been washed several times. It hangs high up in my entry foyer so it doesn't get washed often. For some reason the red bled into certain of the white fabrics. I have never had it bleed before and I did put in color catchers. I rewashed it with Oxy Clean which had been suggested elsewhere. It took some of the color out. I also was afraid to put Dawn dish soap in my HE frontloader. I soaked it for about an hour with Dawn dish soap in my laundry tub. I rinsed it and spun it out in the washer. This did the trick. It is barely noticable now.
I can't explain why your jelly roll fabric didn't pick up the dye. I would email the manufacturer.

Lots of interesting and useful info being discussed here!! Thanks for all of the great tips!!

I have always used Synthrapol and Retayne when treating bleeding fabrics. Although these are great products I would definitely rather use Dawn to avoid contact with the harmful chemicals that they contain.

I always test any colored fabric I purchase, even before I prewash! I don't use hand-dyed fabric in my quilts -- because it's too expensive for my budget. If I am unfortunate enough to have purchased a fabric that bleeds, I treat the bleeding fabric with a "dye setter" product I discovered, re-test to make sure the treatment has worked, and use the fabric, knowing I've done everything I can to prevent a "bleeding" quilt. I've never had a fabric bleed after treating it.

hmm - next time I prewash something I'll have to open the machine up and see how much it suds. I've never seen any evidence of over sudsing so never gave it a thought. I do run it on low agitation/high spin.

I'm surprised some can't find it - because I live rural and I get it at Walmart. However Dawn changed the name, it's now Dawn Ultra Free & Gentle.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps2ntwwqyq.jpg

Thanks to all for the advice and tips! I think I'll try the Dawn-and-bathtub method, since I have a front loading washer. The quilt actually doesn't look awful with the bled-in color; after it dried it's a rather attractive beige. :) And since all the pieces cut from the yardage are now the same color it looks like it *could* have been a deliberate color choice. However, it's not what I intended so I know I'll wince every time I see it. Cross your fingers for me!

How much Dawn do you use for a domestic large capacity top loader machine? Do you measure out a certain amt?

no - I just squirt it in, but I don't measure the regular soap either. I like to go light on soap, I bet I add about 1/8th of a cup.

I've not had problems with die setting on fabric I'm prewashing that I use Dawn and color catchers. however I have had some bleeding when washing quilts after the are finished, and then I use regular soap and color catchers. Maybe I should switch to washing completed quilts with Dawn instead of regular detergent. So far it was one specific red that did this on two scrappy quilts.

Dawn is great stuff. i have long used it on my small farm to wash animal equipment, and last summer our vet recommended it to clean out an abscess in our pony's ear.
I also use it with vinegar to keep the shower clean. Starting with a clean shower, I spray the shower, walls and tub, an hour or two before I shower, then squeegee the walls when I'm done (I wipe the corners and chrome with a clean cloth). I have never had to do any additional cleaning and it all looks brand new. It is soooooo worth the few minutes it takes. I mix about 10/1 vinegar to Dawn.

I started the when the shower was new, if you've used an abrasive to clean yours, and the surface is compromised, it might now look as nice.

Dawn is similar to Synthrapol in suds production. At the laundromat, using a 6x front loader, I use probably 3 tablespoons. You could use more in a top loader if you are able to hand agitate. If you can’t control agitation, use less in the top loader. Using less also helps the rinse cycle get all the soap out of the quilt. If you use too much, you may need extra rinse cycles.

I'm running a load now - measured and it is about 1/8 cup.

My top loader as a low agitation (hand wash) setting and I use that - I took a picture but can't get it to load right now.

It didn't look like much more suds than what I normally get, a light covering of the surface but nothing significant.

I never gave it a thought that it might suds up too much before I started using it - silly me :)