If I had to wash, I'd never quilt! The only problem I've ever had was when DH was trying to help and started to put the quilt into cold water and before I'd put the Synthrapol or Color Catchers in. Hot water with the additives has always been fine. I'm a belt-and-suspenders kind of girl, so I do use both Synthrapol and Color Catchers, plural, when there are deep colors next to lights.

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

Just a thought...I hand embroider and applique, so I always make sure my embroidery threads are labelled colourfast (some are not). Shouldn't be a problem with machine thread but seeing as you are being very careful from the outset, thought this might be helpful.

I would wash the fabric in a lingerie bag in the washer with cold water and woolite. Good luck.

I don't prewash and have never had any problems. Only one quilt, I know of faded when it was washed after making it. I don't know how the person washed it or how long it was left wet before it was put in the dryer. I do know that when I saw the quilt not only had it faded, but it looked like a limp rag. The color that faded was a dark green and it was only in some areas where the quilting was close together.

I recently made a lone star out of dark and bright batiks along with regular cottons in the same colors. It had a White on cream backing. I washed after making and it came out just fine. I've also made at least three quilts using reds, blacks and white without prewashing. They all turned out ok being washed after finishing.

i seldom wash first (depends) but ALWAYS wash the quilt when it is done...no matter who it is for, i figure i should be the first one to wash it and make sure everything holds together well and nothing runs...and i love pulling the warm fluffy new quilt from the dryer...there have been an occassion or two when there was a little 'bleeding' or a small seam separation and then i had time to fix it before passing it on. color grabbers from the laundry section of the store work well and will 'catch' any dyes that are unstable...i will try to attach a couple pics of my latest quilt...and i used bali-pops in it and yes, dog-gone it, they ran...

I'm with you Anna K. I sort by colours, use delicates bags and put my quilting fabrics in with the rest if the laundry and use cold or warm (never hot) water and a permanent press cycle. If I've just bought a lot of new fabric I'll put it all in together and use my machine's wool setting, which is very gentle.

I always dry my fabrics on an indoor drying rack, never in the dryer.

Life is too short for hand washing, in my opinion.

I don't prewash because I always want to jump right in and get to work and I hate having to press all the yardage I buy.

I do however cut a small corner piece 1 or 2 inch square. Put it in a cup of water and pop it in the microwave for 60 secs. Let it set a few minutes, go back and if the color has any color at all I wash the piece. When I press my fabric after washing I always use spray starch or sizing to make cutting and measuring more accurate.

I have washed maybe 3 pieces of black and 2 pieces of red and I have made over 130 quilt tops.

Good luck whichever way you go.

Judy in Ohio, I love your quilts. Beautiful.

Thank you Polly. The sunbonnets peeking over your shoulder are pretty darn cute too!!
Judi

Did it actually change the colors of the other fabrics or did the color catcher just prove that the colors ran?
Did you rewash when you saw that the colors bled?