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I pre-wash all my fabrics, not only to make sure they don't bleed, but to get the chemicals and smells out.
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I started out - years ago - just washing my fabrics in warm water
Then i had a bleed with a solid maroon when I washed that quilt. NOW - If the piece is big enough to warrant it, I overcast the raw edges before it hits water Soak it (like colors) in hot water - a bucket, sink, kettle, bowl - whatever will hold it but not use a zillion gallons of water Let it set until the water cools down - or i get back to it - Wash - gently - in cold to warm water - Dry - if at home, in the dryer - when away - on a line - When line drying, I fold the "good" side in and line up the selvages so that it will dry "straight" I feel that agitation is what makes new fabric look worn/used -so I try to keep that to a minimum. As I've said before - something I've made will probably come through most washings not too much worse for wear - UNLESS the washer is compulsive about bleach (NO NO NO NO NO) or setting it on a LOOOOONNNNGGG cycle, or washing it three times a week. (Super frequent washings only make sense to me if something liquid has come in contact with it.) |
Originally Posted by quiltingshorttimer
(Post 7205750)
I only pre-wash if I find ANY color rubbing off when rubbed with white paper--what I was told to do by a LQS owner. So far it has worked fine. And since I test all fabric, I'm always amazed what fabric bleeds and which don't! Think we all expect the dark reds/purples/etc to bleed, but always blown away when a neutral with just a little red or blue bleeds!
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I never prewash, but always wash before giving a quilt. I have a great recipe that I found here (recipe to keep colors from running). It works well and I use a lot of batiks.
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I had never pre washed my fabrics. Saying that I just did a lap quilt as a gift and wahed it and laid it to dry and the maroon batik started bleeding. Had to wah it twice before it stopped bleeding. Lesson learned
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Originally Posted by caspharm
(Post 7207427)
I never prewash, but always wash before giving a quilt. I have a great recipe that I found here (recipe to keep colors from running). It works well and I use a lot of batiks.
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I wash fabric that I suspect may bleed--black, red, maroon, dark blue, etc.--with a little bit of vinegar in the water. I should say I soak the fabric, I don't agitate, then move the machine dial to spin then rinse without agitation and hang to dry. I have made the mistake of cutting the pieces for a pattern before I washed dark colors and had a real mess, especially with charm sizes!
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Originally Posted by ghostrider
(Post 7205628)
Raising my hand... I prewash in hot water with a warm rinse and then dry on high heat because I want maximum shrinking before I start to cut out a quilt. Besides, there's no guarantee at all that the finished quilt will be washed in cold water by a new owner even if you (strongly) suggest that's how they should care for it.
If my batiks are still losing dye after two (gentle) cycles, I add Retayne to set any remaining loose dyes. It's never failed me. There's no way I would ever stop using batiks. :) |
I always prewash in hot water. I've never had too many problems with batiks.
But as I've mentioned before, the WORST bleeder was a dark green check. It bled all over the other greens in the wash load: that's when I'd just read about Colour Catchers on this board. After a trip to WallyWorld and another couple of washes, the catchers saved the day. And the "dark" green check turned out to be a light green check once the excess dye washed out. I keep it above the laundry table as a reminder. :mad: |
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