Question on using Batik fabrics
 

I have been lurking and gathering all of your opinions now for quite some time. I have sewed garments for many years and have done some wall hangings for the past two years. I now want to make my grandson a rail fence quilt made out of Batik fabric but am afraid to use it! My fear is that it will fade and run something awful. Should I use just quilting cotton? Thanks for your help.

Batiks are fine. A lot of people prewash batiks, but I don't unless I suspect a color might run. I *always* do my first wash of a quilt at the laundromat in a large washer (that uses lots of hot water) and with Synthrapol. This way any bleeds are sufficiently diluted (by the water) and any loose dye particles are kept suspended in the water (by the Synthrapol) so they do not settle into any other fabrics. I also am careful not to allow wet fabrics to lie against each other. I immediately move the quilt to the laundromat dryer.

if you buy deeply saturated colors in your batiks just pre-wash them- batiks are wonderful to work with and make beautiful quilts! :) don't be afraid to use them- once you do you may find them to be your new favorite fabrics. :)

I'm a dedicated pre-washer ... especially with batiks, especially dark and or vibrant colored batiks. I'll wash all deep colored batiks at least twice in HOT water. Beginning with the 2nd pre-wash I'll toss in a color catcher, then just keep washing until the color catcher is clear.

For me, it's worth the extra effort as I love working with batiks. The weave is nice and tight, little fray, and if you are using it for paper piecing or applique you don't have to reverse patterns because both sides of the batik are pretty much identical.

I have had success with Retayne but it is work. I bought an aluminum roasting pan and cooked like colors per directions and then let it dry. I have a front load washer so I didn't think that method would work.

Use Retayne when you pre-wash the fabrics to help set the dyes. Do NOT use it on a completed quilt, as it will fix any dyes that have migrated to the other fabrics and you'll never get them out.

After you've completed the quilt, use another product called Synthrapol. This keeps any dye that gets into the water from settling on other fabrics.

Batiks are probably worth the prewashing. I've only used very few because they just are not my taste, but one that I did use really changed color in the wash.

I've used batiks for years and I've found pre-washing is a must. But I also believe in washing with color catchers and in cold water. I also give color catchers and washing instructions when I gift a batik quilt.

I love batiks, some colors run, some don't. My best luck has been with moda batiks.

I'd love to know where you buy Synthrapol. I googled it, and it brought up several different kinds. So, I need to know which kind to get, also. I am about half way finished with a batik quilt that was not prewashed, so it will definitely need to be washed. I also like the idea of taking it to a laundromat to wash and dry. It is a queen size, so I don't think it would wash well in my regular washer.

I washed a piece of batik at least 30 times, and it is still running. I fell in love with a navy batik, and want to use it, but it's still running.

I have pre-washed (hand washed) over 200+ pieces of batiks - ALL bought at nice quilt shops - in a pure white dishpan and about 1/3 or 1/2 of them did bleed - of course, the brighter the colors, the more that they bled. Dark Blues are the worst, golds and browns are bleeders too. I don't have many reds, but cannot imagine that they would not bleed too. I threw away two of them - never did stop bleeding in rinse after rinse in cool water. I am not going to invest in a chemical to make them stop bleeding, personal preference here.

By the way, a big welcome to the Quilting Board. Ask away with any questions that you might have on other things too.

OMG - same here! I showed the blue piece in my pure white dishpan to my husband and he swished it around and said it reminded him of an octopus squirting out his blue ink!

I prewash all batiks....just to be safe. And usually it's one of the unsuspecting pieces that bleeds the most! Had to toss a piece of dark blue-I washed/soaked it for 2 days and it was still bleeding....but the new piece only needed one rinsing. Batiks are soooo pretty...don't be intimidated! ;)

Synthrapol is Synthrapol -- I don't think there are different kinds, just different ways of describing it. Usually quilt shops that cater to dyers carry it. Otherwise it is widely available online from places like Amazon, Dharma Trading, ProChem, etc. Here is a link to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Craft-Synthrap...dp/B000YZ3UHQ/

Synthrapol requires *hot* water to work properly. I tend to use the largest front-loading washer at the laundromat so that there is plenty of water for the dye particles to disperse into. What Synthrapol does is suspend in the water any loose dye particles (dye particles that have not permanently bonded with the fiber).

There are two reasons why fabrics bleed.

One is when the manufacturer over-saturates the fabric with dye -- more than the fibers can absorb -- and does not rinse sufficiently to get all the loose dye particles out. This type of fabric, when prewashed, will stop bleeding after one or two washings.

The other reason is when the manufacturer failed to correctly set the dye. In this case the fabric will continue to bleed through many washings. This is when you can use Retayne at home to try to permanently set the dye. Some fabrics require two treatments with Retayne to stop bleeding. Any fabric that still bleeds after two treatments with Retayne should not be used for quilting. Also, once Retayne is used the finished quilt needs to be always washed in cold water as the Retayne treatment can be lost in hot water washes.

It's pretty easy to test fabrics. Cut a small piece (maybe 2 inches square) and place in a plastic cup of water. Leave for a couple of hours. If you see dye bleeding into the water, you may want to prewash. If there is no dye in the water, rub the damp fabric against a white fabric (or other fabrics in the quilt) to see if any dye transfers that way. Unless the fabric is an obvious bleeder, I do not bother to prewash *but* I do use Synthrapol in hot water in the largest front-loader at the laundromat for the first washing of a quilt.

what about the batik jelly rolls. I have three packages I want to use, but reading this scares me. I want to put it with a light batik and make the quilt on the cover of scrap basket quilts book.

Thank you so much for this information, and for the link. I will be ordering the Synthrapol, then finding a laundromat somewhere nearby. That could be the kicker! Thanks again!

I love my batiks! As a rule, I only wash reds, and dark colors. Most of my quilts are brights and when I do wash them, I just put in about 6 or 8 of the Shout Color Catchers. If the "catch" I do it again. Brights don't seem to fade like the darker ones. I would not prewash jelly rolls.

Having sewn LOTS of batiks in the last twenty years.. I would never trust any of them not to run/bleed, no matter where you buy them or who made them.