Shibori bleeding?
 

I have some beautiful deep blue Shibori by Moda.
I would like to use it with white fabric, but I am afraid that the deeply saturated blue color will bleed onto the white. Has anyone used deep blue Shibori along with white? Did it bleed? Did you prewash it first? How and with what product?
What would be the best way to prewash 5 inch squares? I know I can’t just throw them into the washing machine without them coming out a mess of stringy threads.
Thanks!

I would test a square. Measure first (to check for shrinkage), soak in hot water for a couple of minutes, then place half on paper towels and half on a piece of the white fabric you will be using in your quilt. See if any dye transfers. Some whites will repel certain dyes so the most important to check is the white fabric. Even if you get a little bleeding on the paper towel, if the white fabric doesn’t pick up the dye (or if the dye washes out of the white fabric completely), you are safe not to prewash. Measure the shipbrokers square after it dries to see if it shrank significantly.

I would leave it in the hot water for at least half an hour - maybe even an hour.

It there is a ***lot**** of excess dye, it will show up immediately, but some dyes are release more slowly.

you might check out Retayne. dharma trading company sells it.

I made a quilt using Moda Shibori with white background. I prewashed the fabric using Color Wash sheets and after I finished I washed again using the color wash. This was a gift and I wanted to make sure.... The good news is I didn’t have any problem with color run.

I hand soak the squares ,then use my salad spinner to spin the water out(I purchased it on sale ,just for this purpose). it spins the water out without shredding it.

The salad spinner idea is a great solution. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks everyone!

I've made several quilts with traditional indigo fabrics from Japan (only 18" wide). Used color catchers and washed several times without issues. Not sure what pattern you are using so suggest you see if blue is visible once you assemble your quilt sandwich. My blue showed thru the white backing so I had to add an additonal layer of fabric

I've never used this type of fabric, so can't answer the bleeding question. However, regarding how to prewash 5" squares: wash by hand (I usually use a large deep bowl to hold the water) with whatever detergent you use to wash your larger fabric, rinse well, squeeze gently to remove water (or salad spin), then hand straighten - do not stretch or pull squares, put squares on absorbent towels (paper or terry), let air dry, then starch and iron. You shouldn't get too much, if any, fraying this way.

Good luck!