Help...Bleeding fabric?
 

Hi! I inherited a lap non-finished lap quilt from my husbands Grandmother. I put the blocks together and finished it for my sister in law. When I washed it a couple of the colors bled through to the cream colored backing. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to remove or at least lessen the bled through. It's only on two blocks and the colors that bled through are dark brown and red. Any help would be appreciated.:)

Maybe a light mixture of hydrogen peroxide. Spritz the area of the bleed and maybe over your tub or a large tote you can support the quilt so the back is underneath and then rinse. That way while rinsing it won't go through the top, it just goes through the bottom. Do not rub it. Also wet the area around the bleed toward the bleed so it won't spread.

I have a similar old quilt, I found the top at an estate sale and finished it, The backing does show bleeding in a few places. When I first washed it I used 3 color catchers and it bled anyway. On the front the bleed doesn't show so I decided it's a lovely "old" quilt. No doubt the color would have bled if the quilt were finished in the old days! :thumbup:

Try using Synthropol. Hopefully you did not put it in the dryer, as heat can set a bleed. I would not wait .. as the more time passes the more the bleed will set.

Thanks for the advice. I will try any suggestions. I used a product called "Vintage Textile Soak" to remove some rust spots from pins that were left in the blocks. That got out the rust spots and I checked those before I dried the quilt. Sadly I didn't know if she washed the fabric before she put the blocks together (I have no idea when she started the quilt). I will keep trying.......a very sad lesson learned for me and hopefully my questions and your replies will keep this from happening again.....

Love love love this board....I have learned a lot of helpful tips here.

I am afraid that quilting is becoming less popular with the changing of the times. I want to keep it going!!!

I have only been quilting for about two years and will keep on quilting.....It's so comforting knowing there is a place where I can get advice from others that appreciate the love and thought that goes into quilting!!!

Soak it in Biz and water with a Shout color catcher, the stains should come out, then wash as usual but again with the color catcher, knock on wood I have never had a quilt bleed and stain with a color catcher in the wash.

I would use Synthrapol with hot water in a machine that uses a *lot* of water. (Domestic front-loaders typically do not use enough water.) You may need to do this several times to get all the bleeds out.

Whenever washing a quilt for the first time you want to use a washing machine that uses a *lot* of water so that any dye bleeds are diluted. Synthrapol helps keep unset dye particles suspended in water so they don't settle into other fabrics. The bleeds you have still involve unset dye particles (typically chemical setting is required to make bleeds permanent; heat is not enough for most), so Synthrapol will still work to remove them -- it's just harder removing a bleed than preventing a bleed.

[QUOTE=zayace;6361878].....

I am afraid that quilting is becoming less popular with the changing of the times. I want to keep it going!!!
]

Happily I diagree with this comment. I am thrilled to see the number or young people coming in with the new "Modern" quilting wave. Granted they don't all lean that way and some of us old timers like the new wave. I think that this is proof enough that quilting will carry on

You may be able to get all of the bleeding out with just a cup of vinegar in a wash cycle. It only works on older fabrics tho, I understand because the process for dying fabrics is different now.
Hope that makes sense . . .