Sodium perborate
I like antique fabrics: linens, crocheted pieces, knit pieces, etc. Since I have the antique fabric disease, I have been willed such things from my father's side of the family. Some go back to over 100 years ago. I knew some of the women who made these works of art. Obviously I am a mere slip of a girl.
My father's mother had them before I did and used them a lot. Unfortunately, she did not care for them properly and they came to me with huge, very old stains: blood, gravy, sauces of all sorts, wine, etc., etc.
I was wandering through an antique store with a huge collection of my favorite fabrics - old. The lady who was responsible for the fabric side of the antique store was pleased to meet someone who shared her passion and was kind enough to mourn with me about my "stains" problem. Then she gave me the answer: sodium perborate. She warned me that I would need to get it from the druggist.
I beelined to my pharmacy and had a chat with the druggist. The lady was right on both the druggist and the fix: sodium perborate.
Some of the stains took repeated, gentle treatments. Some of the stains continued as ghosts of their former state but if you know what you are looking at, .... Some stains just would not come out. Check with the druggist for his suggestions as to a formula to start with. I wound up doing a little pre-testing before I got serious with the treatment. When it was all said and done, I did not observe damage to the various fabrics.
If I am giving you a bum steer, please forgive me and let me know so I don't do it ever again. If it does good things for you, please let us know so we can rejoice with you. One last thing. Most of the fabrics I was dealing with are white. One of the recalcitrant fabrics was white, overprinted with red, green, black, and a khaki color. The colors are still vibrant. My mother is responsible for this piece so it has to date from the 50s. This particular stain is one of my ghosts. But I'm stubborn and I keep trying.
Best of luck.
Alvie