Nanny's dollface

I just made a 54x54 inch rag quilt that has reds, sage greens, and cream colored fabrics. I used 2 layers of Cream colored flannel for the batting.
The reds concern me so I bought the only color catchers I could find, which are manufactured by Shout.
shoukd I use two of these color catcher packets to wash this rag quilt? Do I need to add new color catchers to the wash when I wash the quilt a second time? Third time?
i have never used color catchers before so any advice is greatly appreciated!
thank- you

NJ Quilter

I would probably start with one color catcher and go from there. If it comes out with color - wash again with another catcher and proceed until no more color shows up on the catcher. Make sure if you have any bleeding to not dry the quilt prior to it's subsequent washing(s). Heat from the dryer will set the bleeding colors and that's not what you want!

Nanny's dollface

Oh gosh ! Thank- you for telling me not to dry it!!! Will the color catcher turn a color if there is bleeding?

Nanny's dollface

Never made bad my question . Obviously it does after reading the response again on my phone
thank-you again!

roguequilter

i put in several with the first wash. my hubby was always buying new t-shirts & throwing them in laundry w/o telling me there were new t-shirts waiting to fade on other clothes. so one time i put ten color catchers in with his 3 new shirts & nothing else, ran full load size water and every catcher turned dark blue/purple. i had them neatly laying on kitchen counter when he got home from work. i've never had another issue with his surprises in the laundry hamper. i wash loads of large scraps w lots of catchers ..larger the load, the more catchers. if they don't turn color i'll use them again. and again if still not colored. they turn color or look dirty gray i toss them. i just wish i had heard of them sooner, i don't know how many t-shirts i bought for me ...pretty color w white inserts or cuffs that turned color after prewash before adding to laundry.

cathyvv

Yes and yes. That's what I do. It's much better to have a color catcher come out of the wash looking as if it didn't catch anything, than to have your quilt coming out looking like you should have used color catchers.

joe'smom

You mentioned color catcher 'packets'. By 'packet' are you referring to the box?

nativetexan

I've tossed in three or four at times. and some say you can reuse them if they come out still white.

Prism99

Depending on other factors, color catchers may or may not be enough. If you have scraps of the fabrics available, I would recommend cutting a small square of an inch or two of each. Slosh each one in water, then lay on a pad of paper towels. If nothing bleeds into the paper towel, then a few color catchers in your wash will be enough. If anything bleeds significantly, then you need to consider other factors. (1) How much water the washing machine uses can be a factor. Typically, for a first wash when you are nervous about possible bleeding, you want a machine that uses a *lot* of water so any dye bleeds are diluted. If you have a significant dye bleed in a domestic front loader, chances are there will not be enough water to dilute the bleed, making the chances of transfer of color greater. (2) You want to be careful to remove the quilt *immediately* from the washing machine when finished. If you have wet fabric lying against wet fabric for any period of time, the chance of unwanted dye transfer increases. (3) If any of your sample fabrics bleeds a lot, you should use Synthrapol as your detergent. Synthrapol suspends loose dye particles in the wash water so the dye does not settle into other fabrics. It is more effective than color catchers, although you can use both in the same wash water if you like.

Most dyes these days are pretty stable, plus not all fabrics accept loose dye particles. How safe you want to be on the first wash of your quilt is really a matter of personal preference. Color catchers are often enough. However, if you are unlucky enough to have a strong bleeder fabric, they may not catch everything. That's why I like to use Synthrapol. Testing all of the fabrics that concern you will give you a pretty good indication of whether color catchers will be enough or not.

QuiltingHaven

Okay, my two cents worth. Ever since I found Color catchers, I wash all my fabric when it comes in the door and then is dried 10 minutes in the dryer and then hung up to get a lot of the wrinkles out. I use 3-4 color catchers in each washing and then check the color catchers (still mostly white or slightly colored) and lay them out to dry and use them several times. If it is red or black fabric, the colors are usually strong on the Color Catchers and they are thrown away. Otherwise on most regular fabrics, the Color Catchers may only be slightly colored or not at all so I use them over and over again. One of the first things that I learned was to wash everything before beginning all projects. My first quilt was a beautiful OSU quilt (the one in my messages) that had a lot red and it ran all over all the white.....live and learn. Love those Color Catchers.