Flying_V_Goddess

I really want to get batik for this new project (specifically a watercolor batik or something similar), but (like with many things) I never worked with batik before. I don't want to find myself pre-washing a beautiful red batik and then end up with a white or pink piece of fabric. And I really don't want to go for a close substitute to batik unless I really have to...I'm not going to let fear stand in the way of me and a beautiful fabric for this quilt. So how should I handle a batik fabric (epessily a red one...I hear any fabric with red dye can be a troublesome)?

Judy Gail

I always pretreat batiks with Retayne. Retayne will set the dye as batiks always bleed. Use 1 tsp of Retayne for every yard of fabric. Soak in hot water for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry. The instructions are on the bottle.

I love working with batiks.

Judy

http://www.prochemical.com/directions/Retayne.htm

Flying_V_Goddess

Okay. So can batiks be washed any way you want after being treated with Retayne or is there a special way of doing it (like only cold water, etc.) Also, is fabric treated with this stuff safe around children? I'm just putting Deni's future child into consideration and I don't want her kid to get sick because she/he has been around this quilt treated with a special chemical.

Judy Gail

I don't know. The instructions say to wash in warm water and rinse in cold. I think I would contact the company and ask if it is safe for children.

Batiks are notorious for bleeding. Although I have never tried it, you could try setting the dye with white vinegar. Before Retayne I used salt water but found I had to do it over and over and over again.

Judy

Flying_V_Goddess

I'll contact them. I'm hoping it is safe for children...right now, I only have one back-up fabric in case my batik idea falls through (and I wouldn't even have that if someone hadn't suggested it---I believe it was Sue who posted it).

tlrnhi

Wow! Ya learn something new everyday!
I did not know batiks would bleed.
I have some pretty ones just sitting on the shelf awaiting their fate.
They are the kind that are "too pretty" to cut.

Shadow Dancer

I've never had any of my batik bleed, I've washed it the same as my other fabrics and never had a problem. Although i do wash in cold water, the dryer preshrinks it. I don't treat it any differently than cotton that I buy for quilting.

Flying_V_Goddess

This doesn't help. One says batiks bleed like crazy and one says they don't. Now I'm confused!

As far as the batik bleeding into the other fabric, that wouldn't be a problem since the dye wouldn't show up on the black background. I'm just concerned that if I wash batik like any other fabric it will change the color drastically...either dull the color or turn it into a pastel (Eew).

Cathe

Batiks often bleed a lot - especially reds and greens - but I have never seen a visible color change in the fabric afterward.

Judy Gail

I don't think I've had a batik that didn't bleed. Fill the sink with hot water and put your fabric in it. If it doesn't bleed you don't need to treat it. Or, I have read that you can tell if a fabric will bleed by putting a small sample of it in water and then in the microwave. I haven't tried the microwave test myself.

Judy