Chaney Ranch

Question: When you have fabric that has bled after two washings, do you forget it and get another brand or do you continue to wash it until the color catcher stops catching color? The second wash did produce a "lighter" colored catcher, but it was still loaded with dye. Thanks for your comments!

FURBALLS

i keep washing.

Tartan

If it is white that is going with it, I save the bleeder for another project.

ragamuffin

Use vinegar to rinse it and it might set the color.

Chaney Ranch

Thanks for your help. I have three different pieces I got on sale and all have been washed twice. I will try one more time for each using vinegar in the rinse and then move on. The money I "saved" by buying budget fabric has truly been washed away with the water, detergent, fabric softener, color catcher sheets, and electricity for the total of nine cycles in the washer and nine dryings in the dryer. Think I'll stick with Kona and Moda for my solids from now on!

hopetoquilt

I had a bad bleeder. Only once. I set it aside to use to make crayon roll ups and other projects that likely will not be washed.

Daylesewblessed

I use Retayne to set the dye. It works almost every time. On the rare occasion when it doesn't, I get rid of the fabric.

dunster

Vinegar won't set the dye used in modern cotton fabrics. It could be that the dye was not set, but it is more likely that there is excess dye that didn't get washed out. Lots of water, soaking, and rinsing should get rid of it. If it doesn't, I wouldn't use it - in anything! It will continue to shed dye, which may or may not be absorbed by the fabrics it comes into contact with, and this is not limited to the other fabrics in the quilt. I wouldn't take the chance.

Twisted Quilter

I did the same thing w/red fabric. It took 7 washing & dryings. On the last try I threw in the last of my Retayne, and it finally worked. BTW, JoAnn's has Retayne on sale on-line for $1.74 for a 4oz bottle, but shipping is over $5.00.

Good luck!

Buckeye Rose

I always use retayne with reds/purples/blacks with good results