Can I Wait to Wash Black and White Quilt Fabric
03-12-2015, 07:49 PM
#32
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Posts: 7,695
My brain wont give me the right name, but I would just buy "Retayne" or "Synthropol" (which ever "sets" color, and use a little more than it calls for (since it is black we are talking about)) and wash it in it a couple times for insurance.
03-12-2015, 09:06 PM
#33
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Mabank, Texas
Posts: 8,780
I do not prewash all of my fabric because i also like the crinkle look. However, I do cut like a 4 inch square of each fabric, put it in a hose bag and toss in both the washer and dryer so I can see if any of it fades and what the degree of srinkage will be. I like to do this because I rarely use the same designer/mfg company for all of the fabrics I use in a quilt.
03-13-2015, 06:59 AM
#34
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,667
Thanks for all the advice. I rubbed they layer cake and no black came off.
I have another issue now. The fabrics I chose arrived yesterday and I only have one dark black. I like the patterns on some of them so I'm actually thinking of dying them blacker.
I like Connecting Threads wish wall. I was able to bring in swatches and compare them side by side and bought a nice set of batik.
I chose the "blacks" and whites from Hancocks of Paducah and could only view the small thumbnails. I got the fabric last night. I see that many of the patterns are bigger and they have more brown than black in them. A pretty "gray" I chose is actually green/silver. Sigh. At this point I could make a pretty gray and brown quilt, or start with the nice blacks I got in a layer cake from MQS and pick up more blacks locally.
Hancocks has such a great deal on fabrics, $3.99-6.99 with free shipping over $50.00 and Back15 code which is good till tomorrow for additional 15% that I'm tempted to go buy more online, and just buy stuff that looks really black rather than patterns.
I haven't tested the fabric from Hancocks for bleeding yet, I was so disappointed in about half my choices.
I have another issue now. The fabrics I chose arrived yesterday and I only have one dark black. I like the patterns on some of them so I'm actually thinking of dying them blacker.
I like Connecting Threads wish wall. I was able to bring in swatches and compare them side by side and bought a nice set of batik.
I chose the "blacks" and whites from Hancocks of Paducah and could only view the small thumbnails. I got the fabric last night. I see that many of the patterns are bigger and they have more brown than black in them. A pretty "gray" I chose is actually green/silver. Sigh. At this point I could make a pretty gray and brown quilt, or start with the nice blacks I got in a layer cake from MQS and pick up more blacks locally.
Hancocks has such a great deal on fabrics, $3.99-6.99 with free shipping over $50.00 and Back15 code which is good till tomorrow for additional 15% that I'm tempted to go buy more online, and just buy stuff that looks really black rather than patterns.
I haven't tested the fabric from Hancocks for bleeding yet, I was so disappointed in about half my choices.
03-13-2015, 11:23 AM
#35
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,667
That's really being cautious and probably a good idea, or that red would have runined the whole quilt. Do you have a bigger picture of your avatar?
Ladies, I belong to the test colors (vibrant colors) to determine whether the fabric will bleed. I treat the fabric with Ritz Dye Fixative, depending on the size of the yardage, either on top of the range, or using hot water in the washer for larger yardages. For instance, with a reds and white quilt, I treat the lightest color first, then, the next lightest color on up to the most vibrant color, adding a tablespoon of the fixative for each color. For the one project that I have pending (fabric purchased and treated) I used 3 yards of fabric of each color -- yes, it's going to be a huge quilt. I filled my large stew pot with the amount of water (in the instructions with the product) and brought it to just below a simmer, put in dry fabric, and let it almost simmer for 20 minutes, dump it in sink or washer, rinse with cold water, wash and dry, repeating for every color (except the solid whites). I did a whole cloth, hand embroidered quilt with solid white and red borders. When I got the red cloth, a sliver of fabric put into a glass of hottest tap water revealed a reddish tinge which was picked up on a solid white paper towel--BINGO a bleeder. I knew I had to do something to prevent the bleeding (which is probable with most reds). I would STILL recommend that the quilt be washed with a couple of color catchers (just to be absolutely safe). The first LARGE bed quilt I ever did with the red borders is pictured in my avatar!
Jeanette
Jeanette
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