Lori S

If you wash a fabric that has been treated with Retayne in hot water once its been through the first complete treatment, you will remove the Retayne and it can/will start to bleed again if you use hot water. The manufacture of Retayne recommends all subsiquent washes must be cold water.

SouthPStitches

IMHO never trust red. Always prewash first no matter the source. Navy blue can be very persnickity too.

Geri B

My question to the washing process....when you do this color bleeding washing process are you putting this in a washing machine, and going thru all the cycles, or doing this is a washtub in a utility sink, or how. When I am reading washing 3/4 times w/hot water to get the excess dye out I am just wondering..........

Robinlee

I agree with kristakz..............pre-wash in hot/warm with retayne, then run through with a colour catcher. I bought a Royal blue "quilt backing" made by Kona Cotton and We washed it 5X's and it still was bleeding. Each color catcher was almost darker then the fabric. Pretty scary when it will be near a off white border and mixed blocks of white/cream and other blue's. I am also giving it as a gift with a box of color catchers for the quilt.
I ALWAYS pre-wash fabrics for I make something with it. And once again after 40 some years of sewing and quilting, I am glad I always do. Extra work, but I would of been sick if they would of washed it and it all turned BLUE.

karenpatrick

I have bought Joann's backing fabric twice and didn't use it either time after I bought it. It was of very poor quality and seemed very stretchy in all directions, even after I washed them in hot water. I was afraid they would be impossible to quilt without puckers on the back. I'm going to cut them up and use them in rag rugs.

Jeanette Frantz

If I'm using a red (and I'm a rank amateur), I just assume that it will bleed. I treat the fabric with Rit Dye Fixative. I've looked far and wide for the product in the local supermarkets, discount stores, fabric stores, you name it--I've looked, to no avail. I ended up going online and ordering it direct from Rit. I know it's a pain, but I would rather treat the fabric first. If I'm going to put that much work and effort into it, it will be treated so that it won't bleed! I've only done a couple of large quilts, and both of them involved reds and whites. The first fabric, I tested it -- turned a glass of hot water into what looked like a cherry soda! I'd rather be safe than sorry!

Jeanette Frantz

kittiebug

wash in vinger, add a 1/2 cup that should stop the bleeding. I do this and it works.

sewdamncute

I just did a customer quilt using a wide back from joanns. She prewashed and dried it in case it bled. Caution: the original 108" fabric became 102" fabric after washing. Lost quite a few inches on the width also!

QuiltingByCourtney

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Well everyone, I am on wash #7 now...its been treated with Retayne twice and now I am just washing it in cold until my color catchers come out perfectly white...I threw a scrap piece of white t-shirt in with it to see if the color would bleed on it and well, it came out just a tiny tint of pinkish on it soo I guess I will rack up my water bill and keep washing until it stops...uff I do believe this will be the last time I ever buy red. :/ Thank you all for all your help I could not have started and continued this process without you...
I am soaking it in cold right now debating on putting some vinegar in the water to maybe help speed things up...here is a picture of all of my color catcher sheets...

QuiltingByCourtney

-Washing machine, putting it on regular wash with warm/hot, treating it with retayne, then all the future washes do cold water so as to not deactivate the retayne.