Jeanette Frantz

I ALWAYS test my fabrics for bleeding, particularly reds, blacks, deep blues, etc. Everything that I use in a quilt is tested for bleeding. Fortunately, I have discovered the "bleeding" BEFORE I cut the pattern pieces. Perhaps I'm being overly cautious, but I cannot afford to ignore caution. It's a whole lot easier to test the fabrics than it is to clean up a problem later. It matters little what brand your fabrics are -- whether they're $25/yard or whatever. Dyes today are NOT organic -- they're chemical and some will bleed and when they do, it's a disaster as far as that particular quilt is concerned.

QuiltingHaven

I learned the hard way.....red.....sigh. I wash everything when it comes in the door and it is washed in warm water with detergent with 4-5 color catchers. I usually wash it with regular clothes that are in the same color family. Reds, blues, blacks, are usually the ones that bleed. However, washing with the color catchers, you know immediately if there are bleeding fabrics. Do another warm rinse with the color catchers. I put everything in the dryer for 10 minutes on low, gently lay out the still wettish fabrics and then hang everything up and fold up when dried. When I am ready to use the fabric, I iron with spray starch and steam iron. Anymore, almost all fabrics shrink, some a little and some a lot so I am hoping that all my quilts won't shrink or bleed.

quilterpurpledog

I do not pre-wash fabric but I do use color catchers any time I wash a quilt. (Just in case!) But I know that when I wash a quilt the batting will shrink some and draw the surface fabric in as well. I think the crinkly look is minimized when you allow them to shrink together. When you wash (shrink) fabric first and attach it to unshrunk batting, the fabric will be pulled in but not shrunk.

popover

Exactly. Especially cotton or wool batting

Onebyone

Not checking for bleeding is asking for trouble so I pretest for that but don't prewash. If a fabric bleeds I don't use it in a quilt. Not worth my time or money to see if I can stop the bleeding with several washes.

QuiltE

Do you realize that sometimes that bleed you are finding, is only there until after the first wash?
Or that, most times, the most effort it takes is a Retayne treatment/soak, and all is stabilized?

Gosh, to just eliminate a fabric so quickly,
that seems to be a waste of time (shopping!) and money ..... Yes, JIMHO!

Onebyone

The use of Retayne, use of water, use of power, use of my time, and it takes a second wash to see if the bleeding stops and then third if it doesn't and on and on....I've read where some wash it four or five times. Not worth the effort to me. Bleeding fabric gets passed on to someone that wants to deal with it and I'm back to quilting and not messing with it. The "have to make it work because I bought it" is not my way of thinking.

P-BurgKay

I am a pre-washer. If I even think a fabric will bleed, I soak in HOT water with Retayne, for about 4 hours, rinse, then I wash with a little detergent and a color catcher on mild cycle, for a couple of minutes, rinse, dry on hot, take out of dryer, when almost dry, fold until ready to use. I don't press anymore, until I am ready to use. This is when I have looked all over for the perfect fabrics for a certain pattern.

tessagin

My worst bleed was a couple weeks ago. I bought a dark green fabric that actually turned the inside of my washer and dryer green. I rewashed and it still bled. I used color catchers (3 of them) and white cotton terry towels to help absorb the color. So I did the unthinkable, I filled up the washer with warm water and bleach, It lightened some but still bled. Am so glad I choose to pre-wash. I used Chlorox Kitchen Clean-up to wipe out my dryer. Had to borrow the hubs knee pads. That fabric is still a dark green. Needless to say it will go against other darks.

Garden Gnome

If your main concern is the crinkly look that happens after a new quilt is washed, you might want to try pre-shrinking the batting before using it. (Soak in bath tub, drip dry, then finish in dryer) I think the batting shrinks a lot more than the quilt top or backing, so that causes most of the crinkle if the quilt is first washed after quilting it. I keep thinking I am going to do this, but I have begun to value the crinkled look more, so...

For what it is worth, in my experience, the modern (brand name) fabrics bleed very little, and it is easily captured by a color catcher or two. (can't say this about batiks, as I have almost no experience with them, nor with hand dyed anything)