Jelly roll washing question
#11
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Originally Posted by Stummel
Thanks for all the replies!
As I live in the UK I have never heard of colour catcher and am not sure we have it here. I will take a look in the detergent aisle next time I shop though.
I wouldn't dry them in the dryer, but I washed them in the sink and drip dried them on a rack and ironed them all. For my first quilt I used metres of batik from a LQS back then and prewashed and dried them all, and when I finished my quilt had a tiny stain on one square, and when I tried to wash it out it did bleed horribly still and nearly ruined the quilt. Since then I am a bit paranoid.
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?
As I live in the UK I have never heard of colour catcher and am not sure we have it here. I will take a look in the detergent aisle next time I shop though.
I wouldn't dry them in the dryer, but I washed them in the sink and drip dried them on a rack and ironed them all. For my first quilt I used metres of batik from a LQS back then and prewashed and dried them all, and when I finished my quilt had a tiny stain on one square, and when I tried to wash it out it did bleed horribly still and nearly ruined the quilt. Since then I am a bit paranoid.
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?
Vinegar doesn't do anything for modern dyes.
#14
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I have had a jelly roll run. I rinsed them in the sink and my water turned a nice pink. The navy and brown strips made the water a nice mud color. Put them in the dryer and they shrunk and I know how pre cut strips that measure between a two and half and two and a quarter inches. NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN WILL I BUY a jelly roll unless it is all light colors and the blender/background fabric is also light and of the same line. But I am a pre-washer, and always will be.
#15
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Originally Posted by Stummel
Thanks for all the replies!
As I live in the UK I have never heard of colour catcher and am not sure we have it here. I will take a look in the detergent aisle next time I shop though.
I wouldn't dry them in the dryer, but I washed them in the sink and drip dried them on a rack and ironed them all. For my first quilt I used metres of batik from a LQS back then and prewashed and dried them all, and when I finished my quilt had a tiny stain on one square, and when I tried to wash it out it did bleed horribly still and nearly ruined the quilt. Since then I am a bit paranoid.
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?
As I live in the UK I have never heard of colour catcher and am not sure we have it here. I will take a look in the detergent aisle next time I shop though.
I wouldn't dry them in the dryer, but I washed them in the sink and drip dried them on a rack and ironed them all. For my first quilt I used metres of batik from a LQS back then and prewashed and dried them all, and when I finished my quilt had a tiny stain on one square, and when I tried to wash it out it did bleed horribly still and nearly ruined the quilt. Since then I am a bit paranoid.
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?
http://www.shoutitout.com/preserve-colors.aspx
#16
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I don't prewash fabric, but do always wash a quilt in Synthrapol for the first time (and for subsequent washings if there is any color in the water). Synthrapol suspends unset dye particles in water so they are rinsed away.
You can "test" fabrics in a jelly roll by getting inexpensive clear plastic cups, filling them with water, and putting a piece of each fabric in a cup. Let sit to see if any color bleeds into the water. Also, afterwards, rub each fabric against a white fabric to see if there is any color transfer. If the fabrics pass these two tests, you can be confident that the quilt will wash up without bleeding -- especially if you use Synthrapol.
You can "test" fabrics in a jelly roll by getting inexpensive clear plastic cups, filling them with water, and putting a piece of each fabric in a cup. Let sit to see if any color bleeds into the water. Also, afterwards, rub each fabric against a white fabric to see if there is any color transfer. If the fabrics pass these two tests, you can be confident that the quilt will wash up without bleeding -- especially if you use Synthrapol.
#17
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Originally Posted by Stummel
I also soak everything in white vinegar for a while, and then handwash, but just yesterday I did that and the fabric kept bleeding a bit. :?
This kind of fabric is a "bleeder", which means there are unset dye particles in the fabric.
Sometimes it is simply excess dye particles -- more dye than the fabric was able to absorb, and not enough rinsing to get rid of the excess. In this case, rinsing repeatedly until no more dye bleeds into the water will solve the problem.
However, sometimes the dye was never set correctly in the fabric. When this is the case, the fabric will continue to bleed every time it is washed unless you can permanently set the dye. Retayne is a solution that chemically sets most dyes and is available for home use.
Retayne is only appropriate to use on one fabric at a time because it permanently sets dye. It should *never* be used to wash a completed quilt because it will permanently set bleeds into other fabrics. Finished quilts are washed in Synthrapol.
#19
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Originally Posted by k3n
That's interesting Prism - I use vinegar because that's what my Mum told me! So it probably 'works' on my batiks only because the excess dye soaks into the water - the vinegar is superfluous?
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