Jump to content

Has This Happened to Anyone Else?......


Recommended Posts

And if so, What did you do?

I have a customer that made a "Jacobs Ladder" out of scraps.

She Pre-washes all her fabrics and payed close attention to the reds. For those, she double washed in hot and set with vinegar rinse. She said no bleeding.

During our consultation, I asked if I could mark the quilt with the Blue water soluable pen and she had no problem with that.

I marked the quilt, quilted it and pulled it off the machine.

Dabbed the marks with a damp cloth and they came right out. But when it came to the red fabric, it bled out.

I immediately called her and she came over to take a look.

She was in shock. Didn't understand why it had bled out.

( NOTE: She was not mad at me or blaming me for this)

She took the quilt home to cut and bind it.

She also decided to do a test.

She took some of the extra red fabric and soaked it in water to see if it would bleed. It did not.

Then she put some in water with the batting and guess what?

It bled like crazy.

She did this with another brand of batting and the same thing happened.

She called me with her findings and made arrangements to pick up her other quilt from me, so she could cut out all the red pieces and replace with another color.

(AGAIN, She is not upset with me over this)

Unfortunately, this is the same quilt that I had posted pictures of under... "Just off the Machine."

My customer is heartbroken, but is trying to make the best of it.

This is her first time using red fabric.

Has this Scenario happened to anyone else?

Does anyone have a Tips For Red Fabrics?

Or recommendations/Cautions for certain Battings?

Just trying to get more info on this so I can help my customers better in the future.

Thanks for your help.

Laura

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had a few unfortunate run-ins with "red" fabric bleeding and have decided over the years that what makes the bleeding worse is having something touching it - for example, batting, another fabric, etc. and having it sit wet like that - I don't know about anyone else but if I use red next to white (of course after taking the precautions your customer mentioned) when I wash it I use cold water and dry it quickly on low until most of the water is out (sitting in the washer folded over on itself causes alot of bleeding fabrics). I would assume that the batting acts the same way - Oh, when I "test" a red fabric I let it dry on a white paper towel and some will bleed and some won't??? If it bleeds I do the vinegar, salt soak thing and try again - if it still bleeds I won't use it?!

I will be curious to see what others have to say - it is heartbreaking though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laura,

I've never had it happen just like this, but I did have a quilt of my own that was red and white that bled like you wouldn't believe it when I dabbed it with a wet Q-Tip to get the blue marks off.

I had never had trouble with red before this and I found that it was the fabric line that was the trouble more so than just it being red. I LOVE Jenny B's stuff and I use it as much as I possible can in my own personal stuff, but I have to admit that the red and white quilt even today still bleeds and its over 13 years old. Its now bleeding only in the seam areas where there is a heavier thickness of red pinwheels, and if I throw in a color grabber it does take it right out, but I have to remember or I find myself washing it twice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Bonnie does, I use Color Catchers when washing any quilt. There are two chemical products out there to help. Retayne, as mentioned above, will set the dyes. It is used by hand dyers for that purpose. There is also Synthropol--a liquid used to remove excess dye from fabrics. So, treat with Synthropol first, then the Retayne and then wash carefully. How could we give up RED!!!?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had this happen on a personal quilt and was heartbroken since it was all hand quilted and I had used the burgandy color red throughout! I had set the dye prior to piecing and had the same results as your customer. I never did get it to stop bleeding. I washed it in retayne when I discovered that but it still didn't set the dye and it still bleeds if I wash it. I have used the dye magnet too but have decided that I'm not going to worry about it anymore. From now on I take my reds set them with retayne and then do a bleed test as follows: Take a small piece of the red fabric and dampen. Place it on a white background, either the background fabric in the quilt or even a white paper towel. Place a book on the sandwich and let set at least an hour. If it bleeds then you know before you put it in your quilt! Like Bonnie said some fabric lines are more prone to bleeding and if you find that one color bleeds chances are there will be more.

Heidi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to ask. What is the fabric house? Is this a known name like Hoffman or RJR. The red I see in the photos looks like a fairly current (2006) fabric. It doesn't look like a red that was bought at a garage sale 12 years ago and was put in a quilt. Hmmm.

The only fabric I have ever washed for a quilt is the stuff for birthday blocks.

I pre-wash none of my fabric, not reds, not batiks. Maybe there is something in our water here in Ramona. But I have never had a quilt run. Now my DH's red silk Hawaiian shirt is another matter entirely. :P

If I had to wash fabric....boy, that would take all the fun out of quilting for me. I would think that if I was going to wash the fabric, I would have to stay stitch the ends to prevent fraying. And of course then I would have to dry the fabric. Then there is the ironing the fabric step that would have to come next. All that work before I even get near a cutting mat. Nah, not me.

The chemicals or stabilizers don't bother me and I like the way the fabric handles when it is stiff from the factory. Of course, I expect it to soften after a few washes.

Laura, it would sure be nice if your customer would tell us where the fabric came from, ie Blank or Moda, so we can all learn from her mishap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Linda,

This is what I tell my students...if you haven't had it happen to you, you will eventually and I sure hope it isn't on an heirloom piece. I always wash and starch my fabric. I don't stay stitch the ends though. I just do a gentle wash in retayne which also helps keep the color bright, even works on clothing! Then I spray with starch, throw in the dryer and dry lightly. Then press. Really doesn't take a lot of time. I started this for everything after I had the quilt I mentioned above bleed and that fabric I had washed! I made two quilts, one for me and one for my mom. Had to apologize to mom after I had scolded her for leaving a quilt damp :(. Two quilts were ruined and they were applique so I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness they weren't Baltimore Albums done the hard way, they were the Baltimore Album done the Eleanor method but they were still a lot of work and both were queen size!

Heidi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

YES!!!!! I made a flag quilt with reds, creams and blues. I pre-washed all my fabric. After the top was done, it got wet and the red ran all over the quilt!

someone suggested cholorx bleach for colors. I dabbed some on. I also washed with Synthropol. All the reds came out of the cream and it looked great!

Now I always pre-wash darks, reds, batiks with synthropol.

I make hand-dyed fabrics and use synthropol and have never had color run, ever! You are getting good advice from above too!

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I have the correct info. on both Synthrapol and Retayne. This is from talking to the folks who manufacture them. Synthrapol is used by home-based dyers who want to rid their dyed fabrics of any dye that has not bonded with the fibers. It keeps any of this excess dye suspended in the wash water and therefore it rinses away.

Retayne should be used on commercially dyed fabrics. Note that I say "dyed" - it may not work on printed fabrics. What most folks miss with Retayne is that you need to use hot water when washing with it. It does the same thing as the Synthrapol with the addition of setting the dyes as well. Either may be unsuccesful if you leave the washed fabric in a wet heap for any time. I have had great success with Retayne on "hand painted" batiks, handwoven Guatemalan fabrics, silk noil (which usually fades a lot with washing but not when pre-treated with Retayne), and some success with silk dupioni (some colors needed several pre-treatments. Any washings after the pre-treatment should be in cold water.

I've had very old JBeyer fabrics from RJR which are printed do something called "crocking" where the pigment sheds off the surface of the fabric even when dry. I don't know of cure for this and I don't think the high quality fabrics of today do this.

I've had students tell me of success removing bleeds from finished quilts with both Synthrapol and Retayne and with those dye magnet things.

My conclusion is that a bleed problem isn't necessarily fatal.

Happy sewing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those of you that rinse in Retayne, the instructions on the bottle say to use hot water. I've always been afraid to use hot water for fear that it would cause fabrics to run more. Do you really use hot water? Or does it work equally well in cold?

Lynne in Ann Arbor

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It very well may be salvageable. She really doesn't have anything to lose by binding and washing the quilt. The memorial quilt I made for my uncle bled as well because I did not pre-wash. I washed the quilt two times in cold water with synthrapol and it came out. I had hand dyed the fabric and only washed it once after the dyeing process and it made a BIG mess on the white fabric.

I don't have a picture of the fiasco in progress but this is the quilt afterwards:

tommiequilt2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, Lynne, I use as hot of water as I can get out of my hot water tank...and that's pretty hot as we have it set at a very high setting....hubby likes scaulding hot showers.

Actually I have found when doing my own dying the hotter the better that it does set the dyes...I have even been known to boil my material when setting it because the hot water heater went out once during a batch and that was the only way I could think to finish it.:(

Before I forget.... Cheryl what a pretty quilt...love the colors (red/white are my fav's)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW...Susan, I have never never heard this...and I have been doing just that for literally YEARS.... I have many many times used a wet towel to get some of the worst wrinkles out, regardless if the fabric is damp or dry. When making garments I always wash the fabric in the hottest water possible, I want all the shrink to come out of it. I have never never had the colorfastness come out. Even after several washes. For quilts I don't wash, unless doing the birthday block. That is because I want my quilts to antique when they shrink. But even after several washes, I have never had fabrics fade...I've had a quilt fade in a commerical washer because whomever used it before me didn't either get all the bleach out or had spilled some in after they were done and I didn't know it was there.

I only use heavy irons that have tons of steam....I continusly set my irons on the highest setting and either use a stiff starch or a water spray bottle and heavy steam. And then I wonder why I can only get a year out of a expensive tank iron.

I honestly have never heard of this, been sewing garments and quilts for a zillion years and can't say I have had the color come out because of this....now silly me have thrown bleach into several washes and screwed things up big time, but it was not because I steam set something.....would like to hear what others have to say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my two-cents(new) I have always washed all the fabric that is going into a particular quilt in the same load on the hot side of warm. My theory being that if something is going to bleed or run they will do it before I've gone through the construction process. I iron HOT and Steamy and adding the 14 years of quilting to the 43 (yikes!!) years of sewing clothes I haven't ever had good fabric run to the point that I couldn't get the bled color out with some additional "doctoring". I HAVE thrown stuff in the dryer before checking the color situation and set some items run colors and all. I try to think of those particular items as having character!! you know, like wrinkles give a face character.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always wash and press fabric soon after buying it. Last year I made a king sized qiult all in Red and White with red embroidery. None of it bled but, I have had reds bleed, especially onto whites. I have not used "color catchers" yet but I will if that happens again. These postings very valuable information. It is very helpful to read what others have tried and experienced.

Cheryl, Beautiful quilt!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never pre-wash. If you buy fabric by the bolt you would notice that many manufactures have a piece of paper right on the bolt that says you should not prewash. Thimbleberries is one of the companies that suggests no pre-washing as the manufacturing process is such that pre-washing is not necessary. I of course started our pre-washing because that is what we were taught to do but now I have made litterally hundreds of quilts since then and I NEVER pre-wash.

I recently quilted a customer quilt and she warned me that she had washed the top and the red ran into the white. But, I have to say, since I quilted it with red thread it hardly showed after it was done. You know, once its quilted it won't be nearly as noticeable and then maybe you could wash it with Synthropol as Cheryl did, I bed most of it will come out.

Cher

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beautiful quilt Cheryl.

Chatters - Thank you for all the helpful information. I washed a blue fabric that I planned to use on the back of my competition quilt and it bled and crocked where the fabric was folded and twisted in the washing machine. Then went to the store for a replacement blue fabric and washed it first to make sure it was going to work well.

This summer I took a five-day class from Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle. They always wash their fabrics before construction, then do the quilting, and finally do a wash of the finished quilt to get the interesting texture.

Remember the CSI show where the mortuary sold a bridal dress that had been worn by a corpse? Then the bride died. Formaldehyde in the fabric had caused a toxic reaction. There isn't that much in purchased fabric for quilting but it does cause some uneasiness to think of the hazards. I'm washing more fabrics now since I put so much time into the quilts and health issues are of key importance. I agree that it is a time consuming pain to pre-wash. Before birthday blocks I rarely washed fabrics and found that weft direction usually didn't shrink but warp direction shrunk quite a lot.

I'll be careful with reds. Thanks.

Vicki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I learned the hard way myself. I now religiously use retayne, especially with my dark colors (reds, greens, blues). I agree with Sheri B.

I've never tried it on a quilt that has been quilted. But I sure would give it a try before I would replace all the material. Ugh!

When I put a "very red bleedy" in the "very hot water", the water first turned slightly red, then totally clear. It was amazing.

I'm hooked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...