Should I prewash thread?

[joycesue]

Hi,

I need to use brick red color 100% cotton mercerized thread to attach my border. I bought Wright quilt borders from JoAnn over the weekend, and the sales lady/the package both said the tape was colorfast, so I shouldn't worry about the red color bleeding. By the grace of God, I had a hunch that it might not be true, so I soaked the red tapes over the night, and the result was shocking.... there was so much red dye coming out of the tapes that I had to rinse at least 6-7 times. And it's still bleeding a bit.

Now, I am really worried about my thread which is the same red color. What shall I do? I think I read somewhere on the internet that some quilters actually prewash their thread as well. Is this true? Should I prewash my red cotton thread before using it? If so, how can I wash a spool of new thread and dry it propery? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[quiltmonkey]

I've not heard of prewashing thread on a spool before. Curious, though... What brand of thread did you purchase?

[joycesue]

I think it's something like "Dritz"...

[quiltmonkey]

I don't know about the quality of Dritz thread. I don't know if this thread has a long staple. I've learned that some thread made made with a short staple break very easily (continuously) when used in a high-speed performance machine like a longarm. It might be OK to use with a DSM, but not a longarm. (just a thought). If I were you, and I were quilting with a longarm, I'd stick to the threads that have been proven to work well with longarm quilting machines.

[JudyL]

I'm not looking at a cone of thread now (still in Louisiana) but I think it's Signature that has a code inside that tells you the colorfastness (if that's a word) of thread. I think it's rated "A", "B", "C", etc.

I did a quick search and here's a chart I found at Dallas Thread: chart

I am not at all sure how you would soak a whole cone of thread but you could pull enough off the cone, soak it in a white or clear bowl with some warm water and see what it does. When using DMC floss, I'll sometimes test it in a bowl and then squeeze it between white paper towels or white dish towels to see if it's running.

[BethDurand]

I'm with Shana, and use a good quality thread. Anything from Superior threads, I've also used Aurafil on my longarm without any issues. good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Beth

[ramona-quilter]

Joycesue,

Aren't you glad that you listened to that hunch about the red tape. Wouldn't that have been a mess.

I agree with the others. I have never heard of thread color running. The processing on thread is extensive; I don't think there is any chance of the color running. Dritz products are a big name for Joann's; I don't think that Joann's would stock it if it was not colorfast. I have never used Dritz, though. It might be worth a test run on a 5" or so piece of white muslin. Stitch it up with the thread and then get it wet. Better safe than sorry, huh.

[Bonnie]

Can you imagine what a mess this would make if it came off the spool while you were washing it.....I'm patient, but I don't think even I could get it back onto the spool without pitching it in the round file. I've never heard of thread bleeding...now I'm sure it can, but haven't had it personally.