After picking the high contrast fabrics for one of my latest quilts AND after cutting into it AND after piecing it…I realized I should have pre-washed it! How was I going to prevent bleeding on my project???
When I thought to pair magenta, black and white fabrics together in my recent Jacks Quilt, the thought of pre-washing never crossed my mind. For quilts, I am not a pre-washer and so I went about my normal way cutting and piecing until it hit me…that all the saturated colors could bleed onto all of that white! I wanted to cry in that moment because there was NO way I was going to buy new fabric and start over. My pockets and my sanity wouldn’t allow it since I had cut hundreds of pieces already. I couldn’t wash all the small pieces I had because the threads would fray and there would be considerable size distortion…
I know there is a divided camp among those who always pre-wash fabrics no matter what and those who don’t. Personally, I don’t wash because I DO love that crinkly texture after a quilt is finished and then laundered. Also, many times I make quilts that will be photographed and need that crisp color that is fresh off the bolt. Which side of camp do you belong to?
So off I went to find out how I could prevent any bleeding from occurring. I consulted with a few quilty friends and good ol’ Google to see what was out there. Synthrapol kept coming up as the go-to detergent to help dyes from re-depositing back onto the quilt. I also received many recommendations to Shout Color Catchers for this dilemma and to use in pre-washing going forward. I decided why not try both products since I didn’t want to chance ruining my new quilt?
I followed the instructions on the bottle of Synthrapol to use only 1 tablespoon for my quilt without any additional detergents. I did add two Color Catchers into the load as well. Why two? I figured the magenta and black fabrics held such strong pigments that two catchers might be needed. As you can see, both Color Catchers did their jobs and caught a good bit of dye (Sigh of relief!)
The quilt came out without any bleeding…which I was still astonished to see despite my efforts. The image about is after washing. You can see there were no runs with the magenta or the black dyes onto the white. Hallelujah!!!
I flipped over to the back of the quilt to see if there might be any bleeding there as well. It was completely clear! The Synthrapol and Shout Color Catchers worked!
Although I’m glad this all worked out, my lesson has been learned to pre-wash high-contrast fabrics next time. I plan to still use these products for washing all quilts afterwards…just in case 😉 What do you use to wash your quilts???
Hugs and Stitches,
Cristy
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I pre wash with the color catchers. They can be reused until they turn black. I use them again after the quilt is made. I use more than one every time, too. I’ve never tried the detergent.
I didn’t know the color catchers could be reused! That’s a good tip to use them before in the pre-wash and use them again once the quilt is finished. Thank you, Wanda!
Yay! Good job researching and beautifully done quilt. Since I’m a newbie, I’m always trying to make sure I do everything “just right”. I was taught to not prewash and found out quickly that Shout Color Catchers is one of the supplies to have when washing finished quilts. Because I want to be doubly careful, I also use Tide Plus Colorguard.
I’m with you…I’m trying to make sure I don’t ruin a large project like this! Yes, these color catchers are key and I will continue to use them along with the Synthrapol 😉
Believe it or not, I am having the very same problem with one of my pieces, so your piece is quite timely for me! I was just going to look up what to do for it but your post saved me that task. So glad that beautiful quilt is doing well⭐️
I’m SO happy this will help you! Believe me, I was in full panic mode when I thought I would never be able to use this quilt because I couldn’t wash it. Good luck with your quilt!
I usually prewash fabric to remove chemicals. I don’t want to inhale the chemicals when I cut or sew. Sometimes I don’t prewash and I do have colour catchers although they really hard to find up here. I usually wash quilts in cold water to help prevent the dyes coming out. It’s a very attractive quilt. I’m glad it didn’t bleed.
I used to prewash my fabric but hated to wait for it to come out of the machine and then having to iron out all the wrinkles. I’ve used synthrapol when I wash my hand dyed fabrics but find it too harsh for the quilts. Color Catchers have been in my cupboard for many years…originally could only find them in quilt stores until they finally transitioned into the grocery store.
Beautiful quilt design. I love color catchers 🙂