The Sewing Place

Fat Quarter Colour Bleed

Butterfly

Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« on: October 23, 2020, 12:36:26 PM »
I find it so frustrating when buying fat quarters. The colours and patterns draw me in to purchase them, then when I wash them I find the dark colours like blue and red bleed quite a lot. Does anyone else find this, and if so, what do you use these for as I'm reluctant to use them in any project that requires washing again. I suppose the obvious answer is don't buy fat quarters with dark colours, but sometimes it's hard to resist lol :rolleyes:
Creativity is contagious, pass it on

LeilaMay

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2020, 12:40:44 PM »
I bought some batik jelly roll for a quilt during lock-down. I'd already seen here that you can't really prewash jelly rools so I washed the completed quilt with colour capture sheets - about half a dozen I think. The sheets worked well and the quilt is fine. Would that work for you?
Good luck

Lowena

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2020, 12:45:09 PM »
As Leila says, wash the finished item with either Retayn or colour catcher sheets.
I never pre wash any fabric
Triumph of hope over experience :D

Efemera

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2020, 12:55:13 PM »
I’ve made numerous amounts of quilts and usually with bright dark colours, I’ve never had any colours run. Was it any particular range?

Iminei

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2020, 17:10:51 PM »
When some of us Darksiders made Cheesecake's lil Ilse her first quilt *  we necessarily had lots of different fabrics, many of them batiks, so after it had been assembled and quilted I took my heart in  my hands and gave it a gentle warm wash with half a pack of colour catchers that worked a treat! ..

Result ... Coloured colour catchers, Pristine quilt!

*Click on the first pic, then on the I icon for details ...
« Last Edit: October 24, 2020, 09:50:46 AM by Iminei »
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Butterfly

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2020, 17:20:28 PM »
Thank you for the replies. I never even knew such a thing existed as a colour catcher, and will certainly give them a try. I generally buy fat quarters from Hobbycraft and wash them by hand first to see if the colours run, which obviously some have done.

Gorgeous quilt Iminei  :)
Creativity is contagious, pass it on

Sara-S

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2020, 17:40:20 PM »
Thank you for the replies. I never even knew such a thing existed as a colour catcher, and will certainly give them a try. I generally buy fat quarters from Hobbycraft and wash them by hand first to see if the colours run, which obviously some have done.

Gorgeous quilt Iminei  :)

I get the color catchers in the supermarket. I find them in the aisle with the laundry detergent.
You can't scare me. I taught high school for 32 years.

Acorn

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2020, 17:50:15 PM »
If you're very lucky you might find them in a pound shop.   :thumbsup:
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Deafoldbat

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2020, 19:08:16 PM »
Colour catchers, before and after, and buy good quality fabric.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2020, 21:48:08 PM »
Sometimes when you prewash fabric you will have the water tint up but it isn't actually bleeding. It's excess dye that wasn't rinsed out but it doesn't tint anything it comes in contact with.

Sometimes dye transfer can occur if you leave wet fabric to sit. It's important to get colorful laundry out of the washer asap. Also don't be stingy with the water. Fabric needs to be able to swim.

As previously stated high quality fabric is a safer bet.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Iminei

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #10 on: October 24, 2020, 09:55:27 AM »
Thank you @Butterfly  but not all my own work;

The star blocks were made by myself and 10 other Darksiders, assembled by BrendaP who then shipped the top, backing fabric and taggie toy to me to layer and quilt .. Oh .. and Elvis had a hand in it too.

It was a lovely project to work on and I hope a lovely surprise for @Cheesecake and her new baby!
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Cheesecake

Re: Fat Quarter Colour Bleed
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2020, 10:36:04 AM »
I’m still amazed by the quilt, it’s so lovely!
Colour catchers are amazing, I try to make sure I always have some in the cupboard.