Comments on: keep an eye on the dye

By: Nancy Ward

Nancy Ward — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:39:48 +0000

I posted an entry on my blog with a link to this article.

I’d appreciate your letting me know if that’s OK.

Thanks,

Nancy Ward
http://paperfriendly.blogspot.com

By: True Up » Archive » Textile Stew: Giveaways Galore

True Up » Archive » Textile Stew: Giveaways Galore — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:28:25 +0000

[...] says Keep an Eye on the Dye! or: why you should always, always pre-wash your cotton [...]

By: Lemon Tree Tami

Lemon Tree Tami — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:11:19 +0000

A year ago my mom came to visit for a few days to help me organize my fabric stash. We sorted by color and washed all of it, a separate load of colors at a time. We didn’t iron the fabrics, just folded them and stored in my fabric drawers. Now, when I go to the stash to make a quilt I don’t have to wait until fabric is washed to start cutting and piecing. New fabrics don’t go into the fabric drawers until they’ve been washed.

As for the people who like the stiffness of new fabrics when sewing, I say to iron and spray Mary Ellen’s Best Press on it. (I like the unscented one the best!) I find that it adds just enough stiffness. Then you can wash the quilt after it’s made to return the fabrics to nice and fluffy softness.

Thanks for the Color Catcher recommendation. I’ll have to get some and try it out.

By: db

db — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:22:47 +0000

as a weaver and a dyer, i really appreciate this article. i have always relied on synthrapol to rinse out the extra dye and also for pre-washing and scouring. red is the most fugitive color, blue being second. this is why we have so many pink sox! regardless, those color catchers sound amazing! i can’t believe i hadn’t heard about that before. this article proves that preparation can be as important as the process! thank you.

By: weeks

weeks — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:26:54 +0000

In response to Ros’s question, the point of prewashing is to do three things: 1) preshrink the fabric as much as it’s going to BEFORE you begin to piece it, 2) remove all of the chemical finishing agents and 3) remove as much of the extra dyes as possible. Those Color Catchers were from the 2nd washes. Imagine what the first ones looked like. Prewashing absolutely works but it’s not always enough. But I’ve personally seen three quilts in the past year that were ruined from not prewashing. Even though the Color Catchers showed running, neither quilt showed any damage. That is the huge difference.

By: Ros

Ros — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:25:53 +0000

Hmm. I’ll admit that I’m lazy and that I don’t often pre-wash. But here’s the thing – your experiments seem to me to demonstrate that prewashing doesn’t work all that well. Since the red dyes are still running, even on your prewashed and treated fabrics, what exactly was the point of the prewashing?

By: Creative Busy Hands

Creative Busy Hands — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:10:58 +0000

Wow! That is big recommendation. I do make some quilts that I do not plan washing… But your are right… what is going to happen to them in 20 years… (they are wall quilts). I will grab one of the colour catchers next time I am in Target.
Thanks for sharing.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:18:54 +0000

I agree with this entirely! Similar to your “colour catcher” swatches, i (accidentially) put my calico shopping bag in to wash with some red fabric i was pre-washing – it’s now a fantastic shade of pink (similar to your fabric on the right). Thankfully it looks good like that, but it definitely reinforced the importance of pre-washing stuff.

By: Abby

Abby — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I’m going to start giving a box of color catchers alongside every quilt I give to friends and family. I always use them when I pre-wash, and the recipients should certainly be able to protect the quilt the same way I do! I’ll get ‘em started on the right foot!

By: quinn

quinn — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:02:43 +0000

I always prewash fabrics, and have never really understood the “it’s too much work” argument. It’s not like I have to pound the fabric on a rock in the river, or smooth it out with flatirons heated on my woodstove. :)