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Preparing Linen for sewing - highly saturated color Dark teal Linen blend - bleeding like crazy
CathyWeeks Intermediate MN USA Member since 9/5/08 Posts: 700	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/15/12 5:16 PM So I bought 6 yards of a dark teal linen blend (don't know the other fiber - it's about 70% linen though to make my daughter's Halloween costume. She's going to be Princess Merida from the movie Brave. She's a natural red curly head, so it was inevitable. Anyway, I've washed and dried the fabric 3 times. The first time I didn't bother with a dye catcher, but I did in the second and 3rd trips through the washer. This fabric is bleeding a LOT. The first dye catcher went from white to a teal the exact color of the fabric. The second dye catcher (during the third wash) came out lighter in color, but still VERY teal. The dress is going to have a cream under-dress, and I'd planned to integrate them into a single dress, to make the sleeves easier to deal with, and so she'd only put on one dress. It will have cream eyelet trim at the neck, wrists and hem. If I wash the two together, she'll have a teal dress with a pale teal underdress! Do I just keep washing it until it quits shedding so much dye? Will dye catchers REALLY prevent the blue outer dress from staining the under dress, if I go ahead and make them a single unit? Or should I not risk it and just keep the two pieces separate? Suggestions? ------ My (mostly) green sewing blog: http://NapkinLady.blogspot.com/
ahrizel Beginner PA Member since 4/22/12 Posts: 295	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/15/12 5:46 PM You can use a fixative on it. Rit dye makes one. I used it on blue batik fabric I got from Joann's. I used it to make an applique on a white tshirt, when I washed it, no bleeding. There are other fixatives I'm sure, someone else can chime on them. but I would highly suggest using one or it will be teal on teal. Mary
clt3 Intermediate OH USA Member since 2/6/06 Posts: 770	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/15/12 5:51 PM Retayne is another fixative. Available at most quilt stores. ------ Singer 66-16. Singer 600e, Kenmore 158.1913 , Viking 1100, Brother 4000D, Brother Quattro, Bernina 930, White 634DE, Babylock Evolve, 2 Featherweights ,Pfaff Creative Performance,Janome Coverpro 1000CPX
Lena Merrin Expert/Couture AUSTRALIA Member since 2/5/09 Posts: 477	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/15/12 5:54 PM Try rinsing it in water with some vinegar ------ www.thesewingspace.com
marymary86 Intermediate GA USA Member since 7/20/08 Posts: 2196	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/15/12 5:58 PM Can you wash the fabric again with a catcher and with a swatch of the light colored fabric to see what happens? ------ Mary http://checkmatesystem.com
Elona   Advanced CA USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 7401	Login to reply to this post In reply to CathyWeeks << 1 member likes this. Date: 8/15/12 6:42 PM A commercial fixative like either Retayne or Rit's version is likely to cover more bases, because much depends on the nature of the original dye, and that is unknown to you. Here is info about fixing dyes. Even so, I would strongly suggest that you not get too fond of the idea of a cream under-dress, because I will hazard a guess that the teal--even with a fixative--will continue tend to bleed some color in regions of the outfit that are exposed to moisture and friction due to body contact (neck, wrists, waist, underarms).

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