Last week I blogged about washing the backing fabric for my son's quilt in order to get all the red dye out. Several of you suggested using Color Catchers, which was a great idea. I had used them in the past, but didn't have any on hand for the first two times I washed the fabric. On Friday I bought a box at my grocery store (found in the laundry aisle) and then washed the fabric THREE times using the Color Catchers. The photo above shows the three sheets...the one on the left was the first one used, then the second, and then the last. Remember, this was after I had already washed the fabric twice! For those of you who are new to Color Catchers, here's what the box looks like.
I was pleased to see that the dye that had gotten on the selvages during the first two washings came out (mostly) after using the Color Catcher sheet.
Even though I have a high-efficiency washer, I'm afraid I used more than my fair share of water this weekend...
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8 comments:
Yay!! It looks like an experiment, but I definitely swear by the color catchers. I have an HE washer too, but sometimes a quilter has to do what a quilter has to do, right?
Wow, that's pretty impressive! You should send it to the manufacturer as a product endorsement; I wonder if they realize how many quilters are using the product?
I have used them too. When I pre-washed all of my reds and greens for my applique quilt I washed them all about two times I think and I will use the color catchers again when I finish the quilt.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
I have never used it, but I am willing to try it .
Now you can still use the sheets in a scrapy quilt but make sure you put them in the dryer or iron them to heat set the color in .
Looks like you are good to go now Anya! I have used TWO color catchers in one wash load when I know the red is going to bleed.
Amazing results, huh? I use the color catchers faithfully, for this very reason. I am always worried about reds and bright pinks, same kind of results! OK now you are ready to sew it up...Nick will be needing it soon, that dorm bed is calling to him! Have a great week!
Thanks for the experimentation and photo evidence for those of us who haven't used the Color Catchers yet.
I love seeing recommendations and advice like this. It saves us money--and maybe prevents heartbreak. Nothing is worse than color surprises.
Aren"t they wonderful? I give away all the time.
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