How to Prevent Fabric Bleeding

The debate of pre-washing or not pre-washing your fabric comes down to personal preference. However, when it comes to a fabric you are worried might bleed, you should probably pre-wash it. Toby Lischko explains how to know if a certain fabric color is going to bleed and how to prevent fabric bleeding on an already constructed quilt.

Prevent Fabric Bleeding
Types of Fabric That Tend to Bleed
Toby begins by talking about some of the different types of fabric that tend to bleed more than others, like batiks. She then goes on to talk about the colors and patterns of batik fabrics that can tend to bleed more than others. Toby further explains that it is important to test the fabric ahead of cutting and constructing your quilt so you know beforehand if the fabric will bleed or not.

Testing Your Fabric
Toby shows any easy way to do this with a small piece of fabric and a small bowl of warm to hot water. She shows how to submerge the fabric and then squeeze out the water several times. If the water starts to change color in any way, you will definitely want to pre-wash it before using it in a quilt.

Fabric Wash Products
Toby then talks about products that can be used in the wash with fabrics that you know are going to bleed, like Synthrapol and Color or Dye Catchers. While the main purpose of these products is to prevent fabric bleeding on color to another fabric, it is still a good idea to pre-wash like colors of fabrics together as opposed to throwing everything in all at once.

Learning these tips and what you need to know about quilt fabric in terms of pre-washing or not will help your quilts stay beautiful for a long time. And get more tips on caring for your quilts!

[susheela]

I always wash. You don’t know how long they’ve been sitting on a shelf, and many colors bleed, can be a surprise, not just the “standard” colors you mentioned. I bought a large 108” medium Forest green wide backing, I’m way off the grid, and have to wash everything by hand. I’m had to wash, rinse this fabric 6-7 times in a 5-gal bucket. I’m used hot water, and tons of vinegar.

[gillygillyyt]

New to this and didn't realise. Thank you 👍

[jmarylastone]

well since you almost missed the red "leaking" and since you named most popular colors (saying they might bleed) it seems to me that the best thing to do is wash your fabrics first - this will take care of shrinking (that hot water you talked about) and if you use some prewashed and some not prewashed in the same quilt you will have uneven shrinkage when you wash the finished quilt - you want "crisp" fabric??? starch it

[Letsbhonest]

I wish you would spell out sythrowpaul it sounds like what you’re saying. Where do you order it?

[shna]

I will try. I hope my problem will resolve

[colleenmorrison]

I bought some sheet material they are printed and they bleed

[melissab]

What if you wash the fabric all together (a ton of prints and colours) with cold water ?