Margo wrote:
This link is from Dharma Trading Company about the product. THEY are the ones who recommend the hot water!
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/2127-AA.shtml
Thanks Margo! I checked out this site a second time and read further that the manufacturer also has developed a more eco-friendly product called Dharma Professional Textile Detergent which is a good alternative/substitute for Synthrapol without all the alcohol fumes. After testing, it had the same results as Synthrapol, is used the same, costs less, and you only need to use 1/8 cup for front loading machines. Sounds great to me and I'm going to buy this product and test it myself.
And, yes, there are many factors beyond our control when making a quilt from so many different resources and techniques used: i.e., different dying processes used on the fabrics, prewashing, not prewashing, using starch or fabric sizing to stabilize the fabrics, how hot the dryer was or if the fabric was air-dried, and the type of batting used, just to name a few.
Kathy, this is an unfortunate experience you shared with us, and I hope you can find a solution to removing the remaining discoloration. I think Rosemary's comment has a lot of wisdom in it too. Thank you for sharing this information with us so we all can learn to be more aware of how to treat our fabrics when we get involved in this kind of project. I'm definitely now going to rethink how I'm going to handle my HSTs before I remove the papers and sew them together. Behind every cloud, I truly believe there is a silver lining.