Maybe you could send her some color catchers with the quilt. They will do their job with other detergents than Synthrapol

Oh yeah, I have used Synthrapol and those color catcher sheets whenever I pre-wash batiks and hand-dyes. But I also color-sort the yardage, and straight-stitch the raw edges of each piece to the next one. I don't lose yardage to fraying any more, although ripping out the stitching is slow. I do not remove all the thread, I figure that will be cut off later when I true-up the fabric to the grain. (Note: I have a front-loader washer and dryer, so that's not a big contributor to fraying.)

I have yet to reach the point of a new finished quilt since coming back to the sport, so I will be using those tricks in the washer when the time comes! I was just worrying about when Donatella goes to wash my gift in her local water. Not that I can do anything about it. I'm not going to mess with shipping her some Synthrapol, and knowing her impatience with any household product fussiness, she wouldn't buy it herself.

Years ago, I dragged her to the Farmacia while vacationing with them, to get her an antihistamine for her sneezing. I and the pharmacist managed to understand each other despite my lack of Italian at the time, but Dodo had never heard of this category of OTC medicine! She reminded me this year, that I taught her about that, and it comes in handy raising their daughter Kind of like the Epsom Salts usage in different countries, eh? It's all so fascinating to me!

For fabrics with loose dye, the main thing, that I've found needed, is time in the water. For my latest length of batik fabric I put it in a bucket of hot water with synthrapol (don't have any retayne) and I left it for about 24 hours before I changed the water and left it again. I checked to see if it was still bleeding by taking a colour catcher, laying it against a piece of the fabric and wringing the 2 together. The cc came out clean, so I reckon that I should be safe with that length now.

I live in a place where the water has loads of lime and minerals... The crayons wash out just fine.
As for fabrics bleeding, color catchers are a quilters best friend when it comes to washing new fabric or a newly made quilt!
When I wash new batik fabrics I throw in at least one for every two yards of fabric - regular printed fabrics generally need less (batiks, especially hand dyed batiks, generally are not properly washed after that last color bath so the first time you wash them, there is often a dye rest that will come out, not a big problem if the rest of the fabrics in the wash are a similar color, but not good for any light colored fabrics in the place, hence loads of color catchers in my washing machine with any new quilt!

Wow Ritzy!!!!

Ritzy, Love the concept!

I can tell you if you put the Crayola Washable markers on white hair and use cold water--it comes out. Doesn't answer your question but is a fun bit of info. I had a blue streak in my hair for a day.

Hi everybody! I was wondering if Crayola Washable Markers wash out equally well no matter what your water is like in your part of the world? I realize no single person could test all this... but I remembered somebody talking about doing block swaps internationally, and even though everybody pre-washed their fabrics, when they were washed in the finished quilt in the destination country some blocks bled. They thought it had to do with something I don't really understand.. the chemicals or pH or somesuch in the local water?

I guess I've answered my own question... test the washability on scraps of the same quilt fabric, before marking the quilt But this thing about the water and fabric dyes bleeding is another serious question for me, because I am very slowly making a quilted bag for my dear friend in another country.

Just do not IRON ANY MARKS .... heat usually sets chemicals .... the only problem I have ever had with any markers was when I (inadvertently) used an iron on them.

L.R.

Agnes, I said immediately because whenever I have done it, it has a;ways been straight away, as soon as the blood has got on the quilt. I've never tried it once the stain was an hour or days old, so couldn't say if it would work then. It's good to hear that you have been successful later on

What is the definition of immediately? My saliva has worked on blood that has dried. Don't know if it was days old but certainly hours old.

Yep, saliva definitely works, if applied immediately but only on your own blood, not someone else's. I heard it was something to do with DNA.

I read somewhere that saliva will remove the blood if it is used before it dries. I guess we just need to put the fabric to our mouths instead of our finger I guess I'm not the only one who keeps alcohol wipes and bandaids handy in my sewing room. Thanks for the info on the markers. I have never tried them, but will on the next quilt.

Good point, Agnes! And it's always a good idea to test a chemical in an inconspicuous spot, like a seam allowance to test for color fastness.