Monica,
I have had a few red commercial fabrics bleed. I had one red fabric that I could not get to stop bleeding, even though I washed it repeatedly in hot water. Finally I got mad at it and cooked it in hot water with some Retayne. That worked like magic. No more dye bled out.

Retayne is recommended for stopping commercial fabrics from bleeding. I use it for dark commercial fabrics that I suspect might bleed.
However, if you use Retayne, you can't wash that fabric again in hot water, or you lose the Retayne protection. Normally I wouldn't think of washing one of my quilts in hot water, so that wouldn't be a problem.
The big exception would be baby quilts. I would not use Retayne for fabrics in a baby or child's quilt. The baby/child's quilt might get washed in hot water and I wouldn't want a baby or chlld to chew on fabrics with chemicals in it.

Judy

Monica,
I haven't done much appliqué, but I can certainly understand your concerns.
Just recently I had some color bleeding issues, which I feel I have resolved. You can check out my last few posts on my blog for further information. www.letscreatetoday.blogspot.com
I would definitely cut a small piece of the red, 12" square?, and soak it in hot water with a little Dawn detergent mixed in. I would keep this warm for 12 hours of soaking. You could use a styrofoam cup set inside another styrofoam cup for insulation. Just be sure your fabric swatch can swish around within the size you use. I know it sounds like a long time to wait, but if you do it right after your evening meal you won't be tempted to rinse it at 11 hours!! I have no idea the phenomenon that is associated with that last hour, but it may be just what you need to see if there is any dyes coming out. If your water is clear, rinse your little test piece out and let it dry. Then use it for testing thread colors on top of before quilting. Just a thought.
Hopefully others will have more tips for the appliqué portion.
You may want to join in our virtual retreat 'August to the end of the year' one. We'd enjoy seeing how you progress with what sounds like a beautiful project.
Luann

Monica, I have not used red as a background for applique, but I did use it as the background color in a pieced quilt. The other fabrics were 30's repro so most were with white in the prints. I had washed the red fabric several times, but when I had it all finished and washed again, some of the red still bled onto the white. I had used color catchers too. A second wash took care of most of it. I made it for my bed and so no problem for me. I still love it.
As far as the applique goes, I would lay the pieces on the red and see how it looks. Does the red show too much through the applique fabric. If it shows too much, place a dryer sheet under it. If that helps hid the red, I would use Ricky's stable stuff. After it is finished and washed, you won't know it is there. Hope this helps. Just remember to wash that red several times, until a color catcher comes out clean.

Gentle quilters,

I have an idea for an applique quilt with a solid red background, and I am trying to decide if it will be a good idea! I am thinking of a solid, orangey red, with detailed, light coloured, needleturn applique. I know the design will be good, but I am concerned with the practicality of red. So, please share your experience!

1. What is your experience with washing a red background? I'm hoping to hear that you did this, this and this, and it turned out beautifully! But I'd like to hear about mistakes too, lol.
2. What is your experience with the dark background showing through light fabrics? I'm hoping it was not an issue. I don't want to use anything fusible in there. Actually, maybe I could put together the applique on white, and then applique the finished motif on the red. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or ideas you can give me! Happy quilting!