I need some advice

How about doing some whole-cloth work? It will only bleed on the thread then, and turn a basic white thread into a related, light color to go with the cloth. I do a lot of whole-cloth quilting and really enjoy it!

You can try using Retayne to treat the fabric. If it's bleeding really badly I'd test the treated fabric by washing in cold water before you use it though.

The real questions are: Does it just bleed out excess dye? Or does it transfer that dye to other fabrics? How many washes have you tried with some of the fabric? and does it stop bleeding out excess eventually? If so how is the color that is left in the fabric? There is some fabric that will shed excess dye, but it doesn't transfer the color to other fabrics (Unless the fabrics are left sitting on top of one another for a while.....whole different thing there.) The color of the original fabric doesn't significantly fade out with the removal of excess dye, so they might be okay to use. Some fabrics will discharge some color, for a few washes then are okay. Some fabrics however keep on discharging color until there is very little color left in the original fabric. In that case there was definitely a problem with the prep of the original fabric and dye bath.

There are a couple of products on the market.... Retayne, which helps set certain dyes and Synthropol which helps remove some excess dyes. And of course there are the color catchers to add to the wash to help catch the discharged dye before it deposits on other fabrics.

Good luck, Pati, > I have a bolt of cotton fabric I would like to use for quilty things,

Fill your washer with cold water. Throw in some ice cubes. Add a couple of cups of epsom salts. Let'em soak for a long while.

Then wash with a dye catcher and see where you are at!

Ok I have some color catchers so I will just take and toss it all in the washer with some Tide and see what happens. If it gets ruined no biggie, the whole thing only cost me $5.00 at an estate sale.

I will let you know what happens.

Ok I washed the fabric in cold water and with Tide and a Color Catcher. It came out clean. I could have swore I used a piece of this fabric before and it bled. Does it mean that the fabric is ok? GrammyKathy