by Sandra | April 29th, 2009
In a previous post about which embroidery thread I use, I explained how I always test out the colorfastness of my threads. The picture above shows you why. This thread was perfect for what I wanted to do and to be honest, I thought it would pass and wasn’t going to bother to test it. That would have been stupid in hindsight don’t you think?
Common sense and caution prevailed and I went ahead and did a test. All I did was soak that little clip of thread in some cold water for about 5 seconds and then placed it on a scrap of the fabric I was going to use, and also placed a second scrap of the fabric on top creating a sandwich (scrap, thread, scrap). I walked away and just let it air dry all by itself.
When I came back to take a look I was stunned. (mild understatement)
The scrap on the left is the top piece and the scrap on the right was on the bottom.
This was re-creating the process of how the quilt would have been blocked. Spritzed with water and left to dry. The fabric I used for the test, is the exact fabric I was to use with the embroidery thread so you can see how this would have been beyond nasty. This thread was dumped as a choice and now the search is on for another perfect thread that won’t give me any problems.
A major crisis averted by using common sense and not making assumptions. To tell you I gave a huge sigh of relief that I tested this can not be emphasized enough.
©2009 Sandra Leichner
I can not believe anyone could sell thread so bad! From now on I test thread as well as wash fabric! I want all my quilts to be used …. and therefore washed.
Judy B
What good advice and reminder for all of us!
Hmmm, worrisome. May I ask the who produced that thread?
A reminder for me too.
I originally thought it was a Caron thread, but it is not. It was in my drawer of specialty threads and I hadn’t bothered to keep the orginal tag with it so I am clueless. It is a one of those hand dyed type threads that some of the smaller mom & pops produce, but without the tag I have no idea.
I would be extremely cautious with any specialty threads. I haven’t tried to set the dye with Retayne or vinegar, so I have no idea if I could still make it usable. I just chose to find something else.
I am like you Judy in that my quilts MUST be washable. They will get wet etc., so anything I use has to be able to stand up to a washing machine. I want them usable.
That was a doozy !!!!!
I’ve only used DMC so far, but it is good to see just why it is you check before making a mess out of your beautiful work .
I can see why you have to be careful .
Good thing you didn’t ignore your gut feelings about testing !
I never tested my fabric,except for a quilt , because I thought wall hangings never get washed , but I wish I had , now that I see what dye can do to a light fabric .
Trust me Boop, you only need to have color run with fabric and/or thread once and you fear it for the rest of your quiltmaking days.