[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >I have some dark red linen that I would like to use, but I want to wash it >first. My local fabric store usually carries a product called "Retayne" but >they have been out of it for a while. It's a "color fixative for cotton >fabrics" according to the label and is used in hot water. I've been using it >on >linen with good results. > >What can I use instead? Someone at the fabric store suggested white >vinegar, but she was not sure of the water temperature or amounts. I would >like to >wash the linen in warm/hot water, if possible, to allow it to shrink before I >use it. I'll be doing it in the machine, since it is about six yards.
White vinegar is helpful _during_ the dyeing process for some dyes, but IMHO it doesn't do any good afterward -- it's helpful in dyeing when the acidity of the dyebath makes the dye "take" better. Nonetheless, it's widely recommended as a method of "fixing" dye and there are people who swear by it. My science education leads me to be very skeptical, though ;) Your best bet is probably mail/internet order: I know Dharma Trading used to stock both the brand-name Retayne and their own generic version, and their service is quite fast and competent. Some commercial detergents do contain small amounts of something comparable -- they generally advertise on the box that they help keep colors fast. I've always relied on my little bottle of Retayne, so I don't know how well they work. If you need something quickly and don't mind paying inflated prices for a couple of laundry loads' worth, the Rit dye company sells (or used to sell) a color fixer right there on the rack with their little dye packages. It's actually just Retayne, packaged in a little one-washer-load envelope, but you can sometimes find it in areas where there aren't a lot of specialized stores that would stock Retayne any other way. It might be called "Run Away" if my memory isn't playing tricks on me, but if you find it, read the box to be sure that's what it does. In general, quilters are good people to ask about dye and marking questions, since when you sew little bits of various colored fabrics together on a routine basis, you encounter these problems a _lot_ <grin>. There also exists a detergent called Synthropol which I think of (incorrectly) as the "opposite" of Retayne -- Synthropol is pretty effective at removing dye that has run onto somewhere it is *NOT* supposed to be (as when all your underwear comes out of the washer pink...). It does not "fix" the dye that is already attached to fibers: what it does is to remove any dye that is just hanging around in the cloth and _not_ firmly attached. Good luck: reds tend to be among the more difficult colors to keep where you want them ;) ____________________________________________________________ 0 Chris Laning | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> + Davis, California http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
