Recently we had a call from a lady who had stitched a project with hand dyed threads and which required washing as she had used Solvy. When washing the solvy out, some of the dye in the darker threads ran into her fabric. As the threads were stranded silks from Cascade House I called Robyn to see if she could offer a solution to this problem. I have attached a copy of Robyn's reply which may be helpful to our readers.
Although products are carefully dyed to be colorfast, environmental issues have eliminated certain chemicals that ensure this process. Therefore it is important to launder any project with dark colors very carefully.
We seldom have a problem with our colors running but we cannot guarantee complete colorfastness.
Specialty threads must be treated gently! The threads must first be unskeined, put into a basin 1/2 filled with cold water with 2 tablespoons table salt and 2 tablespoon. vinegar. Soak for 2-3 minutes, remove, blot with towel and let dry. This is recommended for any piece that will require washing. Please Note: HOT WATER and using a STEAM IRON and/or a damp cloth when pressing completed project will reactivate dyes and cause bleeding.
If your work has been completed and the dyes have bled in washing then you must soak the piece in ICE WATER until the color starts to bleed out. Remove from the water and run an ice cube over the problem area and then place back in fresh ice water to soak again. Repeat this process until the problem area is clear of dye. This may take continued effort, possibly over a few days, but it does work!