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I'm busy doing a design for a baby bib involving drawing butterflies (and I'm not the best artist in the world) as I didn't like the motifs I found and also couldn't adjust them to look scattered across the bib. Having done my drawing, I'm really not good enough to think about shading the butterflies to get a pretty effect whilst stitching, so I was thinking about using variegated thread instead, in pastelly shades since it's a baby bib.

As it is a bib, I would like the thread to be colourfast and I know a lot of the variegated threads aren't necessarily colour fast. I was wondering does anyone have any recommendations for colour fast variegateds or knows if just washing a variegated thread before use will be enough?

Also if anyone has any recommendations for brands or colours..... do help me stash acquire

Firstly I will say that I am not one for washing my work - so can not really offer any advice based on experience there! I immediately thought of DMC Variations, they have just brought out some new shades and are colourfast at 60 degrees. However prettier colours can be found within Dinky Dyes overdyed cottons - but their website states that although most of their threads appear colour fast they can not guarantee it.
Someone who has actually washed something may be able to clarify this though! Rinsing a thread through may give an indication of whether the colours will bleed though - darker colours are worse for this so you may be ok with pastels?

A baby's bib is going to be in the wash CONSTANTLY. DMC variations or the Anchor equivalents are your best bets, I think.

Definitely one of the DMC or Anchor variegated threads -- I know some of the hand-dyeds are said to be nearly/practically/almostcompletely colourfast, but in such an intensively washed item I'd err on the side of caution