Elation
I catered my niece's 21st birthday party last week and it was a big hit. Everything went off without a hitch and a great night was had by all. Ms S loved the quilt I made her so that was the icing on the cake. After a big night I caught her laying on the couch wrapped up in her quilt so I snapped a quick picture.
Elation
I finished a quilt that has been 4 years in the making. Blue Ridge Beauty is a Bonnie Hunter pattern and this quilt was my leader and ender project for 3 years. I love this pattern and I am really happy with the finished quilt.
The quilt top has been finished for over a year but I wasn't sure how to quilt it. Once I decided on an orange peel design it was all systems go and after about 10 days of free motion (far from perfect) quilting it was finally complete.
Heartbreak
I was so eager to get this onto my bed that I threw it in the washing machine forgetting to add Colour Catchers and yep, you guessed it, the navy blues ran and bled throughout the quilt. I was so angry at myself for messing up so bad. To compound the problem, I didn't notice the runs until after I had put the quilt through the dryer which effectively set the stains. Now, although the colours ran it wasn't diabolical - it just meant that some of the neutrals had a blue tinge to them. Disappointing yes, but not the end of the world.
So why couldn't I just leave it at that? For reasons I still do not know and cannot explain, I decided to soak the quilt in a stain removal solution to remove some of the colour runs. BIG MISTAKE...all I managed to achieve was an even worse colour run that has pretty much ruined the quilt.
This was the problem after the initial wash.
Slight colour runs and discoloration to some of the neutral fabrics.
And this is what happened after I soaked the quilt.
What was I thinking??? I guess the only consolation is that the worst of the runs are on the back of the quilt meaning I can still use it on my bed and hide this mess.
The funny thing is that I do actually pre wash all of my fabric. I blogged about my decision to pre wash here after my last minor colour run fiasco. It's just that this quilt was pieced before the transition and in my eagerness I simply didn't think before I put it in the machine. A heartbreakingly hard lesson learned.
But I am determined to finish this post on a positive note. I made a cushion for my girlfriend who has just moved into a new home and she absolutely loved it. In fact, she texts me everyday reminding me just how much she loves it. So despite said colour run heartbreak, I am going out on a high. Elation.
Until next time.
Sue
I catered my niece's 21st birthday party last week and it was a big hit. Everything went off without a hitch and a great night was had by all. Ms S loved the quilt I made her so that was the icing on the cake. After a big night I caught her laying on the couch wrapped up in her quilt so I snapped a quick picture.
Elation
I finished a quilt that has been 4 years in the making. Blue Ridge Beauty is a Bonnie Hunter pattern and this quilt was my leader and ender project for 3 years. I love this pattern and I am really happy with the finished quilt.
The quilt top has been finished for over a year but I wasn't sure how to quilt it. Once I decided on an orange peel design it was all systems go and after about 10 days of free motion (far from perfect) quilting it was finally complete.
Heartbreak
I was so eager to get this onto my bed that I threw it in the washing machine forgetting to add Colour Catchers and yep, you guessed it, the navy blues ran and bled throughout the quilt. I was so angry at myself for messing up so bad. To compound the problem, I didn't notice the runs until after I had put the quilt through the dryer which effectively set the stains. Now, although the colours ran it wasn't diabolical - it just meant that some of the neutrals had a blue tinge to them. Disappointing yes, but not the end of the world.
So why couldn't I just leave it at that? For reasons I still do not know and cannot explain, I decided to soak the quilt in a stain removal solution to remove some of the colour runs. BIG MISTAKE...all I managed to achieve was an even worse colour run that has pretty much ruined the quilt.
This was the problem after the initial wash.
Slight colour runs and discoloration to some of the neutral fabrics.
And this is what happened after I soaked the quilt.
What was I thinking??? I guess the only consolation is that the worst of the runs are on the back of the quilt meaning I can still use it on my bed and hide this mess.
The funny thing is that I do actually pre wash all of my fabric. I blogged about my decision to pre wash here after my last minor colour run fiasco. It's just that this quilt was pieced before the transition and in my eagerness I simply didn't think before I put it in the machine. A heartbreakingly hard lesson learned.
But I am determined to finish this post on a positive note. I made a cushion for my girlfriend who has just moved into a new home and she absolutely loved it. In fact, she texts me everyday reminding me just how much she loves it. So despite said colour run heartbreak, I am going out on a high. Elation.
Until next time.
Sue
I hear your heart break :(
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of your niece in her new quilt and the cushion is perfect.
So sorry about your quilt! That sort of thing tho is an excellent testament to putting all new fabric purchases into the washer before you cut and piece them. Those dark blues and dark reds are notorious for color runs... Hope your next big project comes out of the wash with no color transfer!
ReplyDeleteyour quilt is really beautiful! And that is heartbreaking about the color run. I've had luck in getting that out even after going through the dryer by treating with spray and wash, and then washing again with lots of color catchers. It was a red and white peppermint stripe on a Christmas quilt of mine that bled, and that got it out. good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing at Needle and Thread Thursday!
:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
I know about the heartache of fabrics bleeding after everything is all sewn together. It's still a beautiful quilt though, you did a great job on it. And your niece looks very happy with it and that's all that really counts :)
ReplyDeleteNow this really would be a stash buster quilt wouldn't it! Bummer about the colours running though - some fabrics will run regardless of whether you have prewashed them or not. And I love your nieces birthday quilt - she looks very happy with it!
ReplyDelete