Two steps forward, one step back

Friday, May 18, 2012

You may know that I have been working on my Scrap Jar Stars quilt for a couple of months now.  I made it a goal to work on it several times a week and just recently started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Since I was home with a cold yesterday and my kids were at school for a good chunk of the day, I was able to spend about six or seven hours working on it.  I was so excited with the progress I made!  I got done what would have normally taken me a week to do ~ in one day.  I am just about finished with the top.  I only have a few more rows to sew together.  Last night, I had it all laid out on our landing floor (just outside my sewing room) and told my family not to let our new puppy upstairs because I had a quilt laid out.

Well, I guess it wasn't the dog I had to worry about.

I woke up early this morning and decided I might have time to get another row sewn on before I needed to get my kids ready for school.  Upon arrival to the landing I noticed little pink spots all over several of the blocks. 



After much thought about how that could have happened and what I should do about it (and telling myself that crying wouldn't help :) I have decided that I will just carry on.  After a little investigation I realized that it's marker and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will come out in the wash since it was diluted and washable.  You see, my daughter has this easel set up on the landing and my quilt was on the floor between the easel and the bathroom.  I think what probably happened was that she used a wet towel to clean off red marker on her drawing board and it dripped across the entire quilt on the way back to the bathroom.  About 11 blocks are affected.  It must have been a soaking wet towel.

So I saw this on Pinterest a couple of days ago and normally pass these babies by since they are WAAAY over used but lately it seems as if I've needed this reminder plastered to my forehead or something.  LOL.  Do you ever go through phases when everything seems to be trying your patience?


So today, I was calm.  There were no tears, no angry words to my daughter, no giving up on my quilt.  Just dealing with it.  I'm putting on my big girl pants and continuing to sew.  But if you have any advice for me about laundering this quilt I would love to hear it.  I'm not the best at getting stains out so all I'm planning on doing is putting in a few of my Shout Color Catchers and washing it in cold water.  Do you know of any good products to use to get the marker spots out?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me :)
Happy Quilting!
Amber

34 comments:

  1. Oh I think it will wash out -- those Shout color catchers are great. I use them all the time when I'm washing quilts. And yes, there is no use crying over what is already done. Accidents happen and we just need to deal with them -- hope a little more sewing time will lift your spirits!

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  2. My mother-in-law has not met a stain she can't remove and she swears by Oxyclean -- I don't have the same luck with Oxy (or maybe it's patience) so I use a bar of Naptha soap - wet the stain, brush it in (I use an old veggie brush)and throw it in the wash. I can't remember the last time this didn't work...If you're planning on quilting it before you wash the top, I would put the soap on now - let it dry right on there - quilt and then wash. Good Luck!

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  3. If its washable marker it will probably come out without much fuss, if you can get to it soon. The longer it sits, the harder it will be to get out.

    I would try putting a white towel under your block. Take another white wash cloth, some cool water and start blotting. Good luck!

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  4. On the twin fibers blog one of the sisters actually used a washable marker to mark her quilt so I am sure it will be fine :)

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  5. I would pick out ONE piece that is effected (and replace it with new fabric)and test-wash it to see if it comes out just with a normal wash before I started to worry too much.... good luck!

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  6. I have a similar story. I was taking a second quilt class 7 years ago and was told that I could mark my quilt with washable marker to know where to quilt it. I was told it would wash right out. Well I didn't have kids yet so I thought all crayola marker was washable. It was only after I drew the first line of marker across the quilt that I checked and realized I wasn't using a washable marker. I had spent so much time on the quilt. My husband said I cried like someone died. Well it all ended up coming out just washing it a few times and maybe using stain remover. My husband loves to tell the story. Good luck. I love your quilts and your blog.

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  7. I'll ditto OxyClean. I have the OxyClean Max Force gel stick and it's gotten curry out of a polo (so it's color safe) and rust out of some whites. Good stuff.

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  8. Hi Amber--I'm not a quilter but do have a favorite stain removal product called Tech http://www.techstainremover.com/store/do/category/TSR, which is very effective, even in cold water. I can buy mine at my local Ace Hardware. Maybe you can try "decorating" some similar white fabric with the red drips, and see if it works. I love your stars, and admire your patience!

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  9. Sew the WHOLE quilt together before you wash it or all of the edges will fray and then not fit well. (Voice of experience!) The major victory was won. . .you were patient! That will be what you can remember when you look at this quilt in years to come.

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  10. Fingers crossed it will wash out :)

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  11. It's going to be a lovely quilt! From stain experience I think it would be better to tackle these sooner rather than later! Sometimes the longer the stain sits in the fabric the harder it is to remove. Whatever you decide good luck, and good on you for staying calm!

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  12. Oh, goodness. I'm impressed you stayed calm! If it is washable marker, I bet it comes out. I second the oxyclean.

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  13. Thanks ladies! I think I'm going to finish up my quilt ASAP and get some stain remover on it tonight. Then I'll get it quilted and bound ASAP so I can get it washed ASAP :). Thanks for all the good advice!

    Amber

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  14. At the last Chicago Modern Quilt Guild meeting, Jacquie Gering was speaking and she had a quilt that did a lot of bleeding and she swears by Zout (?). I've never tried it, but it's another option for you.

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  15. I don't have advice...I think you already have received some wonderful ideas. I just wanted to tell you how beautiful your blocks are, even with the little pink dots!

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  16. Last resort...Peroxide on a Q tip or alcohol. Rinse when done. Smiles...Renee

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  17. Your quilt is so beautiful...even with the little pink dots!

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  18. My favorite spit remover is Z-Out...really super good! But, if you try washing and it does not come out...how about overdying the quilt top when done... in pink dye?? Might look very cool...vintagy...kownershnicialca very bubblegum 50's look...

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  19. Oh my dear friend. This is the frosting on the cake for a frustrating week. I'm giving you a great big gold star on your chart for patience and calm.

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  20. Lots of good suggestions...and I agree that it will come out with no problem.
    And if it doesn't.....just spatter all the rest of the blocks and pretend that you meant it to be creative!

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  21. Dear friend, all you need is a Shout Pen. After sewing it all together, stick it in the wash to launder completely. I know in my heart that sweet little monkey girl did not do this on purpose and had no idea what she did! I had a dream about you last night - I came to visit, and you had 2 new kids (4 total), and I had no idea about them... I miss you!

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  22. I would definitely work on the stains separately before washing the quilt. Someone else suggested OxyClean and that is what I would use. Good luck!

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  23. Hi Amber, I agree with My Vintage Mending...try some alcohol. I've used it to get out ball point pen ink! It usually works best if you haven't tried washing it with anything else yet. Good luck!!!

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  24. I am a big fan of spraying OxyClean on the affected areas and letting it sit for a while before I was the offended fabric. Good luck and congratulations on keeping your cool. I do not know if I could have done it.

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  25. My favorite spot treater lately: Dawn dish detergent - I swear, it works on everything! Even old stains.... Best of luck - I know what a heartbreak that can be....

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  26. I would try wetting the spot right on the edge to see what happens~ chances are it will come right out. Good luck!

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  27. Okay so I might be too late but I actually just had my own quilt catastrophe... My little guy wrote on one of my table runners with a magic marker. To be fair and offer up all information he was only writing on one of my decorative stands with the marker and it slipped onto my table runner. Oh My Gosh, I love four-year-olds. Anyway, It was on a white back ground piece so I was thinking I could just bleach pen it out and that didn't work. Then I went to Walmart and bought some spray bottle oxyclean and literally just minutes ago sprayed it on and it totally totally worked. I clicked on here to see your updated post and thought I just have to share the news. Thanks for maybe me not killing my son when I saw it because I remembered that I am not the only one :)

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  28. I like Oxyclean and I have used the Grandma's spot remover that you find at most fabric stores or you can find it at Connecting Threads. Let's hope water does the trip otherwise.

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  29. I had a mishap with a label on a king-sized (Christmas gift) quilt about a week before Christmas where all the blue ink from the label bled through the quilt to the white front of the quilt when my mom washed it. I found that by using Grandma's stain remover as per instructions with a bar of pure castile soap (and a lot of gentle elbow grease), I was able to remove all of the visible ink stains front the front of the quilt. Hope you find a solution that works for you!

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  30. General tip for all stains: no matter what you try, never ever dry it before checking to see if the stain was actually removed. Often, this means you must let it air dry first, because many stains don't show up when the fabric is wet, but do when it is dry (especially oily stains). If the stain is truly gone when it has air dried, feel free to dampen it again and throw it in the dryer. Once a stain is dried in a hot dryer, it most likely is truly permanent. If the stain is not gone, try the same product or method a second time (if the results were partial) or switch to some other method, letting it air dry again before deciding if you are finished removing the stain. In your case, you will probably be able to tell if it has been removed even when it is still wet, given that it is a marker and not an oily stain. I agree with the suggestion to mark up a swatch of the same fabric with the same marker, let it sit overnight (like your quilt has), and then attempt removing. You can also call the maker of the marker to see what they suggest. You'd be surprised how helpful they can be and how much they know about their own products. Bless you in your efforts! I think it will come right out.

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  31. Ohh... I know the feeling... One of my sons opened a pen and ink fell on my brand new white and read quilt... I also did not let him have my wrath because he was already scared = he knew how long it had taken me to design and quilt it. A lot of people suggested I use hair spray, which I did and I got most of it out, but I haven't been able to look at the quilt again. I hope you had good luck washing it!

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  32. Try those little Shout Wipes, but do it ASAP. Put a towel behind the fabric and blot on the ink spots. They work pretty well, and I'm always getting coffee or something on my shirt or pants at work so I've used them a lot. The key is doing it soon. Good luck.

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  33. Try the Shout Wipes. I've always had good luck with them because I'm always spilling something on my pants or shirt at work. Just put a towel behind and blot on the stains. The key is to do it soon. Good luck.

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  34. Oops. I posted twice because I didn't think it worked.

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I ♥ to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment. I read each one and try to respond as often as I can. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Amber