6.20.2008

What's red and white and pink all over?

I've been debating whether I should talk about this... and decided today that I might as well! My red and white flying geese ALQS quilt isn't as red and white as it once was. For those who have been coveting it, I'm afraid I won't be sending it to anyone.

See, being such a traditional quilt, it really wanted to be washed so it would crinkle a little. Plus, the leave-in foundation "paper" I used (not the nice stuff Kate has, trust me!) felt a little stiff. I made a sample to be sure the ink from the printer wouldn't come off if it got wet... since the sample passed the test, I simply doused the quilt in cold water and tossed it in the dryer.

You know what happened, don't you? One (or more, I guess) of the beautiful reds from my scrap bin apparently isn't colorfast. It. bled. like. a. bitch. And then went into the dryer for 45 minutes. I cried when I pulled it out and saw it was now red, white and PINK.

And every time I look at it, my heart breaks again. I loved how it turned out. My feeble attempt at removing the pink wasn't successful, and I can't bring myself to try anything more drastic in case it makes it even worse.

So, I've started on Plan B, which is actually coming together quite nicely, given I just dreamed it up this afternoon! It's quite different from the original quilt -- and my blocks are almost finished... a little math, and I'll be on my way again tomorrow. I like how it looks so far... too bad you can't see it ;)

4 comments:

loulee said...

Oh Dear Amy, I'm so sorry things went wrong for you. It's good to see that you bounced back though and you're busy with plan B. I think we all know that moment when we realise things are wrong and all understand how it feels.

Best of luck with this one.

Vicki W said...

I am so sorry to hear this! You sure have a great attitude about it. I hope Plan B goes off without a hitch!

Dorothy said...

Wash it again. Seriously, if it's ruined anyway, wash it again, and again, and again. I'll bet that red comes out enough that I won't even notice. ;o)

black bear cabin said...

oh man...that SUCKS!!!!
im soooo sorry you had to deal with such a nightmare...i too would have cried!
happy to see you recover though and move on :)
just think, when its all over, you will have an extra one to keep for yourself...and i agree with dorothy....just keep washing it!
good luck!