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Help Help Help - my customer's quilt ran......


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Omigosh -- how relieved you must feel! And how conscientious you are. Thanks for posting so that others might know how to deal with (heaven forbid) similar issues in the future. (I am a relative newbie -- returnee to quilting -- have just had my Millie since April, so am soaking up as much as possible, learning how best to solve things like this. But no quilter ever wants to!)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, what a fix - and a lot of work. Great Save, Vickie! 

 

I don't quilt for others, but isn't this something you could put as a disclaimer on the Take in Form so a discussion can happen before you mark or quilt? If they have any questionable fabrics/fullness then you know not to get it wet; OR  you can opt to NOT quilt it.

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Vicki, I could feel all your pain in the mishap and your relief that it came out.  I had one small quilt that I used blue marker on and it kept coming back.  It took about 10 attempts before I cleared it.  The quilt was maroon and white and I was sure the whole thing would bleed.  I got lucky and had a happy customer.

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I was fortunate in that my customer was great about it too, she realized that it was the pen she used and not my quilting although if I hadn't spritzed it it would not have happened but then again, what if she would have washed it....it would have been a disaster.

 

One takeaway for me is that I will never spritz another quilt again unless it is mine and I am sure it is colorfast...only chalk or that air erasable purple pen and I know that can come back too in the cold....

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HI Vicki,

Glad it worked out in the end. I would have had a heart attack!

Just to clarify, did you wash the whole quilt or just dab the bled area with Synthrapol? Did you soak the area? Do you have to wash Synthrapol out?

I'm asking as I'm afraid to use my traditional Japanese indigo dyed fabric with lighter colours in a quilt, and I'm wondering if treating with Synthrapol before would prevent bleeding.

Thanks, Anne

 

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I took the squares apart that were affected with runs and then soaked just them in the bowl with the synthrapol as well as a handful of the backing of the quilt with the batting that the red ran through.  I then rinsed them out under cold water and laid them flat on a white towel to dry under a fan.  I would think washing the whole quilt with synthrapol would be fine but I was not going to wet anything else on that quilt if I could help it!  My customer was aware of the whole process and saw each step so she knows what will happen and how to fix it if it runs again...I then had to appliqué those blocks back onto the top over the backing and batting and then requilt them.  It was a lot of work but it worked!

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The hairspray trick came out in 1971 I think.  Close to that.  At that time it was to be for Ball Point ink, only,  Lol I bought the jacket with the assurance it out come out, left on a trip and had to remove some drools (Lol) so it was washed.  That ink spot never did come out, though I used the idea on a couple of the kids garments with success.

 

Good Luck,

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Doing a quick internet search, it appears it is the alcohol in the hairspray that does the trick.  Most links say by the cheapest spray to can find as it normally has the highest alcohol content.  How it works had this to say about removing stains.  I found it rather interesting.

  • Hairspray Believe it or not, hairspray is a fantastic way to remove stains from clothing. Moisten the stain with water and then blot away at it with a paper towel that has been sprayed with non-oily hairspray. You should begin to see the color from the marker transfer from the fabric to the paper towel [source: Mrs. Clean USA].
  • Rubbing alcohol Your household rubbing alcohol is another effective way to remove marker stains. Place the stain face down on top of a piece of paper towel. Dip a cloth in rubbing alcohol and dab at the stain. You should see the ink transfer to the paper towel underneath the stain. Change the paper towel often so that the paper can absorb the color. After the stain is removed, wash the clothing in the washing machine [source: Good Housekeeping].
  • Milk You have to see it to believe it. Milk is a great way to remove stains from fabric. Fill a bowl with milk and soak the stained area of the garment in the milk. The milk will begin to turn the color of the permanent marker. When the milk has significantly changed color, refresh the bowl with new milk and repeat the process until the stain is removed from the clothing [source: Learn How to Remove].

 

Cagey

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