mxley Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I feel like a bit of an idiot at the moment. My stepdad's Church Ladies sent me a 20 year old quilt top. It had about 6-7 inches of hand quilting, but the batting was lumpy and dirty. And it had a big blank square in the center. I took out the hand quilting. I made a center medallion for the big blank space. I quilted and bound it. I blew out all "chalk" markings with compressed air. There weren't many of these visible. Then I quilted and bound the quilt. I could still see some faint yellow marks. Then I washed it. Well - THEY WEREN'T CHALK!! I have what look like yellow high-ligher markings all over this quilt! 90% of these were absolutely NOT visible when I quilted. They showed up when I washed it (cold water, minimal amount of detergent). And the markings bled and spread. I'm sick about this. I will use a stain spray on the marks and wash again, but I hold out little hope. Any advice will be welcome! But I think I'm going to be diving into my stash to make a quilt for the auction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I don't know what it could be but I think when leaving any type of marking on a quilt it could set in if it were there for 20 years! You probably just "washed the quilt cleaner" so the marks show up better, now. LOL! YIKES! I know...this is not funny...and you're not laughing... (sorry). You are a dear, Mary, for trying to fix this quilt. I hope that some stain remover will work for you! Maybe try soaking it over night to see if that helps? I know quilters have used odd things like tomato juice and baking soda mix and other things like the stain removers out on the market. If I were you, I'd toss it back in the wash with one of those dye catchers and give it a real good washing with more detergent. Really let it get washed good and clean. Maybe the bleeding will go away. Keep working it. Good luck, Mary. I hope you find a solution. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Could you over-dye the quilt in a soft yellow/orange? Or spray-dye with another color to make it all one glorious 70's tie-dye original? All the kids would love it! One of the quilt shows (Quilt Central, I think) did the spray-dye technique on a schoolhouse-block red and white quilt that bled pink everywhere. They sprayed on primary colors which softened a bit and it looked great. Hope you find a solution. If not, maybe someone has a UFO they could donate to your cause if you have time to quilt another top. Good luck! Linda Rech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxley Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 OK, I've lost 2 replies I've attempted to type, probably because I'm having a big glass of wine, and the new puppy keeps jumping up. Anyway, Shana - thanks! I will use a stain spray and soak the silly thing again. I feel better with a bit of the wine, and I know I have enough stash that is lovely, but not to my taste, to make them another quilt. Linda, it might be possible to overdye the quilt, but I'm not sure I'm willing to go there. I don't really want to whine - it's not the labor involved in picking this thing apart and remaking it - including 4 more blocks for the center. It's that it didn't come out well! They thought it would, as did I - but it didn't. Dang - it looked great with the center medallion!! I just hate to disappoint. They can donate the quilt so it will keep someone warm. I will make another, because I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Mary, don't beat yourself up over this one. Lets face it these ladies handed you a quilt top that was doomed from the get go..I mean who gives a LA quilter a dirty top that also has a portion of it qulted. I would call the ladies up and explain what happened...lettting them know what ever they used to mark the top with originally stained the top and when you washed it to try to remove it the dirt from the top was removed but the markings remained...not your fault since you did not put them their in the first place. They may also be able to let you know what was used to mark the quilt...may help solve the mystery and get rid of the markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxley Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Joann, thank you. I don't think the Church Ladies will be all that upset. They knew this quilt was a long shot. It's just that I wanted it to turn out well! The mother of the piecer still belongs to this small and struggling church - but she's not a quilter, and her daughter threw the top into the rummage sale. After tonight I will not feel guilty. I will try to rescue it, but I will make another for them. My stepdad is such a wonderful loving man, and far more a father to me than my own ever was, so making a quilt for his church is a thing I can do for him. I'll take any other ideas on rescue of the first, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbann03 Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 I don't know if this will work on a 20 year old stain, but I recently soaked a quilt in Biz. I had some colors run on a customer quilt recently and it worked beautifully. Good luck! Barb:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raquelbirch Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Mary Try soaking it and then washing it with synthropol and oxyclean at the same time. Use a full scoop of the oxyclean. Good luck Raquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfjett Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 If all else fails, I have had success with two different techniques: Caveat: TEST FIRST in as inconspicuous place as possible (1) Dab on full strength lemon juice from a fresh cut lemon, then place in the sun. Check frequently and then rinse in cold water. (2) Dab on peroxide on the stains, then rinse in cold water. Please let us know what happens. You never know what was used 20 years ago for marking or how the quilt has been stored. Heat can set a number of things that even with our technology, we cannot remove. Deborah Jett McVay Bloomsbury, NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raggie Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Mary, Try cheap hairspray--the aerosol kind--it takes out ink and permanent marker even after the object has been washed. You might try it and see. It usually dissolves before your eyes. Good Luck! Becky:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathyb Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Ok, here's one more to try. There's a new spray out for SET IN STAINS that I swear by! It's worked on everything I've sprayed it on. It's called SHOUT ADVANCED and I am thrilled with it! Good luck! We're all rooting for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxley Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Well, I called my stepdad, he called the quilter's mother. The quilter thinks she may have used a "felt pen" to mark the quilt 20 years ago. Snort. I will try the Shout Advanced, but I'm really thinking there is no rescue for this quilt. I've already started a new one for their auction. I have fabric and I have the longarm. A tessalated star with a swirls pattern will do nicely. Thanks to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigletaz Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 The Queen of Clean (not me but the woman who writes the books) suggests Carbonna Stain Doubles, the one meant for ink. Albertsons or other grocery stores carry them in the laundry aisle. They do work so I would definitely try that if nothing else works. The bottles are yellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Renee, Isn't that stuff kind of harsh? I'd be afraid of anything harsh on a top this old. Unless you don't care if cleaning it messes it up worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigletaz Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 That could be the case, sorry I forgot about it being older. But it is suggested for use on clothing, but of course, not vintage clothing! Yikes, yes it could be harsh. I guess I still have very young children at home and I have the "well, it's going to be playclothes now" attitude if the stain doesn't come out! Yeah, felt tip marker is a tough one. I'm not sure the Queen would have the answer for that considering the top is that old. I would have to guess that whatever ink was used in felt tip pens 20 years ago is not the same as the ink used in todays markers and pens. And that ink is probably not very friendly to the fabric. Sorry I couldn't be more help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mxley Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Hi Renee and Teresa - I'm going to try the Carbona stuff tomorrow. Yes, the top is "old", but it is not antique, and it's not even all that well pieced. It's a top that the piecer threw into a church rummage box! My regret is only........well, seriously, I have no regrets. I wish it all looked better, but it will still keep someone warm, even with flourescent yellow markings! Life is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattyJo Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Sounds like the wine is working!! LOL You can only do what you can do. So, it may not be a masterpiece, but maybe a donation to a shelter or ? I would think that someone could get some use out of it even with the markings on it. It is tough that you had to spend so much time on it before you found this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbishwit Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ok here's an idea that jumped into my mind..it's about 20 years old marked with a yellow felt tip marker so how about making a tea solution to dye the whole quilt. This will mask the yellow markings and give the qult a more vintage feel to it...heck someone may actually think it's an antique quilt and bid top dollar for it which will give more money to the church.:cool: Just a thought. Can you post a picture of this quilt? Maybe the markings won't be as noticable to the rest of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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