When my aunt was here (sorry, you’re probably going to get tired of hearing that) we were having so much fun that I took an extra day off of work so that we could all sew together. I made some 4th of July table runners for my aunt, MeMum and me.
I backed the first runner with red fabric and after I quilted the center with the white thread, I decided that I didn’t like the white thread on the back of the table runner. So I used an old machine embroidery trick and colored all those white threads with a permanent red marker (brilliant idea #1.) SweetiePie came strolling by and we marveled at how great the back looked — you couldn’t even tell that thread had ever been white.
You know what comes next, right? We flipped the runner over, and AAACCCKKKKK — all that red ink bled onto the cute patriotic print! I rushed it to the washing machine, basting pins and all (brilliant idea #2.) After about three washings (and a noisy machine, ’cause now I’m sure there are a few pins stuck down in that machine somewhere — shhhh, don’t tell, honey, I have no idea why the machine is making so much noise…) much of the ink was still there so I decided the thread and batting were probably holding some of the ink in and therefore, it must be ripped out.
TheManoftheHouse and I spent all night Tuesday night unpicking all those stitches — while the runner was wet, I might add, ’cause I was afraid to let it dry out. As of now, that last runner is all unpicked, with a few pink tinges and waiting to be re-quilted. I’ve learned my lesson and I hope you can learn from my mistake too — although, I’m rather confident that YOU aren’t as dumb as I am!
We’re off to a multi-family cookout and fireworks now. We’re taking cupcakes — yummy. (Recipe here.)
Oh, and check out the spiffy new cupcake saver that SweetiePie gave me for Mother’s Day. She found it at Target. (Excuse me, Tar-jay.)
If you’re in the US, I hope you’re having a FUN and SAFE 4th of July!!!
XOXO,
Anna
Anna,
I would have cried if I had encountered that bleeding onto the front..but I have been emotional lately with all that’s going on. My husband is home and in pretty rough shape…But he’s improved in the last 24 hours so there’s hope.
Glad you managed to salvage the quilt runners, the cupcakes look yummy…have a great day !
Oh look at those yummy cupcakes….I’m drooling on the keyboard.
Have tons of fun.
Oh, that sounds very stressful. On the bright side of things, your table runners are the most adorable things I have ever seen. I think I could do that! The cupcakes will, of course, be a huge fireworks kind of hit! I hope you can relax today and enjoy some fun.
Thank-you Anna for sharing your marker experience with us all. I can honestly say, I never would have thought of using a marker to color my thread, I guess I’m not the “brilliant” one between the two of us! ;0) Those cupcakes look so scrumptious! I need one of those carriers!
happy 4th to you, anna. the tablerunner is adorable.
Anna, The table runners are adorable, of course, how did you have the time to do it all?? Hope you had a great Fourth. Tracey
Your quilt is beautiful, Happy 4th. Clarice
I would have just about lost it if I had done that! I’m glad you managed to salvage the other runner. Love the runner you made – it’s so pretty! What a wonderful way to showcase that fabric.
The cupcakes are beautiful – almost too pretty to eat! Notice I said “almost”. Yum, yum!
Happy 4th to you, Anna!
I would never have had the patience to try to wash and pick out stitches – i would have thrown it out and started over! Your cupcakes look delicious and i love the cupcake holder. I saw one a few months ago and should have but didn’t buy it! I’ll have to look in Tarjay.
the table runner is so adorable – I can just see myself having something like that happen though.Very cute cupcakes, too, yum!!
I haven’t spied that cupcake carrier in tar-jay yet, I will have to keep an eye out.
Oh disaster so neatly diverted. I would have been so upset, calm thinking on your part. It looks cool though. Happy 4th
Happy 4th of July Anna. The table-runner is wonderful! I would have thrown the thing in a drawer, I admire your persistance!
Your table runner is worth all the trouble… it looks wonderful! I hope you had a great day!
Happy 4th of July! The table runners are lovely! We have a product called ‘Colour Catcher’ that I use with all of my things that I make … I never pre-wash (far far too lazy!!!!!). I saw those cup cake carriers somewere in a mag or some junk mail yesterday – I must get one they look great! Don’t you love such useful things!
Hi Anna, I love the table runner, even with all the difficulties…it looks great! The cupcakes…WOW! I can live vicariously through you, because any cupcake that I would make, certainly would not look that lovely. Although, I do love the cupcake saver from TAR-JAY! I might have to have one! Hope you had a wonderful 4th!
One thing I always had to try remembering when I started quilting was to never to have the backing any darker than the front colors. I was never satisfied with the quilting and it always seem to show through. Glad you got the majority of the color out, as they are very cute!
Oh what a nuisance about the pen!!! That fabric is adorable – but what I love best is that themanofthehouse helped you to unpick! How fabulous is that??
Lucy xxx
What an adorable table runner! I’m sorry you had so much trouble with the ink bleeding through…
I sure could have used one of those cupcake savers yesterday. I went to a picnic and brought my cupcakes in two glass casseroles…inside a beer box! Not very classy, to say the least.
XO
Disaster diverted! You have the patience of Job, as does TMOTH! That’s got to be proof of true love—unpicking wet stitching. I’m afraid I would have shoved the lot in a drawer somwhere! The finished tablerunners are very cute. Hats off to you for your determination and persistence…
Oh no I’d NEVER say I’m smarter than you but………..NO I said I’d never say that. LOL!!
Happy day after Anna. It is a cool tablerunner though. Love it!! And those cupcakes?? Are they for me??
wow!!! i’m thinkin’ man o’ the ‘ouse is a keeper, being as he would stay up and let you pick out stitches and all… if you ever want to leave him by the side of the freeway, call me and i’ll remind you that he stayed up and helped you pick out stitches from a wet tablerunner!!
i’m ALSO thinkin’ this should have been under the topic CUPCAKES. i am sooooooooo running to target right now and grabbing a couple of those!!!
i have been summoned to go start the pear bread pudding with caramel rum sauce!
i’ll give you further accolades for your numerous accomplishments at a late time.
have a fun weekend!
d.
You have the scariest quilting mishaps *and* the coolest ‘toys’. That cupcake-a-ma-jig is fab… must. have. one. You and M.O.T.H. really sat and picked out the threads? Wow. Herr Becher would have just suggested a proper cremation. I’m glad the quilt seems to be recovering, but can someone kindly remove any and all Red Things from your presence? (or, possibly, just affix a bottle of Retayne in one hand and Roux stain remover in the other. You can find this in the hair-colorant section at Sally’s Beauty Supply… works like a charm!)
What beautiful table runners! And what a terrific hubby to help pull out those stitches. I have a hubby like that and I tell you, they are few and difficult to find.
Glad all was not lost, far too pretty to lose to some red dye! HOpe you enjoyed those cupcakes too and a great 4th July
Kimx
Beautiful cupcakes! What a brilliant idea for transporting them, too.
Hope the pink vanishes!
Sorry …. I laughed!
where does all the time go…my bloglines is getting the better of me right now! All that extra work because of your brainwave and the red marker, poor you, we all have these good ideas. Those cupcakes look so pretty, yummy too!
okay, so i can’t help but notice the little half square triangles on the runner (since i’ve been making them all weekend for an additional border on something). did you make them with the triangles on a roll, or some other inventive way? because i have to say, they look just perfect! i love little pinwheels!
e.
Oh Anna!
So, so sorry for your red-ink disaster (thank goodness it didn’t permanently stain your handiwork.) It sounds so much like something I would have done–trying to save a little time which ends up taking 8 times longer! (I’ve been known to wash a load of whites with a black sharpie–ack!)
Hope your day was filled with fun, in spite of the sewing fiasco.
A bealated Happy 4th of July!
Lesson learned from your experience! Sorry you had to learn it the hard way. Your runners look great! And your cupcakes as well!
So, when are you going to start selling the cupcakes? Because, seriossly, yours are some of the prettiest I’ve seen. The runner story made me laugh (sorry!). I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I have very fond memories of July 4th parties from our time in the US.
So, when are you going to start selling the cupcakes? Because, seriously, yours are some of the prettiest I’ve seen. The runner story made me laugh (sorry!). I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I have very fond memories of July 4th parties from our time in the US.
Anna – you couldn’t be cuter if you tried! You crack me up! I love the center fabric for the table runner. Very nice! I hope you had a fun and safe 4th. I need to look at that cupcake recipe again though. Hey – look at this blog for a wonderful cupcake recipe. http://smorecupcakes.blogspot.com/
Erin
Better that you learned your lesson on a runner than a quilt, but I can see where it would be heartbreaking. That fabric is too cute for words! I have a friend who made a quilt in black and white with a red inner border. She had some “art” on the back of the quilt that included red, and it bled through. So she decided to overdye the quilt and make it red and black. Problem is, the quilter had used poly thread in white, and it didn’t take the dye. She has a good humor about it. I call it her bordello quilt.
2 things. Where did you get the fabric for the runner – LOVE IT. And that cupcake saver would make a great gift for my friend Laura (she has everything). So where did that come from do you know? The runner is so darling. Worth the work.
Geesh, you truely are persistent. I would have let those marks show through and glared at anyone who dared call it to my attention. They really are cute though and I am so sorry you had all that frustration. You make the yummiest looking cupcakes. I have got to get one of the cupcake holders too! My grandkids just love cupcakes ( the big kids in my family do too).
Love the cupcakes and the carrier. My daughter, the cupcake baker, would love one of those and Target is her favorite store.
Did your quilt fully recover? It sure is cute? I often use permanent marker to color thread when doing applique. If you get any little spaces in your zig zag lines, it makes it all look perfect. I’ve never noticed it bleeding through but thanks for the “heads up.” I hope your washing machine is back to normal. :)
Hugs and Kisses, Kim
Such an ordeal with the runner! You have such perserverance! Not sure I would have stuck with it. Darling print you used though.
What a fun post!! I love your quilt. You did a wonderful job and the cupcakes look divine. Do you have one left? I’ll stop bye and share with you. Thanks for stopping bye and I wish you could have gone on the hike too!!! It was so much fun but I’m still paying for it. Old age is not fun!!
What kind of Manofthehouse do you have? Mine would surely not unpick stitches. I’m glad you could salvage your quilts and please pass the cupcakes.
Jody
I love that you are such a perfectionist. I love that you are because I am not and I aspire to be and now you are my idol.
Anna, I just loved the table runner, but I was wondering where you got the adorable fabric. That is my kind of fabric, and I would love to try something with it. Would you be willing to share where you got it??? Thanks, Tracey
Anna, The table runner is adorable. I was wondering where you got the fabric for that. That is soo me. I would love to do something with it. Would you be willing to share where you got the fabric????? Thanks, Tracey
Anna, The table runner is adorable. I was wondering where you got the fabric for that. That is soo me. I would love to do something with it. Would you be willing to share where you got the fabric????? Thanks, Tracey
Anna, I love the table runner. I would like to know where you got the fabric. It is sooo cute. I would like to make something with that fabric. Would you be willing to share where you got it. Thanks, Tracey
cupcakes look beautiful, and what a great looking carrier too!! mine always get squished!! :(
I love the table runner…like others who have posted I would love to know where you got the adorable fourth of July fabric! I must have some! Would you share where you got it? Thanks!
Just catching up on my favorite blogs (finally!!) and I LOVE the runner — particularly the stars in the border! Worth the trouble!