Biggest Mis-Adventure Yet

Just like everyone else, my life is far from perfect.

In the subtitle of this blog, you will see that I mention sharing mis-adventures.

Most of my mis-adventures (mistakes) are frequent, but small. A hole drilled in the wrong place, impatient paint drips, or green beans failing to sprout. Most of these are recoverable or small lessons learned.

But not this time. This time, I messed up BIG.

I had been wanting to try my hand at quilting for quite a while. Last October (yes, October) I started taking lesson. We decided to start with something small; a table-runner.

I knew it was going to take me forever, so I didn't bother making a holiday themed one. It also means I didn't take pictures along the way, as it is such an involved process. (Sorry!)

Life, as usual, took over and the project got put aside.

With almost every project there comes a point of no-turning-back. You can't un-glue paper, you can't un-drill a hole, and you can't un-cut fabric. So of course when it came to actually cutting the fabric, I stalled and procrastinated. For a few months.

After I built the courage, I finally cut the strips and started piecing fabric together. I learned A LOT along the way... cutting accurately is crucial, color shade makes a bigger difference than color hue, and tolerances add up (just to name a few.)

After hours and hours of pinning, sewing, and ironing, I was finally in the home stretch. It was pieced, quilted, and the binding sewed on. I even sewed the mitered corners together by hand (see right). I put it in the washer on "hand wash" in cold water, then pulled it out to iron it one final time.

I was so close.

All I had to do was iron it, and I was DONE!

And that's where I ruined it. On the very last step.

 Rather than waiting for it to dry, and then iron it. I figured ironing it would help it dry. WRONG. Oh so wrong. I'm sure real quilters are already cringing, but I was new at this and didn't know any better.

I was distractedly pressing the runner for the final time while watching TV, when I look down... and it's BLUE.

The blue colored backing has bled through the front, staining the lighter colored top.

My stomach drops, I feel light-headed, and a cold panicked sweat breaks out on my brow.

I have worked HOURS, DAYS, MONTHS on this one piece. All for it to be ruined at the very last step.

I had even ironed it previously, and this didn't happen! But I just had to iron it while damp...

Adding insult to injury, the blue dye stained my iron and my newly crafted TV tray - turned ironing board. (Eva inspects the damage, which is tough to see in pictures.)

My shock quickly turned to anger. The entire core of my being was angry. It radiated from my heart to the pit of my stomach. I had worked so hard, and I was so close to finishing.

Eventually I moved on to sadness. I was so upset, I will fully admit that my eyes watered and a tear or two slid down my cheek.

I'm sure anyone who has had a hand-made project ruined can understand.

I had given up, and all I wanted to do was donate the table runner. I never wanted to see it again, but maybe I should keep it and put it on the table as a twisted reminder of what NOT to do.

The next day I half-heartedly looked online to see if there were any suggestions, not really expecting anything. Some sites suggested non-chlorine bleach (Oxi Clean). I figured there was nothing left to lose. Literally.

I mixed some in the tub, and threw in the cursed table-runner without hope or expectation.

Hours later I removed the still-stained runner, however the water in the tub was quite blue. Perhaps this will help to keep it from staining more in the future.
A second soaking later, and the table runner is still stained, blue bleeding through the seams. I do think the Oxi Clean helped, but it was just past the point of full redemption.

The only shining light in this story is that the blue dye on the iron easily wiped off with just some white vinegar and a paper towel.

I feel silly that this little thing is what constitutes as a disaster. While I am still sad and frustrated, I am also so thankful that I don't have anything truly tragic in my life to worry and stress over. How blessed am I?!

*Update* after hours and hours of multiple soakings in Oxi Clean, the runner does look MUCH better. Not perfect by any means, but definitley usable.