I finished my "Little Lace" Hardanger piece on 11 May 2011 then let it sit around for a bit while I contemplated a way to finish it. I finally decided that I would make a larger needle roll out of it to go into a basket.
Stitched on 22ct. Hardanger fabric using Caron Wildflowers and Watercolours in "Ruby".This a beautiful design by Abi Gurden of "The Stitch Specialists"
This is how it looked before I washed it.
And then the heartbreak began.
The second I dipped it in the cool water with Orvus in it, all hell broke out and the water turned purple. I have never had a problem with any of the Caron threads in all my years of using them, but Ruby just had to be the exception.
I started rinsing the piece in cold water in an effort to save it , which worked, until I rolled it in the towel and it bled all over the towel. Just a disaster.
I have since clipped off all of the beads and removed my name from the piece and sent it on the way to stitched disaster Heaven.
I do plan on stitching this piece again, but if I use a hand-dyed thread I'll be sure to test it before I do the entire piece.
Thanks for stopping by and if your in one of my Yahoo groups I will get back to answering all of your wonderful comments, but I have been sidelined with a really nasty sore throat and now the allergies have set in, gotta love spring.
Take Care & Happy Stitchin'
Hugs, Sandy
So sorry to see the colors run. It was a beautiful piece.
ReplyDeleteGosh, that must be so frustrating. So much work and such a beautiful piece. That's why I don't dare to wash hand dyed threads. It happened to me only once that I got some rain on a hand dyed piece and the color ran already.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon. Threat infections can be quite nasty. :(
So sorry, Sandy, for what happened to your stitching. A few years ago I had a similar thing happen to me. I had made a stitching bag with Quaker designs done on both sides with Waterlilies Amethyst. When it was washed it ran so bad I had to throw it away. Your hardanger piece was so beautiful, hopefully in time you won't feel as bad about it. And I hope your sore throat and allergies get better really soon!
ReplyDeleteohhh what a shame after all that hard work :( ... hope you are feeling better soon too love mouse xxxx
ReplyDeleteIt really was a truly lovely piece. You should stitch it again. Bless your heart!
ReplyDeleteOh, Sandy, how discouraging. I'm sorry! I had a similar "mess" with a piece a short time ago, though it didn't run as thoroughly as this one. Anyway, Vonna sent me this advice "Take ice and work the area of the bleed. Rub the ice on the bled part, pat with a clean dry towel, keep doing it until it comes out. It takes time and effort, but it will come out." I spent an hour at a time for several sessions, but finally got it to a point where I felt I could send it to my intended recipient. It's worth a try, after all the time you spent stitching this design! Good luck, if you decide to tr.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I can imagine how you feel about what happened with your hardanger piece. I wouldn't toss it though. Can you rinse it or soak it in cold water again and hang it to drip dry? Maybe you won't be able to get all the color bleed out, but it might look like a hand dyed piece of fabby. I just wouldn't toss it. Feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteOh No Sandy! The horrors of red threads. It looked so gorgeous and I love the combination of the darker thread and light fabric.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you could not rescue it.
Hope you are starting to feel better
How devasting...it was really beautiful. I've never washed any of my stitching, never needed to. What do you do to wash your stitchy pieces?
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that this happened, the piece looked wonderful :)
ReplyDeleteOh Sandy I can sympathise with you - the very first time I tried Caron threads (which Ihad to order from the US as I am in the UK) the colours ran so I have never used them again. So sorry for you x
ReplyDeleteTOO bad for you after all that work! as long as the piece is in ruin why not try to dye it a color closer to the "run" color?? Won't be what you planned but you might save it?? Good luck!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your disaster! How heartbreaking to put all that effort into something only to be ruined by something as simple as water. Just doesn't seem fair. When I started reading your post I thought it would be damaged due to the clipping of the threads. I just can't bring myself to try Hardanger because of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer about your piece! That's why I never wash a piece that uses hand dyed threads.
ReplyDeleteHeidi-ILCS
So sorry to hear about your hard work being ruined. in all the years that I have stitched, knock on wood never had that happen to me. I kown that I would cry. Hope you are feeling better soon.
ReplyDeleteDenise
It's a beautiful piece, so sorry the colors ran :(
ReplyDeleteHope the throat is better soon!
For future reference,
ReplyDeleteNext time this happens, put it under running water, where the water can carry the pigment away. By putting it in a bowl of water the released pigment had nowhere to go except onto your fabric.
Put it under running water like in a sink with the tap running so the released dye runs stright down the drain hole. Leave the water running over your piece and down the drain until the water running off the stitched piece runs clear, this could take a couple of minutes.
The excess dye is washed completely out of the threads and there is absolutely no staining on the fabric. If there is any staining on the towel, put it back under the water and continue the process until the towel is clean too.
Too late now but so you know for next time.
Oh! That's so awful Sandy! The piece was stunning and that hardanger must have taken a long time to stitch. This sort of happened to me with my Tanglewood piece, but luckily it was just a splotch that I can stitch over. Some ladies told me to continually douse it in ice cold water, like fifty times or more. I don't know if this would work for you, my spot faded a lot but then the water began to crawl up to the other stitching so I stopped. If you are putting it in your stitching disaster bin, maybe after some time away from the piece try that method out.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry this happened to you :(
oh how terrible.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it. It really sucks when something like that happens. And it's hard to keep rinsing till the water runs clear, cause it's hard to tell when the water is clear. I'm sure it will go better next time!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is discouraging but not hopeless. The ideas of wetting it and letting it run again to get a "hand dyed" look is a good one (use really hot water to force the bleed). The idea of dyeing it (perhaps overdyeing) is also good. It may not be exactly what you wanted but it is certainly better than throwing it away and having wasted all that stitching time. I know someone who had a shrinkage problem after cutting and the fabric pulled away from the stitching. She held onto that piece for 5 years waiting to find something she could use it on. Finally, she cut the ends off that the shrinkage had occured on and sewed the piece onto the front of an Ott light carrying bag she made. Everyone loves that bag and she never tells them the piece wasn't planned just for that bag. You can always have an alternative plan if you are patient. Good luck to you - blog about your solution so we can share your triumph.
ReplyDelete