Friday, February 7, 2014

Advice

I have always been a little more on the sentimental side, and while I'm no where close to being a candidate to appear on Hoarders, I do tend to hang on to things that have memories attached to them.

 
This quilt was one of my very first sewing projects. At only six years old I started creating the nine patch quilt blocks, but it wasn't until after LV and I were engaged that I finally finished the quilt top and the winter before our wedding Mom and I quilted it. Not only does it have years worth of memories stitched into it, it was also the quilt Sailor used on his first real bed, and mornings before we started our school days we would help each other make the bed and have little I-Spy games to find specific nine patch blocks. Nothing big or all that important, but enough to make it a quilt I treasured.

Ever since we moved I have not been able to locate the quilt, until yesterday when the children crawled under the basement stairs and discovered a garbage bag.

You guessed it, it contained the missing quilt. Only now it doesn't look very nice. The nine patches are still fine, but the light blue fill in squares are awful. They all changed color where they had been quilted.

I tried treating it and washed it in cold water, but it still came out looking like this:

Now I'm trying to decide between my options. Do I.........
  1. Store it in the attic, never to be used again.
  2. Simply burn it.
  3. Painstakingly take it apart and salvage the nine patches and recreate the quilt with new fabric.
Or does someone have a solution to get the awful stains out?
 

29 comments:

  1. Here's an option, Mary Ann:
    http://retroclean.com/retroclean/retro-clean/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRSh6Lc7Dp4

    amazon.com also sells retro clean.

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  2. You might want to check with your local laundry service company. I was amazed at how well a baby dress that was over 100 years old turned out.

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  3. Oh don't get rid of it, Try everything else first. It's a quilt of memories.

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  4. You are not wrong for wanting to keep this. Do what you can o fix it.

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  5. Oh no, don't destroy it! Try soaking it in your washer with warm water and color safe bleach overnight. Sometimes, stains just need a little time to work out.

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  6. I have used Tide Boost Stain Remover liquid on delicate items with stubborn unidentifiable stains with good results. Use a soft or child's toothbrush to gently work the stain remover into quilted areas, then wash in cold. This may need to be repeated a few times. One stain refused to budge and thinking the item was ruined anyways tried one more time using a longer warm cycle. Much to my surprise everything was fine and the stain was gone.
    If all else fails salvage the squares and rework some into quilts for each of your blessings. All will not be lost and new memories can be made.

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  7. Don't throw it away. Even with the discolored area it is still a treasure. Make sure you have a label attached to the back with the story about the quilt.

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  8. Resolve Stain Remover Stick has saved MANY things.. A friend used it on her white carpeting that was colored with black permanent marker. Rub it a good amount and let it set for a few days.. rub in more and wash. I hope you find something that works!

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  9. When I look at it, I see that what we might at first think of as stains, actually could be seen as delicate watercolor that accentuates the shape of the lovely hearts, and thus become part of the valuable history of the piece.

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  10. Years ago, I called TIDE and asked for help in removing greasy (automotive) smoke stains from a fire that had (I thought) ruined clothing belonging to my parents who had a fire - they were immensely helpful! Give them a call :-)

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  11. I removed what I thought was a permanent pink stain on our carpet with hydrogen peroxide mixed with a few drops of Dawn dish detergent. It didn't harm the carpet or change the color. I've since used it on a lot of stained clothing with great results.

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  12. Or maybe turn it into a multi-generational quilt and use fabric paints to touch up those particular squares as a project for you and the children? Put a few more memories into it?

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  13. Try taking it to a dry cleaners and see what they say. I once had nail polish on a white jacket that I couldn't get out. Took it to the cleaners and they got it all out with no residue.

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  14. I wouldn't do anything more to the quilt. Look at it this way: the discoloration is nothing more that a continuation of precious memories that have already been stitched into your quilt. I am happy it was found!!

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  15. I had someone at a fabric store tell me to use Biz bleach (it is color safe) to soak and get out those mystery stains. I have used it on colors as a soak and not had any issues. Hope you find something to work-it is a shame to have to not use it anymore.

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  16. I would treasure it as it is. like people that age and wrinkle, you still love them. lol I'd never let a little discoloring sway me from any finely made quilt.

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  17. I agree with all the others. You should definitely keep it! I have read that OxyClean works wonders. Or maybe a vinegar soak would work. I use lye soap for tough stains and it works great. In any case, Please don't burn it! I would be thrilled to treasure it stains and all if it comes to that!

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  18. My mom swears by Oxyclean, also. She washed a baby outfit that was about fifty years old and yellowed. It came out looking brand new except for the thread. A friend of mine had really good results with her wedding dress at the dry cleaners. If nothing else, keep it in the attic with the intent that someday you'll get a chance to work on it.

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  19. I have also used hydrogen peroxide mixed with Dawn for red juice stains on my grandchildren shirts. You could also try adding baking soda to the mixture. Good luck! Shaun

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  20. There's a version of OxyClean that you spray on for spot cleaning. I used it to make a floor-length white skirt's hem go back to white.

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  21. I had a doily one time that I thought was ruined by what looked like a huge coffee stain. I soaked it in strong Oxyclean water for a few hours and it was good as new... Definitely try oxyclean. I really hope you find something to get it out...

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  23. Even with the marks by the stitching it is beautiful. Don't get rid of it. The sun might gently bleach the marks out for you. If you can't get the marks out and you really want to change them you could applique a new square to each of those spots and restitch them.

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  24. On white fabric, lemon juice and sunlight work pretty well to bleach out stains too.

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  25. I agree with the others, soak it overnight in your tub with Oxyclean mixed in the water. Also you might want to wait until the weather is nice enough to hang this out in the sun for a day. If all else fails contact a local quilting group, they may have other suggestions.

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  26. I would soak it over night with LOTS of Tide and Oxycean powder!

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  27. I would soak it over night with LOTS of Tide and Oxycean powder!

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  28. I've soaked things in Biz Also made a paste of Biz and water on stain (red dye running onto white on quilt Mother in law made us for our wedding) let it sit day or two, soak and took that red die out.

    Also read that George Washington's christening gown was soaked in liquid dove dish detergent and Clorox 2 powder and it removed the age stains and did not damage the fabric. I used it to remove baby stains and worked great.

    I also swear by Hydrogen Peroxide in the brown plastic bottle (removes blood does not fade colors). Also use it with Dawn dish washing liquid on food stains.

    Fix up a mixture and try them let them sit and let them soak...I've heard of soaking up to 30 days...

    Regardless though I would never get rid of that quilt!!!! Even with the stains it is beautiful!!!

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  29. Mary Ann, I have used Kiss Off on stains that have been in my tshirs for more than a year an it came out. Try this product. Use it no matter what! http://www.kissoff.com/

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.