Remember last week when a reader asked if I worried about a quilt fading outside? I said I didn’t worry because there are always more quilts and I generally didn’t have that problem. Haha!!! Look at this! The Candy Cane quilt is hanging on the east side of the house and we had a rain, ice, sleet and snow storm a couple days ago and this is the result. ugh

The red used in the border is not the same fabric that’s used in the candy cane. I think it’s probably a lost cause and that’s really too bad because this is the original Candy Cane quilt used in pattern # 545.
The cantata tomorrow night will be LIVE on Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church Facebook page – preludes by Margaret and me will start about 6:45 with the cantata starting at 7:00. Brian will also give me a link that I’ll post on Sunday night or Monday in case you don’t do Facebook. A candlelight service follows the cantata – grab a candle and turn out the lights and be part of the service!

Looking forward to Saturday Night Live tonight! Another storm is heading our way early next week – I guess we’ll be happy next spring to have the moisture, right?
Reader quilts:


Look at this silly picture of Keeper sitting on the arm of the chair!

And Three is joining me in the sewing room tonight – this very unattractive cardboard is to keep Ernie out of my fabric and projects that I leave on the counter – it works but is such a nuisance. Ernie? He’s lots of work and a nuisance, too!!!

Hi Mary, maybe if it’s washed on cold/gentle cycle with one of those color catchers it might help?
That’s what I was thinking. Color catchers work great, at least before the fade. But, a wee bit of bleach might do it too.
Bet not.
I so enjoy your chatting and pictures of Hazel, 3 and others plus the quilts. Merry Christmas to you and all the others on this thread. Stay warm and healthy.
Check the website, “save my bleeding quilt” for how to save your candy cane quilt .
You might be able to salvage your candy cane quilt but it would take a lot of time and effort. Several good tutorials online to help. Good luck. I quilted from 11am to 8pm with just a few breaks for cussing, I mean regrouping. Tension issues when it was exactly the same as what I used yesterday. The grandson is only 6 so he would rather have a finished quilt for Christmas than a perfect one. Hope to be able to watch your cantata if the quilting goes well tomorrow.
DebMac,
LOVE your description of a few breaks. I’ve been there many times. Regrouping is a very nice term from what i refer to it. But, when things go well, isn’t quilting fun? Thanks for the laugh!!!
I love the house quilt Linda made.
We are suppose to get a rain/snow mix by morning. Have some family heading early morning to Buffalo Bills game so they should be pretty well soaked to the bone.
Wish I could stay awake and watch SNL tonight with Steve Martin on – he’s hysterical. I will catch it on demand with our cable network. I am tired tonight so need some rest.
Looking forward to your cantata and service. They are always beautiful.
Mary, this is the link for well researched and well explained directions to help when a quilt has bleeding.
I’ve used this and it really helped.
https://www.colorwaysbyvicki.com/save-my-bleeding-quilt.html#/
I used Vicki’s soak as well with positive results. Highly recommend this PDF.
I also used Vicki’s method to fix red fabric that bleed. It worked!
Hi Mary!
I agree you maybe able to save your candy cane quilt. Throw it in the washer with about 3-4 Shout Color Catcher sheets. They very well may suck that running red out of the white. It’s definitely worth a try. Let us know what you decide to do & if it works. 🤞
Merry Christmas to you & Rick & your menagerie 😉,🎄🎄🎄🐾🐾
You can maybe save the candy cane quilt by machine washing it with several sheets of color catchers. Sometimes it will pull all the excess color out, use plenty of sheets. Worth a try.
I agree with everyone on the color catchers. I have had only one fabric that I could NEVER get to stop bleeding–pre color catchers. It’s worth a try.
I love seeing Three and the pic of Hazel and Keeper is priceless:) Our grand daughter has Archie, a 7 month Tuxedo cat. He looks just like Millie and Squeak, but he is into everything. They had to forego our son in law’s antique ornament tree this year because Archie is too wild. Our other grand daughter calls him the Menace! He is adorable though. But, he got kicked out of the sorority house and had to go home. Toooo funny. When we had kittens, we had to secure the Christmas tree to the wall with fishing line. I do love my kitties:)
I will listen to the Cantata because I don’t do Facebook. I am looking forward to it.
Hoping for better weather for your relatives and the Bills game, Kathy. 40 here today, but going down this week.
Diane – I love hearing the antics Of kitty cats. They have a mind of their own and a mischief trail proudly left behind them. Mine gives me silly stories to tell others even at 14 years old. I have resorted to pulling out my huge clear glass punch bowl which was a wedding or shower gift 52 years ago and put all my antique glass ornaments in there. I do love seeing all the colors and shapes in it on my table.
Hoping we get a weather report from Carol as it’s sleeting here this morning so a good day to be inside. 34 so not turning to ice, thank goodness. I made a plate of assorted cheeses and crackers and took to a shut in at church yesterday as she loves the Bills games and misses the parties her family would do on game day but it’s too hard now for her to get out so she’s happy to be home. She even has a snowman on her counter with Bills fabric on it. Guess you can be 89 years old and still a proud member of The Bills Mafia. HA!
Oh yes, Kathy, that is so true. We always said my dad was the original Bills fan. He died at 87 before the 1998 season, but he had been looking forward to it.
Stay warm, I do remember those Western NY winters!!
I’d love to check out the Cantata! I’ll be looking for it. Do we Just go to the church’s Facebook page?
Jill – I think that’s how it will work – if it doesn’t I’ll post the link afterwards. I will ask tomorrow and post when I get home from church tomorrow.
I’ve had good luck with bleeding red by washing the project in blue dawn detergent. It made the bleed disappear from white fabrics. Color catchers along with might help.
Hazel and Keeper are hams, how we love them.
Great quilts today.
Bundle up, it’s goina get cold next week.
Go Buffalo
Love the candy cane quilt. Use Dawn and color catchers. Too pretty to discard. Will listen to church program ob link as I don’t do Facebook.
Roxanne posted the link above. It works well.
Try soaking the quilt in cold water….again and again….to remove the bleeding red color.
Keeper looks so cute sharing the chair with Hazel; he just doesn’t fit quite like Hazel. And beautiful Three looks so soft and fluffy, as he spends time with you.
Take care and stay warm, as you get more winter weather. 🥰
I love my candy cane quilt so I know how sad you must feel. Don’t forget to put a color catcher in the water if you do decide to soak it.
Reader quilts are beautiful. Keeper is just trying look like Hazel on the chair. What a sweetie.
We only got less than 2” of snow in the last storm and most of it is gone. We had mostly rain. And I think rain is what we’re supposed to get on Tuesday.
Have fun at the cantata tonight.
Mary — try washing the candy cane with some oxiclean. It’s worked for me in the past. Thank you for posting all of your quilts and the reader quilts! So beautiful and such inspiration!!!!
Enjoy the service – and I hope lots of people “tune in”…
What a shame about the candy cane quilt – so pretty! I’d be tempted to try soaking it with 2 or 3 color-catchers before giving up on it, but am so glad you got to enjoy it for so long.
Look up “save my bleeding quilts”. Vicki has saved many of my quilts over the years. Love your blog.
Roxanne posted the link above. I had no luck with color catchers.
Hi Mary
Too bad about quilt. I was going to suggest if the red didn’t bleed into green too much,cut border off maybe add new border or leave off.
Love the house and tree quilt!!
The candy cane quilt is now The Licked Cane. LOL I would keep it, life throws you a curveball just go with it. Merry Christmas all.
Oh, how sweet you love your fur babies merry christmas
Sorry to hear about the red bleeding on your candy cane quilt. I kind of like the addition of the “pink”. . . any way to get more “pink wash” on it to make it look deliberate?
Oh the things we do to live happily with our pets! haha! I cover things up also from my Polly. I look forward to seeing and hearing the cantata.
I like the tree quilt, too. Being scrappy, too, I may take a go at making it??
By all means, don’t throw the candy cane quilt away. Years ago the guild ladies hand quilted a red and white raffle quilt — and it bled when washed. They washed it using the dye magnet sheets and BINGO, they took out all the excess dye and it was good to go. Personally, I reuse the sheets until they are very dark. If the fabric looks questionable, us a dye magnet sheet. It all started when I was making a scrappy Christmas quilt with all the colors. At first I washed each color separately,then said “you’re going to live together, get used to it” and threw it all in together with the dye magnet and it worked.
Yep, a big storm is forecast for this week and it’s timing is perfect, as usual. The big week-long high school basketball tournament is scheduled for the whole week. They will be coming today before the storm hits, so the town will be bouncing!! The city plows are all ready to get things open if necessary and a good time will be had by all.
For those in the storm path, be prepared and don’t do anything stupid. Enjoy whatever hits.l
Betty in Rapid City
WELLL…when I asked the question, it was regarding fading, not bleeding. Don’t think I wouldn’t been in the least bit nervous about bleeding but then I wouldn’t have thought about weather like that–YIKES!! Sorry that happened to your candy cane but maybe you’ll find a fix and make it all better.
Try the color block sheets. They are by Shout and in the laundry detergent section. Small box similar to a box of Bounce.
We used it on a king size quilt at Thanksgiving that had a grand daughter accident. It was just finished. I really held my breath and it worked with 2 sheets. It was a quilt my daughter made for her bed and could see the hurt in her eyes. So glad it worked!! Washed it the second time with the sheets BEFORE it was put in the dryer.
Good luck!
I think the candy cane quilt still looks nice, just touched by nature!
I’m sorry your quilt bled, bummer for sure. Reader gave some nice options to fix it, hopefully one of them will work for you. I hope the storm is mild and you don’t get snowed in for days. We are getting lots of rain the last few days and my pansy are enjoying it. I haven’t done much decorating for Christmas, but we have been playing Christmas music and that has been nice. I hope the program at church goes well and folks show up to enjoy the music.
And you love Ernie dearly! Don’t deny it. We cat people know.
Mary,
I listened to the Cantata. It was beautiful. The music was lovely and so relaxing in this busy season. What a lot of songs for you to play! Thank you for sharing it.
Sandy in Indiana
Thank you, Mary, for letting us know about your Cantata.
It was lovely gift to us. “Merry Christmas” to all!
Hi Mary,
I have had some success in removing the bleeding of red into light fabric by just soaking it in cold water over and over again until the water is clear. Hope this helps!
Hi Mary!
I imagine you are just sick about your candy cane quilt. I can’t offer any other remedy that hasn’t already been discussed. But, if all else fails, I would cut off the border and bind it! Just my 2 cents worth!
Hi Mary,
Try washing your “runny” quilt with a “Color Catcher” sheet (Tide makes one and there are other brands).
I have had incredible success, especially with bleeding red fabrics, to save a ruined quilt.
Hope it works.
Sheila