Thanks so much for your great information. I don't ususally wash and dry my quilts before we raffle them but maybe I will have to rethink this. I will 'spritz and steam' and hope that works. You members are the 'best'.

you don't need to agitate your quilt. soak and spin out. I do that a lot. I usually fill again, soak and spin out if i'm removing any wash out markings.

Before you wash the quilt, you may want to wash a couple of bath towels and put them in the dryer with the quilt, there just might be enough moisture in the towels to let the fibers go back to a natural state. Just an idea. Hate it when I have to rip out some of my LA quilting.

you can put it in the dryer with a wet washcloth - the moisture should help without having to wash the quilt.

If it's not a large area, spritz and "scratch" should work. I just did that on the quilt I have on my LA where I restitched an area after removing the original stitching.

I feel that gently washing it with a cup of vinegar added and then drying it on low heat should help. At least she did give you a break on the price, however, I know you are frustrated and I hope it turns out well for you.

Washing it or at least spraying the section with clean water and then tumbling gently in the dryer should remove the holes where the stitches were removed. This has worked for me numerous times.

Great information in this thread...thanks!

Good Advice, this usually works for me.
Pat

Such good suggestions! In heirloom sewing I know you always want to use natural fiber fabric with wing tip needles -- doing that will ensure the holes remain open in your decorative stitches. Nice to know that cotton also heals itself!