Shiloh

One of the ladies in my office embroidered squares of angels and sewed them together and added a light pink border and then a pink dotted swiss border. She gave me dotted swiss for the backing and asked me to quilt it and donate it. I wanted to quilt it before washing (need to get the blue tracing lines out), so it would pucker a little. If I wash it first, I am fearful that it will shrink and be impossible to quilt. Yet, I can't iron it or the blue will become permanent. Any ideas on how to tackle this project? Gerry

redrummy

maybe you could hand wash the lines with a soft cloth, then let it air dry, no heat applied.

sewcrafty

Spray with water and dab. Good Luck!! :lol:

clem55

use a wet cotton bal, that is how I do it

Shiloh

Thank you. good ideas. I'll let you know how it works.

lisalovesquilting

Try a small paint brush. Works for me.

justwannaquilt

as long as NO HEAT is introduced during the washing/drying process it should not shrink! At least this is MY epx. with fabric!

grammypatty7

Sent you a pm but wanted to post here too. I've had the best success removing blue lines by spritzing with a water bottle and I do mean wetting the lines heavily until they disappear before my eyes. Much easier than wiping or rubbing as I've done that too without success. Finally read the instructions that came with my marker and it suggested spraying it with a bottle of water and I was stunned at how well it works.

Shiloh

Looks like I have a problem. I have tried spritzing and literally soaking a section and the blue lines are not going away. I took a washcloth and put mild soap on it and gently rubbed and the blue is still there. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a really old pre-printed set of squares or whether she cut them out and ironed them. I know when I was young the blue did not wash out when I did embroidery. Any other ideas? Has anyone ever tried peroxide? I remember my mom used it if she scorched something, but that is a different problem. Thank you. Gerry

clem55

Wow! If it is pre-printed lines, they take forever to wash out. Some of the old tricks might work, lemon juice and sunshine. I know my Mom used to lay white clothes right on the grass in the sun all day to bleach the whites. Peroxide and sun??? You must be worried to try most anything , never know what might harm the colors. I wish you luck!! will look forward to hearing you found a solution.