Thanks for all your suggestions. I tried again. And again. This is the center panel of the first of my quilts for my sisters. Of course, thee's no embroidery or embellishments yet, just the coloring. I have used Crayolas, Pentel Dye Sticks and Marvy Fabric Markers. I think one of my biggest mistakes was washing it too soon after coloring. I remembered Mother always saying that you should wash a stain as soon as possible, and really, what are you doing when coloring except staining the fabric - albiet on purpose and in a pleasing pattern, it's still a stain - so the longer you leave it in before you wash it, the more likely it is to stay, right? So, I decided not to wash the panel right away, anyway, this is the result of the coloring. I'll show the results when the quilt is finished, but I thought you might want to see how it's turning out so far.