I have been working solidly on this table centrepiece for a few months now. I haven't put any pressure on myself, saying that I will finish it when I finish
it, but the aim was to put it in one of the shows - whichever is closest to when
I finish it. So I have been ambling on, enjoying the project, and being satisfied with how it was coming along. I last blocked it out when I did a progress blog.
To work it, I chose to use two balls of light ecru Coats 60 from my late mother's
crochet stash, and I made very sure that the colour number and the dyelot number
was the same on the two balls. Imagine my disappointment when I took it to our regular Neighbourhood House tatting group, when I put it on the white table under a powerful light, to see that where I had run out of thread and commenced tatting with thread from the second ball, that there was a discernable difference.
Taking it out of my bag and working on it during the evening, I hadn't noticed any
difference, indeed in some lights there is no difference, but I wouldn't now submit
it to a show. I really felt like flinging it into the realms of UFO's - so much
work has gone into it, but the group suggested I press on and finish it, then soak it in a coffee solution. I can't imagine how this could have happened. Certainly the thread had been in Mum's stash for a few years, and I have had it for a while, but both balls still had their plastic protective covers so it couldn't be exposure to the air.
That excited impetus has somewhat abated and I am now just plugging on with my eye
on finishing.
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7 comments:
You must keep going. There a more ways than one to salvage it. Also you can hand dye it when it is completed with lovely results.
I agree with Sherry. It's not a lost cause. You could tea-dye it. Also...before you trying dying, I'd soak it in oxyclean or a bleaching solution and see if that evens it up.
:-) Gina
It's absolutely beautiful! I hope you do finish it. I like both the suggestions of your lace group and Lady Shuttle Maker. There are ways to fix it. Sometimes the things that seem so horrid at first with tatting end up having the loveliest finished piece!
I've had that happen before, except with new balls. Who would have known that there's more than one shade of ecru? I didn't and I certainly wouldn't have thought anyone could tell the difference. If you coffee stain it afterwards then you can tell people that any variation in coloring is due to the dye technique and intentional. Then any difference will be just one more interesting aspect in a beautiful work.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement and suggestions. I
have regained my enthusiasm, and
will work hard to finish, and to put a photo of the dyed centrepiece up for you all to see.
I know it's a disappointment, but all is not lost! Imagine how lovely it will be when you dye it!
You might be surprised to find that just washing it brings it back to it's original colour. If it were me, I'd try washing first, if that doesn't work, then go for Oxyclean. if all else fails you can always dye it either with tea, coffee or a commercial dye. Any way you handle it, it will be a gorgeous piece of work and it can only get lovlier the more you work on it.
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