Daniel's Stars, Disaster averted

     Over 7 years ago, I made Daniel a baby quilt. He was born with a terrible disease called Nemaline Myopathy. He can't swallow food or have much muscle control. He has had a hard time but is a determined fighter. Back then, I made him a Laurel Burch quilt called Running with the Horses. 
     Now, it dawned on me, he needed another quilt. With schools closed down, he is not getting help and instruction and all his care falls on his mom. I asked her what he liked and she said super heroes, animals, and the color red. 
      I was inspired by a quilt I saw https://www.robinpickens.com/blog/showering-stars-quilt-pattern, but it was too big and didn't have the star effect I was aiming for. Using graph paper, I drew up a good idea after a lot of bad ones. I used lots of reds, Kona Ash, and a variety of 2 1/2" squares fussy cut. It went together a little different than other quilts I did, but it fit together. Once it was sewn, I made a back with fish that I had to add water to. 
     Once loaded on the longarm, I sketched lots of ideas and decided to do a sampler of patterns held together by a grid inspired by the long red lines and breaking up of the squares.  I quilted top and bottom with Mocha Glide. Bound with a red bandana print.

     Ok, now for the disaster part- before I washed the quilt, after binding with a red bandana print, everything was hunky dorey. I had to wash the quilt because Daniel's immune system is fragile. 
     Upon taking the quilt out of the washer, my hair stood on end (I was also wearing a Holter monitor). The red batiks used bled all over the Kona Ash. After the room righted again, I remember saving an article by Vicki Welsh about saving a bleeding quilt  (download it, people). I found it, although I saved it years ago. 
     She called for a bathtub of hot water with Dawn. In the quilt went, fully agitated. After 3 hours, the dye "burped" out of the quilt. I changed the water and let it refill. It stayed all night submerged by plastic bins filled with water. 
     In the morning, the water was still clear. I put the wet quilt in one of the plastic bins, put it in the washer to rinse and spin, and then the dryer. NO bleeds left anywhere!!

No red bleeds at all.

Fish back, loaded the backing upside down, that is why the label is . Mad about that.

     After the dryer, I photographed to make sure. Then, it was bundled with a card and book into an XXL Ziploc and delivered to Daniel by leaving it on his porch. I sure hope he liked it. I was greatly relieved.