Stains: Frustration or Inspiration?

      Awhile back we were using gentian violet to treat J's thrush.  If you have ever used this stuff before, you know how badly it stains.  If you have not; there is no describing it.  The tiniest speck makes a dark purple blotch the size of a silver dollar.  So you can imagine what my bathroom looked like after

I 

dropped 

the

whole

bottle.

       Strangers were asking me what happened to my hands for a week.  I had to wear jeans in 90 degree weather because of the purple blotches and streaks running down my legs.  Eventually I went back to normal.  And after about 3 weeks and hours of scrubbing I got most of the purple off the sink and the tile floor.  (The few places it got in the grout are still there.)  I threw out the rug and the hand towel.  I repainted the wall behind the sink.  Pretty much everything was looking good, except for this:

  

several purple spots along the bottom of the shower curtain.  

I didn't want to buy a new curtain just for those little spots.  Too expensive, besides, it took me forever to find this one that I liked, I didn't want to try looking again!  

So I turned this

 

Into this

And now I like it better than ever!  That touch of purple was just what I needed to liven up the bathroom a bit.  Add a few new towels (we're long overdue for new ones anyway!) in a deep purple, and it'll look that I planned it from the start.

Want to add a few floral embellishments to something of your own?

Here's How I Did It:

Choose a couple of ribbons to go with your project.

Those purple blotches got me thinking purple, so I choose a lavender and a deeper purple for my flowers, and a shade of green that matched the stitching on the shower curtain.  I chose several different textures too.

Cut pieces of the green and pin them in place for your stems.  Heat seal the ribbons ends before you pin them down.  Be sure you're going to cover your stains!

 When you have them all in place, stitch over them with a narrow zigzag.

Now, cut smaller strips of your "flower" ribbon.  Don't forget to heat seal all the ends.  For very narrow ribbon, like my dark purple, just sew 1 line of gathering stitches down the middle.  For a little wider ribbon, it will be easier if you do two lines of gathering stitch.  Tack the stitches down on one end, so they don't pull through when you gather.

Gather and pin these pieces onto your "stems".

Stitch each of these down, using a very narrow zigzag.  

Clip and remove all your extra threads, and you're done!