Natalie, after reading about your experience, I would say the only real solution is spraying your finish on. I struggled with this same problem on a holster I made recently, and I finally ran my finish, resolene, through my airbrush. It worked perfectly. Rubbing with cloth or daubers speared everything. If you don't have an airbrush, a squeeze pump sprayer like is used with kitchen/bathroom cleaning chemicals will work well in a pinch. The trick there is to find the right distance for spraying and to use thin coats. A thick, wet coat is almost as bad as rubbing (Ask me how I know...).
Anyway, good luck and don't be ashamed of your pictures. You might be anle to salvage your project, or at worst, repurpose it for another project.
Good luck!