Agree with Margo they are the best to use.

Speaking of starch....I once (many years ago!) marked an entire wholecloth baby quilt with a regular graphite pencil before I quilted it. :shock:

As luck would have it, I had heavily starched the fabric before I marked it, then got scared because an experienced quilter said that I would never get the marks out.

I went ahead and quilted it, and when I washed it, all of the marks were GONE!! I now know that the starch forms sort of a shield between the fabric and the pencil marks and the marks just wash away with the starch! If you do something like this, always pre-test your technique before you commit to the whole project!


Nancy, be sure to look for WASHABLE markers!! I use them all the time and luv 'em!

I think, but I could be wrong, that they are okay so long as you don't starch your fabric after marking and then wash the finished quilt. I did a very unscientific test where I wrote on a piece of fabric, ironed it and it came up clear. I then put it in the freezer for several hours and the marks came back quite a bit fainter. I then washed the fabric and dried it and it seemed fine. I ironed it and then put it in the freezer but nothing reappeared. Crayola washable markers, I always forget about those and I have a bunch in my sewing room.

Thanks for the reminder Margo! I remember a couple/three years ago you mentioned stocking up on Elmer's glue during the back-to-school sales....this year it will be the fine-tip Crayola markers! Nancy

I like the "Fine Line" version. It makes a finer mark which puts less chemicals in the fabric.

And I try to get a new box when school-supplies go on sale at reduced prices at the beginning of the school year!

I'll try the crayola markers I think Margo. Thanks for the tip. I'll raid my grand children's pencil box!

Check out this test: http://quiltingclimber.blogspot.com/2011/07/frixion-pens-evaluated.html

I will NOT use these pens for any quilting project, but they make great entertainment for the grandchildren to write secret notes to their friends!

For years I have used CRAYOLA WASHABLE MARKERS to mark my quilts, and have never had trouble washing them out of the fabric. You can read more about them here:
[url]forum/i-need-quilting-related-advice/4259-crayola-washable-markers[/url]

Thanks ladies and for the link to your blog, little flower! I am going to get one of the pens in a light colour and do some test samples. Thanks again.

I've used these pens. They have the problem that the ink doesn't really come out of the fabric with heat. It just disappears. If the quilt gets cold, the ink will come back. You can see this by putting a test block in the freezer. This may not seem like a big deal as you're probably not planning on leaving your quilt in the cold, but I heard about someone who used this for a show quilt and the cold of being in the hold of the airplane during shipping caused the marks to come back. Also, the ink does bleach some dark fabrics so you need to test it before using it.

Nancy

I think they're fine: here's a blog post I did from a class I taught last October. http://terificreations.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/creative-sewing-center-frixion-pens/

Has anybody any experiece of these rollerball pens by Pilot - they are called Frixion Pens - and come in a number of colours. They can be erased by using heat, as in friction from an eraser - or by using a domestic iron, and I believe can be used for marking before quilting on fabric. Many thanks!!