they disappear quickly. but to permantly remove them , you have to use a very hot steam iron. to melt away the gel that is in them..Lynette

One doesn't need to be sending a quilt for competition or into outer space. Living in a colder climate and just having said quilt in a vehicle in wintertime will be sufficient for the Frixon marks to come back. Sometimes having marks come back is wanted, for instance marking for embroidery etc. then needing to iron to set crayon embellishing for instance, the marks will disappear but place it in the freezer for awhile and the marks will come back for embroidery. Use with caution.

Here is an example of Crayola Washables on a washed wall quilt I made:
First, the marked detail:

Now the quilt after completion and washing:

Crayola washables have to have sufficient water to go away. They will go away if you soak your quilt for blocking, but not for those that just get spritzed, I don't think. They are really reliable for quilts one soaks for blocking or washes on the other hand. I have even ironed over them and still had them wash out completely never to return.

Will lines drawn with Crayola Washable Markers disappear just by spritzing with water? Wondering if I could use them on a wallhanging that I don't intend to wash.

Our applique group used the Frixion pens to mark the layout of applique on a quilt we were entering into a contest. The marks disappeared when ironed and we were happy. However, the finished quilt was shipped from Canada to a site in the US and was shipped by air. When the quilt was returned, the marks were back larger and stronger then the originals and needless to say we didn't win any prizes in the competition. Eventually we were able to remove the marks but who knows if they are gone for good. Please use this pen with extreme caution. wkd

I've been using Frixion Pens for about 3 years now and love them. I use "STEAM" to remove the markings rather than just regular heat. Unless someone is going to put their quilts in the freezer, why would you need to worry about marking coming back? Many as have I used graphite pencils and have had those marks stay around a lot longer and learned my lessons long ago with that because they don't wash out easily and even some chalks stay around. Then again, I don't need to worry about sending my quilts to Houston for judging or outer-space for that matter

I love frixion pens and have never had a problem with getting rid of the marks. BUT I am unwilling to use them on baby quilts. I have no idea what chemicals are in them. Since the marks come back if the quilts get really cold, it's apparent that the chemicals don't go away, they are just in hiding.

Anyone know what the chemical is and whether it might be an irritant?

Jean

I always keep a small travelling hairdryer by the side of my machine when using Frixion pens for quilting. I 'quilt a bit, dry a bit' .
Always worked for me !!

sound advice always test
Catherine

I used various colors of Frixion pens to mark a quilt my daughter pieced from Kona solids as a graduation gift for her sister-in-law. I had used the Frixion pens on other quilt projects and the marks came out like a dream, so I never gave a second thought about using them on this project. Because of that, however, I was already half way through marking the quilt before I thought to check whether the marks could be removed by ironing. I was absolutely sick to see that the marks were not coming out! I tried water and lots of other tips. I finally just switched to another marking system and hoped for the best. I always wash my quilts afterward in cold water and then warm water, anyway. After the first wash, the marks were all gone.

I'm not sure that I would worry about the marks only coming back when the quilt is exposed to cold. My quilts are used, not displayed and preserved, and, as far as I'm concerned, a problem that can be fixed by washing in warm water is not a real problem.

Those who worry about this problem are perhaps more "archival" quilters than I am. To avoid the type of heart attack I almost experienced, however, I would recommend testing the pens to be used on the fabric ahead of time.

BethMI

I haven't tried the duo pens, but I use the blue pens a lot. I recently got a product called "Blue Line Eraser" for removing these marks and it works great! You can remove the marks with water, but you really need to soak the quilt to get the ink out. If you just spritz, the marks generally spread out and come back. With Blue Line Eraser, the marks disappear immediately and don't come back. They claim it will also get out the marks that were accidentally ironed and made "permanent", but I haven't tried that myself. I use the Blue Line Eraser when I change my mind on the quilting or if I want to see what the quilting looks like without the marks before I've finished the quilt. Obviously, if I don't need to remove the lines until I'm done then I can just soak in water to remove them, and that's a lot cheaper. I also always soak my quilts in water when I'm finished to get out the Blue Line Eraser, just in case, even though I don't think you need to.

I have not. I use primarily Crayola washables...cheap, effective, visible, washes out completely. I wonder how those duo pens would work on silk.

Judith, I use whatever brand I can find at my LQS. This time it was a Clover one which she assures me is much better than some others. I did get one at Birmingham last year which did not have a makers mark on it and when I went to use it it was dried up. I just got a new one to try that comes in a pack of two. One is the marker and the other is the eraser. They are called 'Duo' by Sewline. The eraser also erases the blue Clover marker so I am wondering if the eraser is just water with a bit of alcohol in it or something? Has anybody tried these Duo pens?