Thanks Rita, good thoughts on this. I think marking black silk is a "whole nother ball game". I marked mine with Bohin, well, it was Fons and Porter's, which is the same manufacturer and product, and it was totally gone by the time I got half way around my border. In the end, I had the full sized pattern right next to what I was quilting and was "drawing" out the leaves and berries and swirls with my quilting. I tested a little Frixion on it, you couldn't see it, and when I tested it on lighter silks, it would not completely go away, but I think using it on cottons is probably a different situation. They certainly are nice marks, as are the Crayola washables. You can really see them. Lots of quilters use them.

Rita,
Thank you for sharing what you have learned about marking. I have seen a few blue marking pens at the quilt store, but I have never used them. I mostly do very simple quilting and use a Hera marker. Which brand of blue water-soluble marker do you use?

Judith

Rita, Thanks for your thoughts regarding Frixon pens, I agree with what you said. Perhaps there is more scare around them because they weren't designed and never intended for fabric. I agree, if it reappears heat it again. If it's going to Houston… Well, I don't have to worry about that?

I have used frixion pens a lot. In fact I used them on my most recent quilt which I posted photos of on the CW topic here on TQS. I used the friction pen in the white, yellow and purple areas. I use a steam iron to remove the markings when I have finished quilting. I have sent several mini-quilts from Ireland to America and none of them (as far as I know) have had the markings return. I even checked with AAQI when I sent one and then read a topic about it here, but the quilt was fine according to them. So here's my view, I make quilts to be used, not for exhibition, most of the time. When I use a frixion pen on a utility quilt which I give to somebody as a gift I tell them that if marks ever appear they should iron the area with a steam iron or wash it, whichever they prefer. As for the long-term effect, I won't be around to witness it. Who knows perhaps the thread or fabric will disintegrate before the frixion pen lines do the feared damage. I always recommend that my quilts are washed in the washing machine at 30ºC and dried in the tumble dryer until almost dry, leaving the last bit of drying to be done in the air. This is what I do and I have never had a problem. But I always prewash my fabrics (not my batting).

I wonder how much testing has been done on the blue water-soluble pens that all the professionals use? Or the blue air-soluble pens?

As for marking a dark area of a quilt, I use the Bohin chalk pen. I have found this the best because it comes off easily with a wipe with my Machingers gloves. If that isn't enough then I dampen a microfibre cloth slightly and use that. I don't know how chalk works with silk BJ so I can't help you there. I have used the Sewline white, pink and yellow fine chalk pens and found that the yellow and pink don't come out, particularly on white fabric. So now I stick to the Bohin chalk pen. If I am going to think about entering a quilt in a show I will use either the blue water-soluble pen or a mechanical pencil.

Just my tuppence worth.

The freezer test is important because of shipping quilts. If you ship a quilt it has the possibility of getting very cold along the way. It has happened that quilts that leave the maker's home with no marks arrive at the destination with the marks. If you are never going to have to ship your quilts, it is probably ok, unless, heaven forbid, the power goes out in the winter.

Thanks Nancy. I think I'll try them on some dark silk.

I use Clover white marking pens all of the time on dark cottons. I've never tried on silk so can't give you any experience there. I love the markers on cotton. The line is very visible and doesn't rub off, but always comes off with ironing. They are a bit disconcerting to use because it takes a couple of seconds for the mark to appear so I'm always thinking the pen isn't working. But it always shows up when I'm patient. I haven't tried the freezer test on these. As always, you should test for yourself on your materials to be certain.

Thanks for all the information. I just can't figure out why anyone would put their quilt in a freezer? Am I missing something? Please let me know why the freezer test is so crucial??!!???

Thanks!

I have been very happy with using Crayola Washable Markers on my quilts that I wash. The markers stay on until you wash it, and they come out completely. There is nothing left behind, so you can even stuff your fabric in the freezer and it won't come back. I was told by one of my friends that aids in judging quilts that occasionally even a show quilt will have the marks show up in shipping from Frixion Pens. I think they are great for use where you aren't going to see it even if it isn't removed, but I would never use them to mark the top of a quilt where you are going to see them.

I am looking for a good marker that will show up on black silk or black silk/cotton Radiance and not rub off before I get just a little ways into the quilting. I usually don't wash black silk based quilts, so I can't use Crayola Markers on it even if they showed up, but you can't see them. Also, markers for any color silk that isn't going to be washed would be so wonderful. I tried the Frixion on silk, and it did disappear with ironing, but came back on the piece I put in the freezer for testing.

Has anyone tried Clover white marking pens? Do they have any unintended effects?

Hummm have two pens one red and one blue! I'll do some testing for sure.
Barb

The first time I had ever heard of these pens, was when Sharon Schamber had won a major prize at Houston Festival and she said she marked all of her quilting lines with it. Traced all of it to her white quilt fabric with a black pen! At some point I bought a pen for myself and tried it. The word friction was in my mind, so I tried using friction, by using the rubber end and rubbing, and it did not come off. I was disappointed! So, after reading this thread, I caught the words "iron it." Well, duh! I don't think I remember Sharon saying that. So, I just got my black pen, some white fabric, and tried it! You gals are amazing! It worked like a charm! But, I will always test pen colors and fabric first before any large job!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

I use them for making bags, too, and they work really well there. I used them on an Alzheimer's quilt and had them come back with the code and no amount of steaming would get the lines out,, but they were subtle so I still sent it in. I did also try soaking the little quilt in water, but didn't try any soap and that didn't help, either. The first time I saw one of these pens years ago was at a quilt retreat where a lady had one. I tried a sample line on a dark fabric (not a batik) and it looked like the pen had bleached a line when I ironed the ink. I still have several of these pens and will use them for marking piecing lines and things like that and am not averse to using them after testing for other purposes. It really depends on what I'm doing and how the quilt will be used. A lot of top professional quilters use these pens, but I'm sure they do some testing first. As with all tools, they are wonderful if you use them with care and knowledge.

My suspicision with the batiks is that it has something to do with residual wax left in the cloth from the printing process.

I have red, black, blue and yellow. I think I tried them all with the same results. I think they are wonderful for some work I do. I probably would never use them to mark quilting lines on a quilt but for construction marks in seams I think they are great. I love to use them when I make bags.

Another tidbit: Did anyone see the latest quilt show with Lynn Wilder? She mentioned using the Frixion pens.