Thanks for the tips! I have the washable markers already (really, my son does). I'll have to try them.

I have had great success with Crayola washable markers designed for kids. It washes right out without affecting any of the colors and it's so much easier to see. If you find the blue markers are not strong enough to really see, you might try those. Also, If I were you, I'd try a sample with a control (no marking) to see if it's the colorfastness of the threads, and then several markers with the threads.

I made the mistake of using a red sharpie on the Golden Threads paper and quilting through it with white thread. The thread ended up a beautiful shade of pale pink, when all was said and done. I think I'll stick with the blue marking tools. Glad you liked the tip about the ice water!

Thanks for the replies to my question. The blue marking tool did not have any of the issues at all with changing the colors. The problem came with the Sharpies, even using the ultra fine pointed ones. I did like the tip about using ice water since our water here in the summer is really hot because the water heater is in the garage. (We turn the heat down so that only the pilot light is on during the hotter months.) With the blue marking tools, the heat sets the ink so it won't wash out.

As for our water, even though we live in Mesa, our water is provided from a water company in Apache Junction. We are less than a mile from the border of AJ, and used to be a part of that city. But when the builder went to build our homes, they annexed it to the city of Mesa, though they left the water with the AJ provider. It seems to be just fine for drinking, etc, though it's hard water like most places in AZ.

The water may not taste great (we use a reverse osmosis system for drinking water), but it's fine otherwise (as far as I know). I don't soak my quilts in the fitlered water, just the regular tap water.

My brother once lived in Mesa and they always used bottled water. Could the water quality be part of the problem?

Cornwoman wrote:
I realize my reply is a year and a half late, what the hay! I noticed you're in Mesa. I live in the northwest valley. When using the blue water-soluble marking pens, I always soak them in ice water (lots of ice), to cover, for 45 minutes to an hour. Our cold water is not cold enough to remove the markings thoroughly. Ever since adding ice and a longer soak-time than recommended, I haven't had any trouble (even on white). Hope this helps, even if it is a bit late. Beth in AZ

I mark my stabilizer using a bic pencil.

I'm fairly new to thread painting and using water soluble stabilizers, having only done a couple of blocks so far. But I have a concern and was hoping to hear from those of you with lots of experience so that I can resolve a question that is bothering me.

When I did my first thread painting, I used all cotton embroidery threads (I wanted a matte appearance) by Mettler, and marked the stitching areas on my stabilizer with one of those ultra-fine point Sharpie pens that the quilt artists on some of the TQS shows recommend. Some of the colors that I used were very light, and after I soaked the stabilizer off, the pen (at least I think it was the pen) discolored the thread, changing it from two different shades of pale pink to a grey. Afterwards, just to test the effects of my marking tools on the cotton thread, I did a test. Only the blue ink markers that either air or water removes left the color intact after soaking to remove the stabilizer. I also now have a Sewline marking pencil that uses ceramic leads that's washable, which I am assuming would not change the color.

When I did my second thread painting piece this week, I used Madeira rayon embroidery threads on a different brand of water soluble stabilizer that had been printed on a computer printer by a wonderful instructor (I took a class last month). She told me that she'd never experienced the color changing from the ink on the stabilizer. When I soaked the piece to remove the stabilizer, the lighter colors changed, and again "greyed" out on me. Needless to say, I was disappointed to have my work change like that, and have all of that beautiful color disappear. It did not effect the darker colors even a tiny bit, by the way.

So now my question is this---did the change to the lighter colors happen because the threads were effected by the Sharpie and printer ink, or did it change the lighter colors only because those threads were not colorfast and they absorbed it? If it was a colorfast issue, why weren't the darker colors effected at all by losing color? If it's because the Sharpie and printer ink bled into the two different fibered threads, how can so many fiber artists use them without experiencing these same issues? Are they using a different fiber (I would assume a polyester) that doesn't allow the inks to be absorbed when it gets wet?

I'm confused and am hoping that there are some answers out there among those of you with more experience who have faced this issue and found a solution. Obviously, if I am going to use up my Madeira thread chest or Mettler cotton embroidery thread, I will have to use the wash-out ink or ceramic lead in order to avoid it. But if there's a solution that involves a different type or even brand of thread, I would love to know about it for future purchases of thread. Thanks in advance for your help!