Frixion Pens

[Betty J.]

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

[Betty J.]

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.

[Rita C.]

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. :cheer:

[Lois B.]

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… hmy: hmy: Well, I don't have to worry about that? :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Judith A.]

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

[Betty J.]

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 C.]

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?

[Betty J.]

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

[Nancy R.]

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.

[Beth A.]

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

[Catherine P.]

sound advice always test
Catherine

[Catherine P.]

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 !!

[Catherine P.]

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

[Catherine P.]

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 :whistle: :lol:

[Catherine P.]

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