Input please on Pilot Frixion gel pens for marking
 

Today at my LQS, I was told the above are fantastic to mark your tops for quilting. The LQS carries them but believe you could find them in any office supply store. You can mark you fabric, then either erase or what was suggested is to take a hot iron to the marking. I know, completely different than anything we've been told in the past. The iron removes the marking and it only comes back if the fabric is so cold it could freeze. I bought a couple but I'm a bit skeptical. Will fool around a little on some scrap.

Anyone else heard of or used these pens? Thanks.

They're great pens!

However, be aware that while the hot iron removes the ink ... sometimes there is a bleached line on the fabric (both dark and light fabrics) as a result. TEST it as you would use it ... with the identical fabrics and treatments, and make your decisions.

I love the ones I have, and most of the time, I use them on the back side to mark fabric, so the bleaching isn't really a concern for me.


And yes, they are the same pens as you can buy at Staples. I bought a pack with several different colours, for a lot less than the individual pricing would have been at the LQS.

love em. Use them all the time and have not had a problem. A blow dryer also makes it disappear or the dryer will do it.

Love them, too. I've been told that once the fabric is washed and dried that the lines won't reappear in the freezer (LOL). Better price buying multiples at Staples than LQS. I really like the blue one.

I use these pens all the time and love them--so far have not noticed any bleached out lines and use them on dark fabric all the time. And can't see the black ones on light fabric after using the iron on them. And yes, they are much cheaper at Staples or other office supply stores. So far have not seen them at Walmart tho.

I also use the pens and love how easy it is to iron off the marks....I have seen the lines left on darker fabrics, but don't think it is bleaching the fabric as it does wash out....always test fabrics with the pens to make sure there are no issues....I found them at the LQS in lots of colors, but would love for them to make one in white or at least something that shows on black/dk. brown fabrics.....am quite sure they never imagined their pens being used to mark quilts!

I use them all the time. I love them!!!!

There have been many, many threads here about them, you could do a search to investigate whats been said in the past. I won't use them. My concern is what remains in the fabric even after you "iron" the ink out. I prefer to use pens specifically designed for marking fabric.

The do come back if you use them on light fabric no matter how much you iron them

I think these are great pens. I use them in quilting, embroidery and appliqueing. I know there has been some issues with the designs coming back. My opinion is that if it gets that cold I'm not caring about a few marks on my quilt and neither will anyone else. I also have heard about them leaving a line on Batiks so I'd probably be more careful there. I won't quilt using them and normally go to Office Max to get them; there are so many colors which really helps in the quilting field.

These are designed for fabric. Some of those pens designed (blue) for quilts have their issues. If you get them too hot rather from an iron or leaving them in your hot car it'll set them in. If you don't soak them (most just rinse) they'll come back and if you've ironned in the meantime they may be permanent. If you get them the least bit wet your design is gone which can be a pain. Sometimes I use both depending on what I'm doing. I soak my fabric in water (hot if not the blue pens) sometimes with soap and then iron them when almost dry. Never had a problem

I love the & use them on a lot of my quilts.

A question- I have found the 3 pack of red, blue & black at Staples. Is there a silver or white available for marking on dark fabrics?

See, this is the part that most people think I'm talking about when I say I won't use the pens because those marks don't entirely disappear. I'm not worried about the marks coming back if I send my quilt to the North Pole and it gets cold. I'm worried about the fact that because they come back, there is obviously some ink still on/in the fabric, and nowhere does it say they are acid-free and archival quality! I'd much rather use my Sewline fabric pencil, which is designed specifically for fabric use.

I respectfully disagree. Who told you this? When I found my first Frixion pen 4 or 5 years ago, I did a LOT of research about them. I searched the internet and contacted the manufacturer. They were never designed for fabric. The manufacturer might be marketing them as such NOW, since there's been such chatter about them, but that still doesn't mean they were originally engineered for this purpose and contain acid-free ink.

But, to each her own. If you want to use them in your quilt, by all means do so. As I said, I still prefer to use products that I KNOW are safe.

They have less chemicals in the ink then in the fabric printing process. I use them, even for writing on paper.

I love mine, I did notice a line on the fabric when I had used a black one, but I had left the project several weeks, thought that was why and I haven't washed the project yet, I usually use the red one but am pressing as I go and haven't had any problems.

I just discovered these last week! My friend told me about them, and then we found some at a quilting/sewing garage sale. I used it on a darker batik and did notice a thin line that looked like bleach. It's small and not noticeable unless you know what you are looking for.

I was told by a company rep that they react differently on Batiks versus quilting cottons. BUT - can't remember what the difference is!!! I think the comments about white lines was the reaction on Batiks.

While I am aware of the problems with using Frixion pens, I confess that I use them often, usually on light fabric. So far, I have been pleased. I purchase mine from Staples. I do test them on a scrap of fabric before using them and do not use the on fabric that has a bleach line when heated.

The white line goes away with washing. At least the lines on my batiks and dark fabric did.

Since i wash my quilts when i'm finished, anything left after the heat causes the markings to disappear, is then washed out when after going thru the washing. Lead pencils were left in quilts for years and years and years. One word of warning though. If you live in a warm climate and you keep the quilt in the car, beware that your markings will disappear!! (says she w/ experience ;) )

I'm a big fan of them, too!!

You are 100% right about then coming back on some light fabric.

I've used the black pens for several years and LOVED them. No problems at all.

I got a pen for darker fabrics (Frixion) that was more like an orange marker. The markings would not come out of the dark green Hoffman fabric on a Grinch quilt. Very disappointing. (of course I did not test since the other pens worked so well. Lesson learned.

Yes, I have used them A LOT. BEWARE: that ink is in there forever. Granted, ironing causes it to become transparent but it is still there and should the quilt be i a cold place, the marks will return. There is nothing that will take that ink out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still use Frixion for certain types of marking but I attach a label to the quilt telling the owner that if the quilt becomes cold, the only way to cause the marks to disappear again is to use a hot iron.
If you use a scrap to test the Frixion pen, it may wash out with stain treatment solutions but be warned, once that ink is ironed to cause transparency, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, that will remove it!!

Don't use them. There have been too many problems reported. One on this Board reported marking and removing with iron and then taking quilt as a gift in car to a cold climate and the marks all came back. So you don't have to freeze the quilt. Also will bleach out some colors. So........don't use them unless in area that won't show.

I haven't heard of these pens until reading this post. I use crayola washable markers - but only for drawing on my quilting design when the quilt is in the quilting frame. Hand quilting, artist style one could say...

I found them at Walgreen's. I love using them & have found no problems yet. Haven't experienced the bleach line yet though.

I love the pens but beware the marks might reappear if the temp. is freezer cold. Also the warn about not using them on batiks. I use the pens only in the seam allowance.

i think they are fabulous. i have 4 different colors and i use them all. i have demo'd them at different classes and everyone who has seen them have been impressed. they work great. they iron off easy and i have left it on the fabric for weeks and it still has come off cleanly so i wouldn't worry about them at all.

Great point, I never thought about the iron actually setting the ink in, invisible or not, makes sense! I haven't used them except in seam since I ended up with white bleached lines on green cloth.

There was a gentleman at the quilt show that sold these pens. I asked him about a white one and he had a white crayon called a Chubby Crayon by Miracle Chalk. It works very well on dark fabrics and irons right off.

Why are people saying that when you wash the frixion, it washes out, and yet people are saying that it will never ever ever be removed from the fabric? My experience is that I used it, ironed it out, washed it, threw it in the freeaer, the marks did not reappear. That seems pretty "gone forever" to me.

Some people think they are ok. Some don't. And some who used to carry them when they vend do not anymore. Does that tell you anything? I do know of one professional, award winning quilting who will never use them or recommend them (The only one who said it to my face), I've heard of others, just not from their mouths. So no frixon's for me.
Judi

I love them,.

I love them. I tested the roller ball and highlighter types. I colored patches of each ink on a strip of white fabric, left them to dry, ironed them away, put them in the freezer and some of the color came back.

I washed them in my hands and all traces were gone. They did not come back in freezing. Since I wash virtually all my quilts before giving them away (to fluff and soften them and remove all the starch I use) I am not even a little bit worried about them.

I have tried to find evidence of the ink remaining in laundered quilts under a magnifying glass and even the areas where I used them to lay out guidelines for quilting, there is not a trace. Most of the marking is in the inseam, but I do use them to mark the spines for feathers, or the circles for the base of feather wreaths, etc. I mostly use the highlighter colors for marking for quilting.

I've heard that some of them leave whitish markings on dark fabrics after ironing and I've seen that, too - but never on a hand-washed or machine laundered quilt. :)

i saw these in a quilt store in florida while visiting so whish i had got one if anybody knows the name please tell us.
Thanks Gale

Use them all the time. I love them.