Marker help
 

I am planning to make a wall hanging for my son's teacher that is having to retire at the end of March. It is unexpected and for medical reasons. So I wanted to make a tree and have different color fabrics for the leaves. And then I am going to let the kids sign their name on the leaves. What type of markers should I use that won't wash out or fade? I am planning on using the raw edge applique technique and thought I could wash it when I finished sewing so it would ravel out a little. Any bits of advise??? Thanks!!

Teri

Micron Pigma pen. Press the leaves to freezer paper before having the kids sign to stabilize the fabric. To make it easier, press the whole piece of fabric to the freezer paper. Then draw the leaves on for the kids to sign. I wouldn't cut out the leaves until they're all signed.

I agree - gramajo has given you very good advice! This is exactly what I would do.

I find Pigma Pens hard to write with. For kids I'd definitely get ZigWriters. The tips are more like Sharpies. They're archival and you heat set them so they don't wash out.

Awesome tips, thanks so much!!!

Do I keep the freezer paper on when I get ready to sew to the background fabric?

I would take off the paper after the leaves are signed. If you use the micron (and they are the ones I have used), the wider points are easier to use. Whatever you use, be sure and heat set them. I did an autograph quilt years ago and missed heat setting one and it pretty much washed out.

another idea that I did once with my Sunday school class as an in-service/outreach project was to iron fusible web onto fabric squares, trace members' hands and then cut them out and use the hands as leaves. Also, you could use gelly roll pens as well. They come in many many colors and average about $2 for each one.

Does heat setting consist of just running the iron over the signed fabric before cutting apart to sew to my background??

I made a memory quilt for my mil I used regular sharpie perm. markers I forgot to heat set it was washed and dried several times and did not fade at all

I learned the hard way. One large piece is MUCH easier to write on than lots of small pieces. :eek:

When I heat set fabric markers, it said to run the iron over the marker as if you are ironing (back and forth motion) for four minutes at high (cotton) setting.
Good luck! That's very nice of you to do that. I'm sure she'll love it.

Everyone has given you great advice. Whatever you plan to use, I suggest you test it out on the fabric you plan to use. I recently purchased a set of colored Bic and Sharpie permanent marker pens. Each set had about 6 or 8 colors. I was planning to use them on fabric for my quilt labels. As I wrote on the test fabric, I found they bled into the fabric. That is not bad if you like the affect, just make sure it is what you want.

I agree that the micron pens are hard to write with. You might want to have your son try writing his name on fabric once you decide what you want to use. Hope it all goes well. :) It will mean so much to your son's teacher.

As a retired teacher myself, I can tell you your son's teacher will treasure that quilt forever.

I am sorry I have no idea on the markers to use, but what a wonderful, loving gift!

You can use a medium weight double sided fusible attaching the same color to the front and back of leaf shapes and have kids sign them (the pointy oval types work really well). Then stitch down the center from one point to the other. Another nice shape for leaves on something like this are hearts. Then your leaves will have dimension and you can then appliqué a really cool trunk of the tree. Perhaps even having additional leaves on the ground of other staff members or even the kids parents that may have helped in the classroom. (My parents are both retired teachers and I've made my share of retirement quilts.....I like pigma pens but sometimes they are hard for kids to write with and I end up using a sharpie.)