Ok, first let me say, I'm not big on washing my fabric before I quilt it. Unless it's say, bright spanking red and I have white going into it. That said I'm trying to make my husband an autograph quilt for his retirement from the military. I plan to mail a few small squares out to people who are not local first, collect them all, put the quilt together, and pass it around locally.

I've found a really nice muslin to use and was wondering if I should wash it before I cut out the squares to mail. Remember how I said I'm not big on washing fabric before. My main concern would be anything in the fabric that would make a sharpie bleed or would wash the ink out. I plan on asking everyone to use a permenent pen. If neither of these would be an issue, can I just cut and mail? I don't intend to wash it until after everyone has signed, just because of where it's going to end up and how many people would end up handling it, it would need the wash.

Let me know. Thanks

Well, if everyone uses a perm ink, it will be ok to sign before its washed. But, if you dont send the pen along with it.. you have no idea what they used.. and some inks will smear or wash out, whether you prewash or not.

What I do, when sending out squares for signature.. is this

Iron your square to a piece of freezer paper and draw a line on the freezer paper where you want them to sign..
Send the fabric on freezer paper, a pigma pen, and an self addressed, self stamped envelope for them to return everything to you, with a note to please return the pen along with the fabric..

This way you know what they are signing with and you can be sure it wont wash out.

I am making a signature quilt for my sister and her new husband. I was told it was best to wash the muslin before cutting as the material can have chemicals in it that would discolor the ink. I also sent along a permanent marker specifically for writing on material with a small request that the pen and the patch be sent back in the self addressed, stamped envelope. To help the person with the writing I pressed the muslin to freezer paper. I got all my patches and pens back and had some wonderful signatures and little quotes to work with.

Is there a specific pen anyone prefers?

Thanks for the help!!

muslin likes to shrink, as in it could shrink so badly that you can no longer clearly read the signed names. :(

Some people here like th Pigma pens, but they dry out easily if not properly cleanedand maintained (I was a draftsman for years and used them for work, they are not my friend).

If I was doing it I would send them a big square of muslin at least 6" square if not 8" and ask them to SIGN BIG. Then when I had the squares back I would take embroidery thread and stitch over the signatures setting them forever. Then you don't have to worry about bleeding or running, and if they sign big enough you don't even need to worry about prewashing.

I use Pigma pens and have never been dissapointed. Pigma is the brand name I think and they come it different size points..

If this is a one time project, they will work well for you.

If you, yourself, are going to ink on quilts, you can get fabric ink and pen sets, but they are expensive..and you wouldnt send them to your signers.

Good to know that it shrinks, I haven't used it for anything but making mock ups on clothes so far, so I've never bothered washing it and I always got the cheap kind anyway. This is nice stuff, I wanted to stand there feeling it. LOL. I'll wash it and pick up some pigma pens. Thanks all.

Liz, just use crayon....I know you have a ton of them :)
Oh, btw...I'm headed back to HI hopefully tonight.
Anything else besides LaJolla patch?

Taro chips? LOL

Ok, I'll check for them.
Any special flavor?