Hi there,

I recently finished some items for a colleague that were embroidered. I had to center the text on the item with her business logo. To do this, I used a ruler and the blue chalk pen. I found that the chalk didn't 'steam away' as promised, so I filled a spray bottle with a weak soap solution and sprayed the items and quickly washed them - the color lifted with no problem.

The chalk pens come in white, yellow, and another color, I believe. I would have used white but my background was white. :( Does anyone know if this is problem with blue is normal or if there is a better way for marking/ blocking techniques?

Thanks!

This was the clover chalk pen....

I don't know if it's the same marker or not but my sister used one and she thought she would never get it out, I have a white chalk wheel but I can't get it on heavy enough to see very well and it brushes almost totally away during handling. I've tried those white pencils but the lead keeps breaking.

Kathy, I recently found a white pen that works quite well on black and dark colors. It dispenses a liquid that takes a sec to show up. I got so excited, it was almost like discovering chocolate for the first time! :lol: Okay, I may be exaggerating, but not by much. It really is a slick product. Check you local quilt shop.

Thanks for the reply Boo. As I said I'm at the end of the world but I do know there is a quilt shop about 70 miles from here. I've got to get something because this quilt has lots of dark green and blue in it. I have a blue wash away pen that I love but just doesn't show up on darks.

Do you ever shop online? I can give you a couple addies, but will have to research which have the pen. When you find it buy a few. You would hate for this to happen again.

I sure do shop online and would love to know where to find the marker

Boy, do I have a story. I bought one of those wash away felt tip pens that had a purple cast to it that fades away with time. It did a great job, just like it was supposed to. While marking a friend's herloom quilt, I grabbed a lookalike pen, same color inside and out, that turned out to be PERMANENT. And I mean with capital letters. :shock: I tried everything to get it out. Nope. Thank goodness it was in a small motif at the corner, and on muslin, so all was not lost. But I learned not to keep my pens and pencils in the same area as regular ones.

I once got one of those rare "factory mix-up" marking pens that the packaging said was supposed to disappear with water. Spent a whole morning stenciling a pattern into a medallion center...only to have it fade away by that very evening. Ye gads, was I upset!!! :shock:

At my Fiber Arts class in October the teacher had us mark the fabic with a chalk pencil she'd bought in the Art dept at a hobby store. I had to go and buy them (I'm a gadget junkie). These are wonderful, they come in black or white and are so...I don't have the right word...clear or dark, very easy to see your markings. I don't have to destroy my fabric for a faint line. It's made by Conti or Conte. A two pack ran about $5. which I thought was a little high, but I found a coupon to really help!! I don't know about washing away, I use it to mark designs on the back of fabric to cut out or in places that will be cut out and they work like a dream!! I'd never thought to go to the art dept!! lol

Kathy, The white pen that Boo sugested is the way to go.It works wonderfully.The lines are thin , crisp and remove easily. Happy Quilting. :D :D Pam