Input please on Pilot Frixion gel pens for marking
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
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.
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
Your best bet is to buy one and test it yourself, that is what I did. I posted under Quilt in the freezer. I love them for drawing Red Work embroidery patterns because I stitch over the line and then erase any bits showing with the iron. I also like them for small sewing items. They definitely have a place in my sewing room. Would I use then to mark quilting lines on a quilt going to a show? Probably not but I have seen on major quilt blogs where others do. Frixion pens are like asking if you pre-wash fabric or not, it is a personal choice.
#14
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,558
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.
#15
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,558
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.
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.
#17
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.
#18
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.
#20
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.
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