Fabric marker for non-washable fabric
 

I'm making a quilt that will be for decorative purposes only. The fabric is dry clean only. What kind of marker can I use?

I know about the heat sensitive pens but I read that if the temperature drops (I'm in Canada) the lines re-appear.

And I read that the air erasable ink sometimes doesn't go.

I'm wondering about tailor's chalk. Has anyone here used that? Does it brush off easily without damaging the fabric? What kind of brush is used? Any word of caution?

Thank you so much!

There are 3 options I'd consider -- it depends on your fabric which I'd choose:
1) Hera marker: it's not a true marker. It looks like a bone folder. It just creases the fabric a bit & you follow the creased lines.
2) Golden Threads: You mark your design (either with a pen or by punching a bunch of papers at once with your machine needle) and then pin the Golden Threads paper to your quilt top
3) Cheap white chalk: The kind you find at the dollar store or a clearance bin -- you'll also need a large sharpener. I usually find ones that are large enough in the beauty section (for "lip crayons"). The cheapy chalks brush off easier than the stuff you find in the quilting section. Many of those have stuff added to them to make them longer lasting. I've used a 2" wide paint brush to brush it off, but I think just about any brush would be fine.

Bree offered you some excellent alternatives. Be careful with what you use to mark the Golden Threads paper. I once got transfer to my thread. I used a water soluble pencil but it still didn't come out. I had to rip out the quilting and start over.

Definitely do NOT use Tailor's chalk. It is meant to be used in seam allowances to mark clothing pattern pieces and is not meant to wash out so avoid that.

I find the white chalk in this tool also brushes out easily but don't use the colored chalks:
https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Quiltin.../dp/B001UAJ7C6

I would not use a frixion pen. The company that makes them even states they aren't meant to mark fabrics and there have been some horror stories about them.

Another option is to test your fabric. Many fabrics are marked dry clean only but suffer no ill effects when hand washed or dunked to remove marks. If your test piece comes out unscathed you can then use water soluble pens made specifically for marking quilts.

If you just need to outline some shapes you can make a template of the shape out of freezer paper and iron to the surface. Once you have quilted around the shape you can peel it off with no ill effect to the fabric.

I've had issues with water soluble markers but have never had an issue with the purple air erase markers, other than sometimes they disappear before I get the quilting finished!

Cari

Whatever you decide on, do some tsting on acrap pices first - and then apply heat, clld, dry cleaning fluid - whatever - and see what happens.

I know that testing is " a bother " when one is all impatient to get voing - but it can sa e bours of aggravation later.

How are you doing Whatever you decide on, do some tsting on acrap pices first - and then apply heat, clld, dry cleaning fluid - whatever - and see what happens.

I know that testing is " a bother " when one is all impatient to get voing - but it can sa e bours of aggravation later.

Yes, me too! It works wonders!

A lot of time they put "dry clean only" on fabrics because they don't want to be responsible if the fabric has a problem in the wash. Dry cleaning is the cleaning of garments, fabrics, draperies, etc., with any of various chemicals rather than water. So "dry" does not mean dry. Do a test piece of fabric like others have said above.

I once bought my first pair of silk panties. Put them on, got dressed in a jumpsuit, and noticed that the tag in the panies was scratching me. Got undressed, took off the panties, and red the label. It said, "Dry Clean Only!"

Went to work and told everyone and we had a good time discussing how you would give your panties to the dry cleaner each week. I ended up just throwing them in the sink and washing them with detergent and water. Never had a problem.

another option would be a sliver of bar soap. i sometimes use it and use an old toothbrush to brush it off.
i like the Hera suggestion best, though

Thank you for your advice. I'm especially thankful for the caution regarding tailor's chalk! Although I can't wait to work on my project, I'll take the advice given here and I'll do different tests on small pieces of fabric.