Frixion pen warning!
 

Have you tried the new Frixion pens from Pilot?? Naturally they were designed for something else.. but quilters figured out they are wonderful for marking quilts. I use them to mark my redwork project. They write beautifully on the fabric then you just steam out the lines when you are done.
They are great to use.
So here is my little warning.
I have all my latest redwork squares ready for a quick pick up project. I traveled to my sisters 2.5 hrs away the other day. When I pulled out my redwork to work on many of the lines were gone. So how does that happen you ask?
The hot summer car steamed away my lines. YIKES!!!
Thank goodness I only brought one of the squares with me. It will be a quick fix to re-do the lines but may have to travel with the redwork projects in the cooler!

Stick the squares in the freezer, the marks will come back.

I agree with Scissor Queen. I read that somewhere out in cyber world just the other day. I also saw that the lines never completely go away and it is unsure if they can cause damage in the future to the fabric. I have 2 of these pens (blue and black) but haven't had the opportunity to use them yet.

freeze it was my first thought, too :thumbup:

Thanks good to know, I have a set of these pens!

freezer was my thought, too.....I wash the quilt when i'm finished - purposely left some of the lines there and they came out. Now, i will admit that i did not stick the quilt in the freezer to test it.

And if you stuck it in the freezer they would have all shown back up again; That's the other side of the coin; they disappear with heat and come back with extreme cold

You can only freeze it once. I read that after you freeze it the one time, the marks will not come back if you wash it or apply heat (iron or dryer). I've been using the pens for several months and haven't had any problems with them.

I like them for marking on white or light fabric, but have found they bleach out dark fabric. I just avoid them now, except to mark inside garments I'm sewing.

Love the frixon pens and have never had the problem of the lines not disappearing permanently when I wash my projects.

once the item is washed the marks are gone....but till then you can iron and then freeze then iron etc. many times.
we stopped 'testing' at 25 times on a fat quarter...then washed it and it marks did not re-appear when frozen....do not know if chemical is actually truly gone or just not visible.....

as for the students who buy used but unmarked textbooks and then put them in the freezer...hope the previous owner was an 'A' student......

In middle school the blank piece of paper that is passed in class...becomes a note when wrapped around a cold juice or soda can at recess.........tech savy kids today

You gotta love that "creativity" of those middle school kids!!! This gives me something to watch out for next school year!! LOL!!!

I love my Frixion pens. I use them often to mark myFMQ lines. So far they have worked well. I have not used them much on darks. Yesterday I was machine embroidering a shirt for my dad. I marked a box on a medium blue t-shirt to keep my embroidery straight. I used a black Frixion pen. When I ironed it out it left a light line. I had an OMG I ruined it moment. I washed the shirt and the line is gone. I will have to make sure I test it on my fabrics in the future before making a whole quilt

i have tested it on dark fabrics - got the white line, so i use something else on dark fabrics. You took it one step further by washing it, i did not do that - will have to try that. I also love my frixion pens for marking my quilts!

I love the Frixion pens as well and now they have them Highlighters too. I love this idea as I can use them on my patterns without leaving a permanent mark on them. I just high light the area I need then remove it..... :-)

Oh and an FYI you can get them at Staples if you happen to have them in your area...also Amazon.com

I have read that if you use them on fabric that has been treated with starch the lines will fade in the wash but not come out completely. I use the pen carefully.

I've used them quite a bit and have had no problem. None of my quilts have gone to extreme cold so I'm not worried yet.

I used a red one quite some time ago on dark fabric and it left behind a white line. Now I only use them to draw on back of fabric.

Seems like when I bought mine, the girl said a hot iron will remove the seam and a little water will bring the line back. She also said the quilt or item would need to be washed with soap to remove all the ink for good.

Just used my frixion pilot pink FX7 on black, guess what, I now have a permanent white line. Tried everything and now I am ripping put and replacing the strips.

I love my Frixion pens. I did my own test on a white on white quilt. After I steamed the marks away, I washed it in the washing machine with regular detergent. Then I put the whole quilt in the freezer for a couple of hours. The marks did not come back. So, then the quilt went in the dryer.

thank you for the info

Getting it cold will cause the lines to appear as a white line, they will not come back in their original color. The ink remains will wash out of the fabric, multiple tests have been done,and the ink DOES wash out.

Please use all these disappearing pens with caution. Think of what they might do to your fabric in 50 or more years. I wouldn't use them on anything that I want to last a long time. A fine lead mechanical pencil works and won't alter/rot/reappear.
SandyQuilter

Well I've been thinking about doing some Redwork but now I think you have me convinced! Another thought, if you have central AC and not using a vent, try laying your work in a thin box (like a thin gift box) and laying it over the vent! I keep my potatoes cool in the kitchen like that! Keeps for ever!! Good luck!

Sandy does have a point! Good thought!

I have black and red and use all the time for cutting lines where any marks left end up on inside.

I love these pens and use them all the time. Yes if you put them in the freezer the marks will return.

The marks do come back if you put the fabric in the freezer, but after you wash the item a couple of times the marks will not return. I love the Frixion pens.

I haven't tried the one I purchased, but was thinking that I would probably use it the most when making HST's so it would not affect/effect (can never remember which one to use without the dictionary) the quilt - I would love to use it when doing applique, will have to try it on a block to see what happens before doing a lot of them.

Same here, they leave a bleach line on dark fabric. I only use them now to mark a place that will be sewn, and not seen.

I also found that they leave light lines after I supposedly ironed them out on dark fabric. I will avoid using them from now on.

OH show me the kid who passes a note in school, they just text.... we are showing our age when we talk about passing notes. lol

When washed, does the white line come out?

Oh no!! They still pass notes!! And oh my!!! The notes that i intercept!!! Sheesh!! they can make me blush!!

someone said that when the quilt is washed the white line disappears - as w/ everything - i will have to try that.

Do the white lines wash out or are they still there after washing? Inquiring minds want to know.

NO, they stay. Only use these pens if you do not want the marks to show.