Help!! Lots of old pencil marks
 

Hi, I’m new to this forum so please let me know if I’m posting in the wrong area. 😊. I have a dilemma...I made a quilt top about 25 years ago and drew the stencil quilting pattern using pencil!! Big mistake. I’m going to have someone quilt my finished top in a different overall pattern and not the one I penciled. I tried to get the pencil off using a fabric eraser, but it’s not working. Should I try hand washing it, maybe with shout? Any advise is welcomed. Thank you in advance!!

I would try some blue dawn mixed well in water. rub gently, then wash. do not dry in dryer. if that doesn't work, wash in Oxy clean. i spray spots and then wash. again no dryer until you are sure marks are gone. Good luck!

This might be a crazy idea, but quilt tops are usually pretty fragile with seams that could come apart with handling.....I might be tempted to just have it quilted....then bind it....and then work on removing the pencil marks....and If you could just toss it in the washer...that would save you some elbow work....If you want to go ahead and try and remove the pencil marks first....I would at least do some stay stiching around the quilt top if you have not already done that

I think i also would quilt it first, bind it, and then work on removing the pencil marks.

I totally agree, quilt and bind, then treat the marks and wash.

I had the same issue. I quilted a top that my Mom had made and marked and then stored for over 30 years. All the pencil marks were in the white areas. I quilted it up and then washed it, and they all were gone. This was a quilt for a sister and I knew she'd be happy to have it even if it did have light pencil marks - much better than not having it at all.

My Mom had planned on hand quilting it, and I did it on the LA.

Pencil marks can indeed be very difficult to get out. I do recommend using pencil but only on the back side of fabric. I have vision issues and have a hard time seeing the lines especially on busy scrap projects. I will often draw my quilting designs on parchment paper and then quilt through them -- and even then you have to be aware that the pencil marks can transfer through onto white thread.

In your case of having a marked top that is not quilted down, I would consider it very flimsy. The only time I wash something like that is if something happened like the cat peed on it.

As you've found, the fabric erasers are limited value. Any pink or other pencil toppers are likely to cause more problems than they solve.

Part of the problem with pencil is that there are little tiny bits of matter/graphite as well as staining from coming into contact with it. You might see if brushing over the lines with a toothbrush helps at all pre-quilting, and then maybe go over the lines again after quilting with the toothbrush and a bit of baking soda and a drop of water (mild abrasive, break down the graphite). That should still be safe for use on textiles but you would want to wash the entire top again after that.

In my years of quilting I had some heartbreaking lessons learned... I have never had to make a mistake to keep me humble, I am all sorts of humble. One of the things I've learned is things change and sometimes we have to accept that what we had in our heads and what we have on our beds maybe aren't quite the same things... Some of our flaws do loom large but fade over time. Some of us (dratted pencil lines) remind us that sometimes our decisions follow us way longer than they need to.

I use both! Oxyclean and dawn! Good luck with it after all of your work!

The same thing happened to me. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/frown.png I asked for advice on this Quilt Board as you are doing. Below is my post and the answers I was given. Just click on the link and it will take you to my post and the advice I was given. I tried the Dawn and Oxi-clean. Also white vinegar and placing quilt in the sunshine. Did every mark come out 100%...not for me. A few marks remained, but they were faded so much that I was happy with the results. Good luck and please let us know if you have success. I included a picture of my quilt. Ps. The pencil marks on my quilt are hardly seen once the fabric dries.

https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...t-t260871.html