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I So Need Some Advice Marking a Large Quilt 110X110"
I've read so many posts about the Frixon Pen for marking fabric the pros seem to out weigh the cons in the threads. However I think I'm more conflicted than ever about using the Frixon Pens for this quilt. I've put so much work into this quilt already, not to mention the cost of materials I don't want to mess up now.
Here is my dilemma and I do mean dilemma. I've made 7 thousand color coordinated Yo Yo's, I started January 1st 2012, sewing those Yo's while watching TV at night, to cover a plain cloth quilt I've made for the Yo Yo's to be sewn to. The plain cloth quilt is a light weight white cotton with cotton batting. It is quilted and ready for me to start attaching the Yo Yo's. The reason I'm attaching the Yo Yo's to the quilt is that a King Sized area of Yo Yo's attached traditionally, tacked together at the 12~3~6 and 9 points of the Yo's, I felt would be too heavy and stressful on the 'tacking' points of a traditional Yo Yo coverlet. But tacking them to a quilt would give the quilt more life expectancy without coming apart as so many Yo Yo coverlets do over time. I marked the plain cloth quilt with DH help, lines horizontally with the disappearing blue marker on a huge conference table....Oh woe is me the lines have disappeared, in two days time! We live in the dry air of the Rocky Mountains so humidity nor water weren't a factor! This is a King Sized quilt and I need the lines to keep me from going wonky as I attach the Yo Yo's.... but I also need the markings to be removed once I'm done. What would you suggest? |
It would appear that you used one of the disappearing markers .... after so many minutes it vanishes!
The info about that would have been on the package when you bought it. I'm sure it was heart breaking for you ... a lot of work to do all that marking! If you're wanting to use the frixion pens ... try it on fabric samples of the quilt you are attaching your yo-yos to and see if you are happy with it. Duplicate whatever you have done to the fabric ... ie. washed, dried, starched, etc. Then mark with the frixion and iron it away. Also, launder to see the after effects. And a trip to the freezer might be worthwhile too. Then make your decision. The markers are great ... and give such a nice thin precise line. If you're attaching the yo-yos to the side where the markings are, then all will be covered up. If so, then why not just use pencil? |
At sewing day on Saturday a member had a table center piece that she had made and marked snowmen on it with a frixion pen. After machine quilting it, the pen came out beautifully from the cream fabric with snowflakes, but remained on the cream solid fabric & would not come out no matter what she tried. She was busy appliquéing squares over them & will need to re-quilt that portion of the snowman. Both fabrics were 100% quilt shop quality fabric so it really doesn't make sense, however it sure would make me hesitant to use it on a large quilt.
Could you run a plumb line across with chalk & then stitch that row of yoyos on and once that is attached, measure out from it each time? I have the blue wash out pen too, and find that if they are too old, the blue ink will disappear without being washed, not sure if it's because there's not enough of the ink/chemical stuff left in it, or what. |
Those blue and purple pens come in two types; one that disappears on it's own and the other with water. The second one you have to be careful and not get hot either by an iron or the sun, etc. You also need to surmerge it in water and let it soak or they'll come back. I can understand the Frixon Pen issue; I like them but would probably feel the same way. When I was marking a quilt I used a sliver of soap which works great unless it's on a light colored fabric. The other thing you can do is use the blue painters tape. It removes easily but will stay until you're ready for it to come off.
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I use the Frixon pens and really like them. I suggest if you want to use them that you test on some scrap fabric. I just use hot iron and it vanishes. But be sure to test on scrap so you know before you start if there will be any problems!!!!
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Instead of doing solid lines I think I would do dashed lines far enough apart to follow but where the line section would be under the yo-yo. Or the lines could be made so they go through where the middle of the yo-yo would be rather than the edges. I have also been doing yo-yos for a while and can't imagine what 7 thousand looks like, something like what a million dollars looks like I guess-can't imagine that either. Will be looking forward to seeing a posted picture when you finish.
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Why can't you use tiger tape (1/4 width) or blue painters tape to mark the top of the quilt? You might not beable to tape the entire quilt at one time but add a few rows at a time. Just a thought. I know my Mom made a quilt for a quilt show and sent it to the LA she had marked the quilt for quilting and the pen which was blue did not come out so she wasn't able to put it in the quilt show. She was very disappointed alot of work went into the quilt.
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I love the frixion pen and never have had it stay in. The iron takes it out and if i've forgotten to take the iron to it, the washer has taken it out. As mentioned - always pretest, wash, etc...
What about marking lightly on the fabric w/a lead pencil?? You'll be covering the line up, right? |
You can buy marking pens at Joann's, Hancock or online that disappear when you go over them with an iron or when you spritz them with water. They would work better for you.
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Why not use the Frixion pen to draw your lines and place the center of the yo yo on the lines? Even if they didn't come out, you wouldn't see them.
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