I marked the quilting lines on a table topper with yellow chalk and it didn't come out when I washed it. Any suggestions???

Thanks,
Joy :(

I was reading on this topic. It said you need to be careful what kind of chalk you use. Not all chalk is created equal and can be used on quilts. You may want to use a soft tootbrush and water and see if it comes out. Are you may need to use Oxy soap. Good luck hope it works. Look on chalk package and maybe contact manufacturer.

Did you notice before it went in the dryer? Heat can set some marks.


I have some flat yellow tailors chalk that I am scared to use because it seems waxy.

It is from a marking chalk kit that I bought from Fons and Porter.
I might try a soft tooth brush with a mix of water and spray n wash.

I never did put it in the dryer. I will keep trying, just wondered if anyone has any ideas. thanks.

write to fon's and porter they may give you a hint of how to get the chalk out. worth a try :D :D

i've read in a few places that yellow is the hardest to get rid of. in a place that doesn't get seen, i would try hairspray. what color is the fabric?

the fabric is a creamy color

Try a foam paintbrush. It works for me.

I use marking chalk I always test first but sometimes that dose not work then I take my stane stick ( for quilts that I got at Joanns) and use that.

Oh no...I don't know how to get it out, but I feel for you and hope you find the answer. You'd think Fons & Porter would be able to let you know...after all... :roll:

if you have some more of the fabric, make some "test' patches with the chalk on it and see what works, how the fabric is affected by different cleaners and what cleaner takes the chalk out. Be sure to mark the patches so you know which one's which. That way, you don't experiment on the quilt itself. I would try Formula 409 first. I've used that on fabrics with grease spots and it's never bothered the fabric.

Thank you to all for the suggestions.
I have made notes and will be trying things today.
Will let you all know the results.

thanks again, Joy

if that is the flat chalk that is wedge-shaped on two sides and doesn't feel at all like 'chalk' but more like crayons, then i have had good luck using it for dressmaking. that stuff has to be pressed. i know it sounds like the stuff will melt and leave a smear, but i never found that to be true. try it on some scraps. please let us know what your results are. i have all colors and i never thought to use them for marking quilts. of course, i would have to find them first.

Try using a clean eraser from a pencil...or a fabric eraser...:)

I just use plain white school chalk. I sharpen it in a hand sharpner. When my kids were little I figured out the color stuff stained :D

[I am a longarm quilter and designer. the only chalk I use on my quilt tops are General's chalk pencils - white and gray. I also use the air-eraseable pens that you can get at walmat - they disappear in the air.

christy dillon

sometimes i do a scrappy quilt that is SO srappy that there is no one color that WILL show. usually they are dark backgrounds with light bright busy florals all different colors. what to do then? (i do try not to do that anymore.)

When I do that..I draw on tracing paper or even toilet paper and pin it to the quilt rather than marking on the quilt itself. It works for me!

you need to keep all three marking tools on hand (white & gray chalk, purple air eraseable pen) - use multiple time when needed. If you have a quilt that is that busy - a pantograph is usually the best bet.

christy dillon
www.mycreativestitches.net

i haven't ever used the pantograph on my longarm, and i forget it's even there. but that's a great idea. this might be the time to practice. thanks for that reminder.

I just learned a tip from one of the embroidery sites. When trying to remove the blue pen marks...if it doesn't come out...try a drop of fresh lemon juice. They said it works wonderfully.

Did you get the marks out?
I marked with blue chalk a wallhanging just last night. I didn't like how the design looked so I took a toothbrush to wipe it off - like I do with the white chalk. Oh NO! It just seemed to spread and blur and make it worse! Tried wiping off with a damp cloth. This is on an off white background. A friend recommened OxyClean so I will give that a try.

jbud, is the chaulk fabric chaulk? If so, why not have used just the plain ol white fabric eraser? Just curious...SKeat

I tried the eraser after the toothbrush. I did the oxyclean stuff. The line is barely shwoing but I know it is there. I guess I will be picking stitches.

Yes it is fabric chalk real fine in a tube that has an attachment that has fine toothed wheel that the chalk comes rollling out on.

At this point, I'm not sure if this is helpful or not, but I use Dustless Chalk from the teacher's store for marking.
It always comes out.

I have Roxanne's Quilters Choice marking pencils that I bought at an LQS in So Cal. They have worked really well, and they come in white and silver in a plastic storage tube.