Memory quilt and fabric markers
 

Hi,

I had everyone make a quilt square at my daughter's baby shower using fabric markers. Grandson will be one in two months so I am starting the quilt for his birthday. Is there anything I can do to the squares to keep them from fading when washed? I hate to think of everyone's words and pictures eventually going away in the washer/dryer.

Thanks,

Karen

Oh, I hope someone posts that has seen the results of much washing. I've used the markers, but only on quilts that have been donated... so don't know if they stay.

Had you treated the fabric first with bubble jet the messages would be permanent. The ink will eventually wash out and fade, but there will be a few washings before that happens if the ink went through the fibres to the other side of the fabric. You could also trace over the ink.

Fabrics fade with numerous washing so I would suggest you make it into a walling hanging if you want to preserve the ink and fabrics.

You know, that might be a good idea. I just started looking at the squares and thinking how I want to design it, so, depending on the number of squares, a wallhanging might be better. Ironically, I have Bubblejet but never thought to use it. :(

My sis always embroiders over the ink--wall hanging wounds easier!

I agree. Embroider over the writing either chain stitch by hand or slowly on the machine almost like free motion.

Hi Karen,

I have used a product called Acrylic Medium (Liquitex mediums work great) to make my artist acrylic paints into fabric dye. The Acrylic Medium is a clear liquid product. Acrylic mediums are mixable with water and are heat set with an iron.

I have not tried this yet, but I plan to mix the acrylic medium about half and half with water and spray it onto tea dye or fabric marker on fabric to use as a mordant. I believe this would work well, but please try it on a test piece with your fabric marker first. Lightly spray the liquid onto your markered fabric and heat set it with an iron.

I have fabric that I have dyed with the acrylic paint mixed with the acrylic medium (made into placemats). This fabric has been washed over and over and looks brand new.

Here is a link to some information. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make...-Fabric-Paint/

I bought this pen not long ago and have washed a piece of cotton that I wrote on with it in hot water, Tide pod, bleach and oxy clean. Every time I had a load of laundry I tossed it in. The white cotton is dingy but the writing is still like the first day I wrote it. It is Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric.

My friend and blog partner just did an in-depth experiment for marking pens for a wedding quilt she planned to make. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to give a link to her post with the interesting results. I will tell you that her experiment found that Nano-Liner markers by Royal Langnickel gave the best results, with no fading and bleeding.

Another idea I love is to have the shower guests make quilt blocks for the child. The one I did for a friend was a cute fish theme. I cut background blocks, fish bodies, fish eyes, fish lips, fish fins, fish tails... you get the idea. They were all different shapes and bright colors. I backed everything with fusible web. Each guest picked the body parts for one fish and fused it onto the background block. Some people wrote good wishes or words of advice to the child on their block. I took the blocks home, added sashing, quilted it, and gave it to the parents-to-be. It turned out to be one of their most treasured gifts they received for the baby, and everyone at the shower had a lot of fun assembling their fish.

However, I'm not sure how much any of this helps you at this point. Sorry.

The only thing I can think of is to not wash the quilt. Make it a wallhanging instead.