Heat erasable pens
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,507
I like the heat eraseable pens but I find the mark comes back white so I use it mostly only on the back side of my fabric where it doesn't matter or if it's on a seam, I'll mark it just a hair over into the seam allowance so it won't show up later.
#13
Member
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Georgia
Posts: 21
I just bought some Madam Sew Heat Erasable Pens on Amazon and they are a game changer! I never tried this product before and I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE! They instantly disappear with the touch of an iron, but the marks are bold and easy to see until you need them. They are gel pens that mark very easily on your fabric, no tugging or dragging.
Just wish I had tried this sooner!
Just wish I had tried this sooner!
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Finger Lakes of upstate NY
Posts: 3,592
Donna, I would use those as I would the Frixion brand - with extreme caution. Although the thermo ink will dissipate, I suspect that, like the Frixion brand, there is a gel component that remains. Herra marker or painter's tape is all I am comfortable using on the front of any fabric that is not in a seam allowance.
Re Carol Doak's paper: Yes, it is the same as newsprint. I buy newsprint by the ream from Amazon. Always under $10, usually about $6. If I cannot get that when needed, I look at school writing paper (the kind of paper that primary children learn to write on). Even if it has blue lines on it, I can still use it. Both run through my printer with no issues.
Re Carol Doak's paper: Yes, it is the same as newsprint. I buy newsprint by the ream from Amazon. Always under $10, usually about $6. If I cannot get that when needed, I look at school writing paper (the kind of paper that primary children learn to write on). Even if it has blue lines on it, I can still use it. Both run through my printer with no issues.
#15
Frixion pens specifically say Do Not Use on fabric. Reappearing lines may not be so much of an issue in warmer climes. However, if you have ever seen antique signature quilts where the ink has rotted the fabric, is this what we may experience in the future using Frixion pens? I am not a chemist, so I can't speak on the ink ingredients, but I would like to believe the people who signed the antique blocks thought their ink was safe. I am not going to chance it.
Just my thoughts...
Just my thoughts...
#16
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,548
I for one have no concern if the fabric in my quilts starts to rot away in fifty years. By then there will be a machine to scan and reproduce the exact product mistakes and all. Probably put my dna all over it too. LOL
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 847
BTW- my aunt made us a wedding quilt 20 + years ago and the fabric is breaking down. And she didn't use Frixion pens. And she has won blue ribbons for her work (including my quilt) so everything was done "by the book*
#18
Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Orlando,Fl
Posts: 4
I have had the pleasure of buying several packages of Frixion pens this past year. They are now being offered in a multitude of colors, brights and darks alike. Yes, they Do erase by pressing the marks with an iron. It works like Magic! I got mine on Amazon. They are now my favorite go to for marking quilts before stitching. The only thing is they don’t come in White,, which is always needed when marking black or navy, or dark fabrics.
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,751
I have used the Frixon pens for marking quilting lines. I am careful to stitch right on the marked lines. When I can, I use a color ink to match the thread. When I'm done quilting over the lines, I use a Blow Dryer vs an iron to erase the ink. To me its better as I'm not stretching the fabric with an iron. So far I haven't had any lines reappear. It doesn't get very cold where I live.
#20
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,591
Oh boy. Heat DOES NOT "erase" the ink, it simply makes it not visible to your eyes. Do a search here and look at how many people had "ghost" lines show up later that are impossible to remove, even with washing. Use at your own risk - especially since the manufacturer does not recommend.