I appreciate the dryer idea for the quilt I mentioned. I have some photos I could forward if you’d like to see it.

I suspect if this were possible someone would have already invented it! I am waiting for such a miracle…. The good news is you don’t have to spend a lot to get a pen that’s worthy of your signature. After researching 62 pens and writing zealously with 37 of them, we have recommendations for ballpoint, rollerball, and fineliner pens that are affordable and satisfying to write with. Thank you for writing and reading Carol. It looks like you have found a path that allows you to use the pens in a way that works for you – bravo! I have had significant ghosting on light colored fabrics but if you’re testing, you would discover any possible issues before committing to marking your quilt.

Set2Go: New desk organiser

I do remember that the ghost marks did appear on a dark fabric, and remember the ol’ spit routine, and it removed the ghost mark. Also tried Best press, and the ghost mark disappeared. Have not had the marks reappear so far. I have not used them to quilt with and won’t. Maybe Grandma had it right, she marked her quilting lines with a graphite pencil. Just saying….

Smudging is when the ink smears and the letters you write blur. It’s particularly noticeable if you write left-handed or try to highlight something you just wrote. (Slow-drying inks that typically smudge can even transfer to other paper.) Great, worked with your particular set of circumstances! Go for it. If these pens worked for me I would be all over that-such an easy, clear, crisp mark. I think no matter what we use, we have to test. Thanks Maggie.

Frixion ball - Fine tip: new fashion colours

If you’re not familiar with Frixion pens, they are a line of pens and highlighters made by Pilot that are heat erasable. Frixion pens make a crisp, clear mark which goes on smoothly and easily with no skipping. After quilting, you simply steam the ink lines away and poof, they are gone! This seems like the Holy Grail of marking methods for us quilters. It is important to note that Pilot did not design the pens for fabric and did not test them on fabric while developing the concept.

Fast forward to fifty or a hundred years from now… Will future quilting generations look at our quilts and say, “Wasn’t it a shame those people used chemicals in their markers that caused the fabric and thread to disintegrate? And, just think, they did that even after they knew there were issues.” Thanks for the research. My question is since these pens leave marks that have to be removed with and ink remover or better yet scrubbed off why are they being sold as a quilters marking pen…….I think the quilters definitely have been mislead about the wonders of these marking pens! Great article, Thank you so much for writing it. I use them at cutting lines and also when I do embroidery and they will be covered by the thread.It really is something to consider Desmond-thank you for that perspective. I actually didn’t think too much about archival issues until the Frixion pen issue. Also, collectors are finding some of the art quilts that incorporate Tyvek are disintegrating What would be a good product to recommend a new quilter like myself if you are needed to mark on your quilt. I am not AS accomplished as many of you and require some guidelines sometimes but i am scared to death to use anything at all, not sure what really is best or ok.