What do you use to mark fabric? There are a number of different ways, some more modern (and some more effective) than others: Having said that, I really don’t have a single marking solution that works on all or even most of my fabrics. If you or anyone you know (and trust!) ever does a Craftsy class or other web tutorial on quilt marking, please let me know — I’d be first in line to sign up! Frixion pens combine gel ink and thermo ink. You are marking your quilt with a gel pen that disappears. 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. Even if you write with a heavy hand and create indents on the paper, FriXion ink will disappear so long as heat is able to reach it. The “erased” sections can be written over and “erased” as many times as needed.

We sometimes take for granted just how often we need and use pens in our daily lives and the moment you desperately need one, there never seems to be one to hand. Our exciting WHSmith range encompasses thousands of styles and pen types so you need never be without one again. If you’re a dedicated handwriting aficionado, browse our selection of stylish fountain pens from Parker fountain pens to LAMY, Cross and Caran d'Ache for the ultimate writing experience. For those destined to scribble on every paper surface available, our selection of ballpoint pens, rollerball pens and gel pens are easy to use and beautifully designed. Thank you, all, for your thoughts and sharing your experiences. Many quilts take a significant amount of time, the cost of the materials can also be significant. Each of us must decide whether the risk is worth the use of the Frixion pen or other chemically-based products.Quilters wrote articles noting that if the marks reappeared in the cold, it was because the quilter did not thoroughly steam the marks. This simply is not the case. The ink combination used in the pens has two parts-one part makes the mark and one part makes the mark disappear. There is still ink left on your quilt after steaming, you just can’t see it. The ink is still there and will reappear in the cold. We have not had decades of time to learn whether the Frixion chemicals, designed for use on paper, will affect the fabric. There may be no change whatsoever or the inks-on-fabric may experience an unexpected change. Nobody knows. Only time will provide the answers. This is my fourth and hopefully my final post on Frixion pens. A recent discussion on FaceBook prompted me to explore this one last time. Some prominent quilters and artists have said things about the Frixion pens that I have not found to be true in my own experience, so I needed to get the facts. I ended up talking directly with a rep at Pilot to get the facts. Frixion pen I know of a person who filled out some paperwork with a Frixion pen, and gave the papers to someone else. Of course she left them in a hot car, not knowing what could happen. Oh no! It’s blank! So the author re-wrote the paper, not knowing that the freezer would solve this issue. I do think we need to continue to pass the word about the “hazards” of using these pens. It has a fine nib and is easy to use, meaning you can mark accurately for better results when sewing.

Frixion pens sometimes leave a ghost mark after steaming. This is the thermo ink showing on the quilt, not the gel. The Pilot rep said to rid the piece of ghost marks you would need to treat it with the ink removers listed above.For me, I will not use these pens very often because I frequently do competition pieces. I cannot risk having any problems with the marking method I use. I think they are great pens for other marking needs but we need to be aware of their limitations. And remember that the Pilot pen company did not design these pens for fabric. As a side note, the quilts I make are not for competition, they are for snuggling under, the clothing I make is for wearing, and as such are laundered just as anyone would regularly launder an item (I doubt most people would even know where to by Quilt Soap).