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Jenny – thanks for the wonderful research and summary. When I first heard about Frixion pens, I thought they were the perfect answer. I did a good sized wall quilt that was mostly whole cloth – muslin with matching thread. It has not been exposed to temperatures below 55 degrees, but after a year, the marks have reappeared…not the ghost marks, mind you – but the actual “gel” part of the pen. The really bad part is that they will now not disappear at all with ironing. The good news is that not all of them reappeared (yet?) and you can’t see them unless you get close – but this quilt will never be able to go into a show. I will definitely try the ink removers – thanks for the tip. So even after reading your post – if someone is still thinking they might use them on fabric – don’t!!! I thought these pens were great for regular sewing and then used them to mark crosshairs for machine embroidery positions on t’shirt and found the ghosting on some of them and was confused as to why in the world. Well, now I know! Thank you for this and will definitely use another method for marking! Sure can’t risk my granddaughters going around with cross hairs on their shirts. LOL Sounds like the pens are NOT something to be used on the public side, and hopefully my seam lines won’t show through, but I’m no professional and it’s not going into a show, so I don’t particularly care. The only concern I have is if it weakens the fabric in the long run. I guess we’ll see how the quilt holds up!
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! I have a friend who just got one! Too bad they weren’t available in 2007 when the pens came out. I’m still unclear what their main target market was. It was Japan, but I’m not sure exactly what. Again – thanks and hopefully this will put to the bed the story of why you shouldn’t use Frixion pens on your quilt!!!!! They were made to have the versatility of a pencil and allow the user to erase mistakes. I think some shop owners are not aware of their issues. Keep in mind though, there are all kinds of applications in the quilting/fabric world for which they are useful. Thank you for your comment Judy! It is not until I posted this that I began to hear of similar stories. It is odd that it is set since it’s heat eraseable. So sorry to hear this Caraline-I hope you are able to get the marks out. Heartbreaking to hear.I too think that for the right project they are brilliant. Stitcheries for example where the lines are actually stitch on and no ghosting ends up showing. I sell these in my quilt store but do inform customers of the ghosting/reappearing possibility. Living in an area where there is high rain fall and moisture in the air I have had the experience where the blue wash out markers have actually disappeared over night so Frixion are doing the job for me.
The hot dryer will only remove one of the two inks and the manufacturer says to remove all of the ink you need to treat with ink remover. Washing normally would not permanently remove the marks according to the manufacturer. Thanks for all the information Jenny. When I first started using the pens I did my own test case. I always wash my quilts when I’m done, so I was curious if washing, with regular laundry detergent, would remove the ink and the ghost marks. What I found is that washing always removes the ghost marks, but not always the ink. I tried four different fabrics. After washing I put the samples in the freezer for several hours. Three of the four fabrics had no marks, one still had some very faint marks. If you had quilted on the line you probably wouldn’t see them. I’m comfortable using the pens on placemats, baby quilts, table runners, things I know will get washed. I’m not using them on wall hangings, which I only wash once. May I share a link to your post about this on my blog? I have had a lot of questions about the Frixion pens, and I think you have answered all the questions. 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.” Hi, I have experienced both, however at the moment I am working on a whole cloth FMQ project and the ink is still there, I have ironed it away, but its still there. I will have to do some experimenting to get rid of the pen marks. It is a lesson learned and I cannot blame anyone except me. Note to self, remove the pen marks sooner, rather than leaving it there to setLimited edition Pilot Kese Lamé Erasable Glitter Gel Pens take bestselling FriXion erasable gel inks and elevate them to new heights with sparkling glitter particles! The 0.7 mm pens are available individually or in sets. Note that the glitter particles are not erasable and will remain visible after erasing the ink. So while the ability to erase is nice, it’s not really always a good idea to use the pens, depending on what you intend to do with that piece of paper!
Yes, Ange, great idea! Sometimes you need a real line though. For instance, if I do the orange peel/sashiko looking grid thing, I need a line. I tried the dots and my mind just needed more. But for many applications the dots would work. Whiteboard Markers (Premium) | Magnetic Dry Wipe Pens with Eraser Tip for Home, Office and School by The Magnet Shop®Maybe I’ll write a post on the blue Wash outs Barb! The only thing about the blue wash outs is that you absolutely have to completely wash them out. Just spraying will only dilute it and you’ll get that stain that you got. Glad you got it out! Oh Jeifner, that is a new one on me. I am so sorry that happened to you. Now I have a new story to tell about the possible issues with the Frixxion pens. It’s heat that erases it and if you haven’t had problems, great! Many have, including me, and I won’t use them on my quilts, but it really is a case of use what works for you! It is so interesting how different quilters have had different experiences. Sorry to hear you had to work so hard at it but thrilled that you got it out! Thank you for commenting.
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