I have a tip for those who may have experienced some unwelcome results. I used a blue tailor's chalk to make a diamond grid. I prewash my quilts; it did not wash out fully. I now use Synthrapol to wash my quilts. It does 3 things: (1) sets dye in fabric; (2) suspends excess dye in fabric so not reabsorbed; and (3) gets rid of waxy and oily residues from your fabric. My chalk issue came early in my quilting, and I was not using Synthrapol at the time. I tested my blue tailor's chalk (the culprit) on white, and I dug that chalk in as hard as I could. It washed out perfectly with Synthrapol. I strongly recommend this product for these reasons. I've never had a bleed, and now have never had unwelcome holdovers from my quilt markings. (P. S. I don't use Frixion pens, but I'm betting that it will remove the residue too).
Thank you so much! GREAT suggestions! I have used Synthropol to set color, but never tried it as you suggested! Thank you! I'll pass along the info in our weekly newsletter!
Thank you very much for this video. I see quilters using the mark b gone blue marking pen on RUclips. I always wondered about the spritzing with water, especially on a client quilt, if it would turn the white thread blue, if the other colors would run or soak into the back. I've been quilting for several years and I don't mark the quilt. Because of the results you have shown here. Great video. 😊❤
Thanks so much Lynn. I was really surprised at the results. That's why I enjoy the process of testing the products that others recommend. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Mary for this test! I do LOVE the Madam Sew white marker on dark fabrics. I don't use them on the front side, but they do disappear on the back, so I would assume they would also come off the front. So I guess the lesson is nothing in the life is perfect, so do the best you can.
Yes, I absolutely agree! I think it helps to know where to be careful when we're using a product. They all seem to have good qualities, but there are occasions when we need to be cautious when using them. Thanks for watching!
I have found that you will get ghosting using pens that have a ballpoint to them but I have never had a problem with the heat disappearing pens that have a felt tip to them
Something I learned about Madame Sew (and I've purchased a lot of items from them): When a new popular product shows up on a sewing site, in a couple of months Madame Sew will have an exact copy but with their name on it and for more expensive. Many times it's the same exact thing as a no name brand you can find for inexpensive on Amazon. A note on the Frixion pens - the Frixion website says to not use their pens on fabric. Since Frixion ink is a newer product, we don't know if it will cause damage to fabric years down the road. Just because you ironed over it, and the marks disappeared, doesn't mean the chemicals from the ink are no longer there. There could be a residue of the ink even after washing it. I'd hate for anyone to spend a lot of time and effort making a quilt only for the ink chemicals to react negatively with the fabric and 20 years later those chemicals have harmed the fabric to the point where the quilt is ruined. I only use Frixion pens in areas where it won't matter if the fabric becomes compromised (such as in seam allowances).
Sew line has a water brush attachment so I think you have to run a little. Someone recommended also rinsing it fully with water without any detergent or using the brush with water and once it’s fully rinsed then wash it. Some people also said 50/50 vinegar/water soaking helps with stubborn stains
YUP! I've had a yellow or orange chalk that didn't remove so easily, and also a blue that didn't want to remove. Any chalk product that comes in a compressed stick has oils or binders that can make them hard to remove.
This happened to me using a blue chalk. I always prewash my quilts, but the blue stayed. I recently retested and washed with Synthrapol. The Synthrapol is designed to get rid of oils, waxes and excess dies. I completely washed out. (And I dug that chalk in white fabric.
This is great and thanks for the demonstrations! I was very hesitant and used the blue pen a bit on a very light quilt recently, though all of it came out in the wash. I left it on maybe two weeks and hope nothing returns. I have been big stitching quilts and use masking tape various ways, but it is limiting. Since I'm 78 years I don't really worry too much. When I was younger, I used my sewing machine, however it isn't easy with larger quilts, and I enjoy the process of big hand quilting.
I'm here to tell you that they did! I didn't think about that either and I was very surprised when they came back. Made me re-think how I mark my quilts. Thanks for watching!
What about trying Hancy’s Iron-off chalk (powder & stick-available in white). If need to mark light-colored fabrics, mix a little cinnamon w white iron-off chalk, mark fabric, quilt design, then brush off any cinnamon & iron any remaining white chalk (suggested by Sew Steady).
I have never been disappointed with Crayola Ultra Clean thin line markers. Cheaper than most markers sold in quilt stores. I do ALWAYS test any marker on the cotton fabric I am using. I also include 1 or 2 Shout sheets the first time I wash the quilt after finishing the binding.
Thanks for the great video. You should also be aware that even the chalk markers can be a problem. I marked a few lines on a project with the yellow chalk wheel (the same Madame Sew brand you used in the white) and it stained the fabric. I was never able to get the yellow completely out. Since then I only use the hera marker to mark quilting lines.
Thanks for your input. Good to know. I have not purchased any yellow chalk from Madame Sew. There are so many products out there - it's just impossible to test them all - thanks for sharing your experience!
I found another problem with the Frixion pens. When I used them on batik fabrics and ironed to erase the marks, they left a white mark behind on the batik fabric. Nothing I did would take the white mark off.
Yes - they can bleach the fabric...other markers do the same...very scary when we're trying to be so careful with our quilts. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
As usual your videos are so informative. I've never marked a full sized quilt because I send them out, but I quilt a lot of table runners on my domestic machine. Back to the masking tape for me. Thank you so much.❤
Thanks for this. I have never had a problem but now I am becoming very cautious!! I have yried Fons and Porters grey chalk markers. They seem to be easy to remove; however the marking line can easily blur if you move the fabric much. I like the white chalk marker you used with the wheel. Frixion pens I thought were great; now thinking probably only use for middle line when drawing lines for 1/2 square triagles or something like that. This video was helpful.
Have you ever tried Roxanne Quilters Choice Chalk Pencils? I love them! I’m a little afraid to mark the front but Alex Anderson swears by this pencil. I don’t like to use ANY for marking the top. I sent my quilt off to be quilted and she used a frixion pen and when I ironed the pen away it pulled the color out of the fabric. I was so upset because I had worked so hard on this quilt as a gift for my daughter and it was ruined. 😢
If the fabric was dry when you ironed that water soluble test piece, would the results be the same? Just wondering. Also, Frixion pen will disappear with your iron but will come back if the quilt gets cold!
Thanks for watching! Yes - the Frixion ink comes back with cold. I didn't test Frixion - I already knew it wasn't for fabric as per their website, so I didn't buy one to test.
I love EQ8. I've had it for many, many years. It does have a learning curve and you need to use the tutorials and instructions to get the full benefit of the program. I know there are many things that it does that I have not even tried. Again - it's a great program!
EQ8 is worth the modest price and the learning curve. It does many things (to include having a great block library that is standard and the opportunity to purchase more blocks.) The feature that I like best is the design layouts. You can import your fabric images (from mftr or snap a pic). You can use your intended fabrics to color your blocks. Once you lay it out, you might find that your conception in your head doesn't look so hot on the layout. You can then easily tweak: swap out colors, rotate blocks, experiment with sashing, etc. It will give you rotary cutting instructions, it will print out paper piecing for blocks and make toast and jam with coffee in the morning.
I have been using EQ since #4. I find that EQ8 is the hardest one to use. There are too many hidden options that it takes me forever to find and use. In my opinion there should be more options for a single click to do what I want to do.
Those, madam, so pens are awful. I did a test with them and the frixion pens. I put them in the freezer after they were both erased. They both came back however the madam, so came back more.. I also did a test where I marked with both washed waited for them to dry and put them back in the freezer. The markers came back much worse than the frixion pens.
I absolutely agree! I think the answer here is that they both come back - whether it's a little or a lot...it's more than I want to see return to my quilt. Thanks so much for sharing!
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I really appreciate the depth that you tested the various marking pens.
Thanks Kim!
I have a tip for those who may have experienced some unwelcome results. I used a blue tailor's chalk to make a diamond grid. I prewash my quilts; it did not wash out fully. I now use Synthrapol to wash my quilts. It does 3 things: (1) sets dye in fabric; (2) suspends excess dye in fabric so not reabsorbed; and (3) gets rid of waxy and oily residues from your fabric. My chalk issue came early in my quilting, and I was not using Synthrapol at the time. I tested my blue tailor's chalk (the culprit) on white, and I dug that chalk in as hard as I could. It washed out perfectly with Synthrapol. I strongly recommend this product for these reasons. I've never had a bleed, and now have never had unwelcome holdovers from my quilt markings. (P. S. I don't use Frixion pens, but I'm betting that it will remove the residue too).
Thank you so much! GREAT suggestions! I have used Synthropol to set color, but never tried it as you suggested! Thank you! I'll pass along the info in our weekly newsletter!
@@joyfulandmerryquilting It has much more utility than color catchers. Great content. Keep it coming.
Thank you very much for this video. I see quilters using the mark b gone blue marking pen on RUclips. I always wondered about the spritzing with water, especially on a client quilt, if it would turn the white thread blue, if the other colors would run or soak into the back. I've been quilting for several years and I don't mark the quilt. Because of the results you have shown here. Great video. 😊❤
Thanks so much Lynn. I was really surprised at the results. That's why I enjoy the process of testing the products that others recommend. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Mary for this test! I do LOVE the Madam Sew white marker on dark fabrics. I don't use them on the front side, but they do disappear on the back, so I would assume they would also come off the front. So I guess the lesson is nothing in the life is perfect, so do the best you can.
Yes, I absolutely agree! I think it helps to know where to be careful when we're using a product. They all seem to have good qualities, but there are occasions when we need to be cautious when using them. Thanks for watching!
I have found that you will get ghosting using pens that have a ballpoint to them but I have never had a problem with the heat disappearing pens that have a felt tip to them
Thanks for sharing!
Something I learned about Madame Sew (and I've purchased a lot of items from them): When a new popular product shows up on a sewing site, in a couple of months Madame Sew will have an exact copy but with their name on it and for more expensive. Many times it's the same exact thing as a no name brand you can find for inexpensive on Amazon.
A note on the Frixion pens - the Frixion website says to not use their pens on fabric. Since Frixion ink is a newer product, we don't know if it will cause damage to fabric years down the road. Just because you ironed over it, and the marks disappeared, doesn't mean the chemicals from the ink are no longer there. There could be a residue of the ink even after washing it. I'd hate for anyone to spend a lot of time and effort making a quilt only for the ink chemicals to react negatively with the fabric and 20 years later those chemicals have harmed the fabric to the point where the quilt is ruined. I only use Frixion pens in areas where it won't matter if the fabric becomes compromised (such as in seam allowances).
Thanks for sharing!
This was very interesting. What about using slivers of soap?
A great option if you wash your quilt after quilting and binding! Thank you for sharing Doris!
Sew line has a water brush attachment so I think you have to run a little. Someone recommended also rinsing it fully with water without any detergent or using the brush with water and once it’s fully rinsed then wash it. Some people also said 50/50 vinegar/water soaking helps with stubborn stains
Thanks for sharing!
The colored chalks don’t always come off. White ones always have for me, but that pink one ruined a project.
YUP! I've had a yellow or orange chalk that didn't remove so easily, and also a blue that didn't want to remove. Any chalk product that comes in a compressed stick has oils or binders that can make them hard to remove.
Thanks for watching and for commenting.
This happened to me using a blue chalk. I always prewash my quilts, but the blue stayed. I recently retested and washed with Synthrapol. The Synthrapol is designed to get rid of oils, waxes and excess dies. I completely washed out. (And I dug that chalk in white fabric.
Thank you. Very helpful..❤
This is great and thanks for the demonstrations! I was very hesitant and used the blue pen a bit on a very light quilt recently, though all of it came out in the wash. I left it on maybe two weeks and hope nothing returns. I have been big stitching quilts and use masking tape various ways, but it is limiting. Since I'm 78 years I don't really worry too much. When I was younger, I used my sewing machine, however it isn't easy with larger quilts, and I enjoy the process of big hand quilting.
Thanks so much for your comment and thanks for watching!
Thank you! Never thought about the marks reappearing!
I'm here to tell you that they did! I didn't think about that either and I was very surprised when they came back. Made me re-think how I mark my quilts. Thanks for watching!
Thank you Mary, I found this really helpful. Hope you had a great getaway with your family.
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
Thank you Mary. This is informative. Appreciate the time and effort that you put into your videos. 🤗♥️
You're so welcome! Thanks for watching!
What about trying Hancy’s Iron-off chalk (powder & stick-available in white). If need to mark light-colored fabrics, mix a little cinnamon w white iron-off chalk, mark fabric, quilt design, then brush off any cinnamon & iron any remaining white chalk (suggested by Sew Steady).
Thanks for the suggestion Sandy, and thanks for watching!
I have never been disappointed with Crayola Ultra Clean thin line markers. Cheaper than most markers sold in quilt stores. I do ALWAYS test any marker on the cotton fabric I am using. I also include 1 or 2 Shout sheets the first time I wash the quilt after finishing the binding.
Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for the great video. You should also be aware that even the chalk markers can be a problem. I marked a few lines on a project with the yellow chalk wheel (the same Madame Sew brand you used in the white) and it stained the fabric. I was never able to get the yellow completely out. Since then I only use the hera marker to mark quilting lines.
Thanks for your input. Good to know. I have not purchased any yellow chalk from Madame Sew. There are so many products out there - it's just impossible to test them all - thanks for sharing your experience!
Where do you buy the Hera marker?
Thank you. I appreciate your advice.
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!
I found another problem with the Frixion pens. When I used them on batik fabrics and ironed to erase the marks, they left a white mark behind on the batik fabric. Nothing I did would take the white mark off.
Yes - they can bleach the fabric...other markers do the same...very scary when we're trying to be so careful with our quilts. Thanks for sharing and for watching!
Thank you for doing these tests
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
As usual your videos are so informative. I've never marked a full sized quilt because I send them out, but I quilt a lot of table runners on my domestic machine. Back to the masking tape for me. Thank you so much.❤
You're so welcome! Thank you for your kind words and thank you for watching!
Thanks for a great informative tutorial!
You're welcome!
Thanks so much for this. It’s been very confusing and I haven’t been confident enough to try most of these.
I agree - there are so many marking tools out there...hard to know which is best until you try them. Thanks for watching!
I have good luck with white chalk. I use school chalk white only. The colored chalk doesn't always come out so test that.
I've also heard that. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this. I have never had a problem but now I am becoming very cautious!! I have yried Fons and Porters grey chalk markers. They seem to be easy to remove; however the marking line can easily blur if you move the fabric much. I like the white chalk marker you used with the wheel. Frixion pens I thought were great; now thinking probably only use for middle line when drawing lines for 1/2 square triagles or something like that. This video was helpful.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I use silver and white chalk rollers but have heard the blue and yellow might not come out.
Thanks.
Thanks for the input and thanks for watching!
People have had the lines reappear when shipped by airplane because it gets cold in the cargo hold
Yes - another reason not to mark using those markers on the tops of our quilts. Thanks for sharing!
Ironing colored chalk makes it very difficult if not impossible to remove. You can iron white chalk without a problem.
Thanks for the input! Thanks for watching!
If the fabric was dry when you ironed that water soluble test piece, would the results be the same? Just wondering.
I don't know...I pressed it when it was wet as you can see in the video. Good question!
Have you ever tried Roxanne Quilters Choice Chalk Pencils? I love them! I’m a little afraid to mark the front but Alex Anderson swears by this pencil. I don’t like to use ANY for marking the top. I sent my quilt off to be quilted and she used a frixion pen and when I ironed the pen away it pulled the color out of the fabric. I was so upset because I had worked so hard on this quilt as a gift for my daughter and it was ruined. 😢
I have not tried the Roxanne Quilters Choice Chalk Pencils. Thanks for the suggestion!
If the fabric was dry when you ironed that water soluble test piece, would the results be the same? Just wondering. Also, Frixion pen will disappear with your iron but will come back if the quilt gets cold!
Sorry, Mary, you said that about the Frixion pens about two minutes after I typed my comment.
Thanks for watching! Yes - the Frixion ink comes back with cold. I didn't test Frixion - I already knew it wasn't for fabric as per their website, so I didn't buy one to test.
Sorry - couldnt get the name. At the end, did you said Haro or Herar marker?
Hera Marker. It's a great tool - available at any quilt shop. Thanks for watching!
I would like your help! What is your opinion about EQ8. I'm researching before purchasing it. Thank you Mary in advance.
I love EQ8. I've had it for many, many years. It does have a learning curve and you need to use the tutorials and instructions to get the full benefit of the program. I know there are many things that it does that I have not even tried. Again - it's a great program!
EQ8 is worth the modest price and the learning curve. It does many things (to include having a great block library that is standard and the opportunity to purchase more blocks.) The feature that I like best is the design layouts. You can import your fabric images (from mftr or snap a pic). You can use your intended fabrics to color your blocks. Once you lay it out, you might find that your conception in your head doesn't look so hot on the layout. You can then easily tweak: swap out colors, rotate blocks, experiment with sashing, etc. It will give you rotary cutting instructions, it will print out paper piecing for blocks and make toast and jam with coffee in the morning.
@@joyfulandmerryquilting Agreed.
@@notesfromleisa-land thank you!
I have been using EQ since #4. I find that EQ8 is the hardest one to use. There are too many hidden options that it takes me forever to find and use. In my opinion there should be more options for a single click to do what I want to do.
Those, madam, so pens are awful. I did a test with them and the frixion pens. I put them in the freezer after they were both erased. They both came back however the madam, so came back more.. I also did a test where I marked with both washed waited for them to dry and put them back in the freezer. The markers came back much worse than the frixion pens.
I absolutely agree! I think the answer here is that they both come back - whether it's a little or a lot...it's more than I want to see return to my quilt. Thanks so much for sharing!