Frixion Erasable Gel Pen ~ for marking quilts?
August 16, 2011 in Notion Review 13 Comments »
Have you seen these pens for sale at your local quilt shop?
Well the first time I saw them and saw them demonstrated, my mouth dropped open and I had to have them. I didn’t care about the price.
What they are is a regular ink pen. They are made to write on paper. However the ink is erasable by friction.
So as with many other quilting notions, the community figured out that you can write on fabric with these babies. And because they erase by friction (friction creates heat), you can iron your markings and they disappear!
You heard right – mark your quilt with these and iron the markings away!
My quilt shop even bragged that it leaves nothing behind like those brown marks water soluble markers leave.
But not so fast
I brought them home and was curious about what I read on the back “If pen is exposed to temperature that reached 140 degrees F, the ink will be colorless when writing. To restore color, cool to at least 14 degrees F in freezer and the ink will again write in color.” What does this mean?
- Colorless does not mean gone
- Will the color come back?
So, I put it to the test. I wrote on some fabric and ironed it. Sure enough the color was gone. But when you looked closely you could see the ink residue. I threw the sample into the freezer. In a matter of a few seconds the color was back. This was not good.
I know what you are thinking “You’re not going to put your quilt in the freezer!” But you may use it in the cold – Isn’t there the chance you would snuggle up out int he cold with your quilt. So the sample went into the refrigerator – and the marks came back; not as dark, but definitely visible.
Word of Caution
I know that many quilt shops are selling these pens. It was something going around the latest Quilt Market. But I also know that many of them don’t know the limitations – even though it is stated on the package. So be aware. I wouldn’t mark my quilt top with them. But I may use them to mark applique or to mark the back of my fabric if the need arises.
Thanks for the info. I am a beginner and would appreciate the help selecting a marking pen What do you suggest in its place.
Well, I tested black and blue frixion pens on most of my quilt-show-bought hand dyed fabrics that I used in a new art quilt. No evidence of problem. I failed to test the red pen, which I then foolishly turned around and used; and I failed to test the brown fabric, which together, created a real nightmare on my finished quilt.
I found Milk does remove the pen, however,it also messes with the dye in these hand dyed fabrics…a tragedy for a finished quilt! SO future readers, keep milk in your idea toolbox for using with this pen! This works fine for most fabrics.
For this project, after spending days testing possibilities, I found soaking the marked areas with rubbing alcohol, leave for a few minutes, then apply more rubbing alcohol and scrub with a toothbrush then heat with an iron. It worked for me…as far as I know. -Some of the lines began to reappear in a hot room so I retreated with more rubbing alcohol and so far, the Marker from Hell has not reappeared with both cold and hot testing.
Time has not yet tested the reappearance of those damn lines, but I have hopes problem solved!
I used one of these pens to put quilting lines on a dark gray silk table runner. The color of the pen came out with the heat of the iron. HOWEVER -the runner now has white lines that remained. I have tried spot remover, I have tried soap and water, and I even consulted with my dry cleaner. The lines only show up at certain angles, but what was going to be a donation to a worthy cause is now useful only to me. Any suggestions to remove those marks?
Thank you so much for sharing. I think everyone needs to be aware of the risks with these pens. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to get rid of them. Mine came out with hand washing with just soap and water. But, my fabric was multicolored and not dark. Sythropol works for dyes, maybe it will work with the pen residue.
Thank you for the information and your own evaluation of the Frixion pens. I told my husband, a chemist, about them, and he said there would be a residue after applying heat, because of the polymer nature of the ink. So, I looked online and found your info. I trust my husband, but I wanted to hear it from someone who worked with fabric before I invested in a pen. You SAVED me from making a mistake and ruining some good fabric! Thanks a bunch! God bless, and keep sewing! Liz Hansen, Chester County, PA
Thanks for the info! I just heard about this trick and was wondering how it worked. By the way, I noticed your header and wondered if we might be neighbors — I live in Gainesville!
I am pretty close. A little south in Ocala!
[...] of SeamedUp and Sew~Stitch~Create did a review of the Frixion pen. It is really nice when someone else does the heavy lifting for [...]
I can imagine using one of these pens on a quilt that you are planning to enter into a quilt show – during the cold of winter. Just during the walk from the car to the building, all the markings would reappear. How would you explain that to the Quilt Police?!
I’ve seen these pens and heard about the temperature sensitivity too. I think it is fine for someone to use these on their quilt if they want as long as they are aware of the potential problem, but I’m not going to. I’m with you, if you use it in the cold outside the marks may reappear. I guess it is possible that the ink could be washed out, but ink is tricky to remove from fabric. There are plenty of other options for marking that do wash out. Why risk it?
Thanks for doing the hard work! I appreciate the review.
I used one of these on the quilt I just finished. Threw it in the wash & dried it. The markings came out. The way I see it, if my quilts get exposed to either of those temperature extremes, I’ve got a lot more to worry about than the markings coming back!
Your comment got me to thinking – I never tested washing it! I figured it is an ink pen, why would it wash out? So I tested it again and this time washed it with soap and cold water. I had to scrub a bit, but it did come out. I used a pink pen and the white fabric had just a hint of pink to it. More washing would probably remove this; but it was so little, I think I only noticed it because I was looking for it.