Are Fabric Marking Tools REALLY Erasable? Don't Ruin Your Quilt!

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In this video, I test a variety of fabric markers to see which ones truly perform as promised. With so many options available, I know it can be overwhelming to choose the right one for your quilting projects! I put several popular markers to the test, including water-soluble, disappearing ink, heat-erasable, and even a plain mechanical pencil, to find out which ones are worth using and which ones might ruin your quilt and what mistakes to avoid!

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and Overview
01:53 Mechanical Pencil
02:42 Chalk Marker
04:34 Water Soluble/Disappearing Ink Tests
08:59 Madame Sew and Janyun Tests
16:58 Sewline Tests/Final Thoughts

[joyfulandmerryquilting]

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[kimlytle]

I really appreciate the depth that you tested the various marking pens.

[lynnlockardquilting]

Thank you very much for this video. I see quilters using the mark b gone blue marking pen on YouTube. 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. 😊❤

[lauraroberts]

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.

[StacyRussell-mlky]

Thank you! Never thought about the marks reappearing!

[eavesdroppin]

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.

[ladreams]

Thank you Mary. This is informative. Appreciate the time and effort that you put into your videos. 🤗♥️

[SuzzanneNicholds]

Thank you Mary, I found this really helpful. Hope you had a great getaway with your family.

[balistichristie]

Did the purple one come back? Thanks for showing us this!

[Persida_]

Thanks for a great informative tutorial!

[myralewis]

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.❤

[laureneberhard]

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.

[sandrawhitman]

Thanks so much for this. It’s been very confusing and I haven’t been confident enough to try most of these.

[notesfromleisa-land]

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).

[dorisr]

This was very interesting. What about using slivers of soap?

[joz]

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

[meacadwell]

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).

[vickiewilliams]

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.

[megharmon]

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.

[MaryFischer-op]

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.