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Frixion Pen problems!!


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Hi!  I had a (really good and often) customer email me today with a big problem!  I quilted a quilt for her this summer.  I used the Frixion pen....oh!!  I won't ever do that again!! :o   She took it off her quilt rack yesterday, and all the red marks had come back !!!  It was not in a cold room... she said it actually was on  a stand that was near the heat vent.  Here is what she says she has...(I just copied and pasted what she said.)" question about the last quilt that you did for me right before you left.  I took it off the quilt rack the other day and all of the red pencil  markings have come back on it.  I wasn't sure what I should use to get them off.  I have a marking pencil removal solution that I bought at a fabric store that says I can use it on the following penciles------Berol, VerThin, EApencils, general pencils and graphite leads. "   Whoa!!  I am a little scared about this one!  Any input????  I  had to told her to try the hair dryer, (that's what I used to get it off originally) or put it in the dryer.  She also wanted to know after I told her that if she should iron it?  I suggested not to iron it....what do you all think????  I'm desprete  here!!! :( Thanks all!!!  I will NEVER use those pens again!!!!  

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Linda on my gosh. I had problems with the air erasable not coming out and Linda had a solution of baking soda and water to put on it. I think she would need to wash it to get it out. There has been several quilters lately with problems with those. I bought some but haven't used them yet and I won't now. Maybe Linda Rech will chime in and offer some help. I don't know if the baking soda solution would work on that or not. Hope someone jumps in to help.

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I never had problems with the Frixxion pens coming back after the first wash... but yes, they return when just a hair dryer was used to remove them (tried this on a pair of jeans and was surprised when the red came back).

 

As far as I can tell, the pencil markings stay pretty much invisible after yoou have ironed them away. They might appear in a light grey, but barely visible.

 

About wether to iron the quilt or not... I think this depends on the batting that you used... I would never iron polyester batting, but I don't see a problem with cotton batting - but still: I would suggest to wash the quilt.

 

(by the way: keep on using the Frixxion pens... they are great... but make sure that the quilts are going to be washed soonish...)

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Treating it again with heat should make the marks go away. Try in an inconspicuous spot first. 

A hairdryer will remove the marks, but ironing is recommended. As Janina offered--don't iron if there is poly batting or fabric.

 

As for best use of these pens--after much discussion here and in several show-quilting classes I've taken--use them on your own stuff.

Using on customer quilts is up to you AND them. Tell them the drawbacks, just as you would let them know about air or water-erase pens if you opt to use those.

 

Here's the consensus on the Frixion pens from the big-girl custom quilters---if you use the pens to mark, remove the marks with an iron, and mail the quilt either as a gift or to a show--Oops! The freezing temps in the hold of the mail or FedEx plane will make those marks return. They certainly won't remove the marks when it arrives at the show, and if they hang the quilt, you'll be dinged for the marks and probably be mortified!

If your customer sends it away as a gift--same story--marks come back. They can be removed but the chemical is still in the fabric. Linda Steller did an experiment where she stepped through the processes. Marked cloth that was ironed had the marks reappear after freezing temps. They were removable again. Washing several times helped make the chemical go away, but a faint shiny line was apparent on light fabrics even after washing several times.

Cindy Needham uses them, but it's all on her own projects.

Most custom quilters stick with the blue water-erase or purple air-erase pens.

I use them on my own--but never on a customer quilt.

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And then there's the person who grabbed the first pen available to trace applique outlines on the paper lining of fusible web, and then proceeded to iron the web onto fabric.  The pen was Frixion, so guess what happened!  And guess who won't do that again!

Lol that sound just like something I would do!  It's these kind of things that keep a person humble.  Good thing we know how to laugh at ourselves.  I have a frixon pen hanging around here somewhere.  I'm thinking it just needs to go away.

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  • 2 years later...

Help!!!  I marked small feather wreaths on a community quilt and I tested it with the brown frixon marker and it ironed off instantly so I used it.  Now I am finished the quilting and its not coming off.   It did on the pretests.  Is it possible that since it took over a week to do it that it won't iron off.   This is the first ever problem that I have had with them.   I am also wondering if maybe the consistency of the product is a factory problem.   Maybe some of them are lemons and some are not.?

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It's possible that if the fabric wasn't washed first that the sizing is holding onto the ink. Try rinsing one part, letting it air dry, and trying again. The pens are called Frixion because they were first meant for writing on paper and then the friction from the eraser removed the marks. You might also try using the eraser on the marks. I believe that leaving the marks on for that length of time shouldn't have made a difference in the removal. Cindy Needham uses them and sometimes her quilts are worked on for many months before she finishes and removes the marks. Good luck with your quest. If they still don't come out, do a search on the forum for removing ink and permanent marks---there's a lot of good advice and many products that might help you.

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