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Sunday, November 13, 2011

FriXion Erasable Gel Pens- Yes or No!

There has been a lot of discussion lately on the Yahoo Groups about 
FriXion Erasable Gel Pens.
The ink disappears when you iron it but comes back if you put it in the freezer.
I am not one to put my finished quilts in the freezer but still I don't like any residue from the ink to be left in my quilt.  Who knows what would happen over time.
So I decided to experiment for myself to see what happens.

 I traced a pattern on some white fabric with a blue FriXion pen.

Then I ironed part of it with a medium hot iron.
It went completely away but I could still see a faint
shadow where the lines had been.

I put the piece in the freezer for a while and all the lines came back so there must be some chemicals left in the fabric.


 I took the piece and washed it with Synthrapol and everything came out.  Back to the freezer it went and the lines did not come back.

I believe I will use these pens to mark my applique blocks because I always wash them when I finish each block to remove any oils or dirt from my hands.  They are less expensive and have more color choices then the pens I have been using.
This is the wool applique quilt I just finished using my Rose of Sharon die from Accuquilt - read more here.

I don't think I would use them to mark a quilt like this one for quilting because I tend not to wash my quilts when I finish machine quilting them. The chemicals would be left in the quilt and I don't want that.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy

5 comments:

  1. I use one of these pens for embroidery. There is
    a lot said about these pens. But I will still use them. Your test was interesting and your
    applique is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I use them too and like you, I notice the faint residue that remains but because I most likely will wash whatever I make, it is not a problem. I love this pen when tracing my patterns for applique.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting will have to give them a try...thanks for the info!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish I had remembered to wash my squares before putting my blocks together. Thanks for the info on the flexion pens.

    ReplyDelete

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