The Best Marking Pen for Machine Quilting!

March 22, 2019
Crayola Ultra, Quilt Marking Pens

Good Morning, Quilters!

If you are like me, you are in constant search of the perfect quilting marking pen.

Quilt marking pens need to be easy to see, easy to erase and not dry out or break too easily.

The Best Quilt Marking Pen for Medium to Dark Fabrics

My favorite marking tool for medium to dark fabric is white chalk in any form. White chalk is easy to see, erases with a wipe and never dries out. White chalk is the perfect quilting marking tool for dark fabrics!

I like to use the Dritz Chalk Cartridge (white only)

The Clover Chalk Wheel (white only)

or a white Tailor’s Chalk Triangle.

The Search for the Best Quilt Marking Pen for Light Fabrics

However,  I have struggled to find the perfect marking pen for light colored quilt fabrics.

Several weeks ago, we had an Open Line Friday discussion about quilt marking pens and several of YOU recommended Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers.  So I decided to give them a try.

Testing, Testing….

I set up a little experiment to test the markers based on problems I’ve had with other quilt marking pens.

One thing I’ve noted is that some quilt marking pens disappear when pressed, while other pens are set when pressed, so I created two columns labeled “Pressed” and “Not-Pressed”

Next, I thought about Frixion Pens by Pilot which are used by many quilters. The Frixion pen marks are removed when steamed, but I had trouble removing some of the marks when I stitched over the marked line.  So I tested for that too.  I stitched over the lines in one column of my test project- the “Stitched, Not Pressed” column.

The Control Strip

Finally, I cut off one section of the quilt marking pen sample to save as my “Control”.

Then I put on my white lab coat….

via IMDbWent to the sink….

It was like magic!

Without any soap and with very little agitation, the marks ran clear in all of three columns!

The only thing left was the machine quilting and a little of the orange ink.

I could re-test the orange, but it’s not really necessary as the brown, blue, green and gray worked beautifully.

The Best Quilt Marking Tool for Light Fabrics–The Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Marker!

So there you have it folks! The best quilt marking tool for light fabrics is the brown, blue, green or gray Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Marker.  Skip the orange –or do YOUR own experiment to re-test it!

White Chalk Keeps the Title for The Best Quilt Marking Tool for Medium and Dark Fabrics!

What about YOU?

Have YOU tried the Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers

Do YOU have a different favorite marking pen?

We’d LOVE to hear!

Signed,

Lori and Her New Markers

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to Lori Kennedy Quilts.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lori@lorikennedyquilts.com.  Thanks!

PPS…This post contains affiliate links.  If you choose to purchase–at no additional cost to you–I may receive a little “pin money”.  Thank you for supporting us in that way!

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