I have been quilting for a lot of years… I have always been on the lookout for something that makes my life easier. I’m not afraid of hard work buuuuut if life doesn’t have to be hard, why make it that way?

I have recently discovered the coolest tool for my sewing room and *cue angels singing* it is too amazing not to share with you!

You know if I find something fun and handy for the sewing room or just a way to make life easier in general… I have to share it with you!

This little seemingly simple pen is my new fabric marking pen best friend and… I’m just going to say it… I haven’t used any of my other markers for MONTHS!

That’s right. I don’t even use my other fabric markers and pens anymore!

This little friend is the only fabric marking pen I use!

I’m kind of a writing utensil/marker snob. You don’t really need to know this about me but it helps explain why I get so excited/disappointed with writing utensils.

I have my favorite pens and prefer to have my own marker set for coloring. (the kids have their own sets as well) The tip of my yellow is never tainted with brown and black smudges… It’s a weird OCD issue dating back to when my little sister would use the markers carelessly as a child and absolutely ruin them.

Thankfully, I don’t have to share with her anymore… I don’t have to share with anyone anymore actually. ??

The Frixion Pen for Fabric

Let me tell you more about this pen for marking your fabric.

I first discovered the Frixion pen when I went to the International Quilt Festival in 2019. You can read more about my trip here.

First of all, the pen says “erasable” on the side… now, we have all had experience with pens that said erasable, but what they really meant was… “slightly less there than it was before but still completely visible”, right? (my middle school days are coming back to me when I think about the rage of erasable pens)

These Frixion pens, however actually do erase… and really well!

The way they erase is with heat! … yes! heat! And when I say erase I mean, like… no one even knows it was ever there. It’s truly amazing.

I had to make a short video to show you why I get so excited over a pen… You just have to see it to believe it, honestly.

I have found that the dark blue shows up on most every fabric I own, but just in case you want to have options… they have every color you could ever want available too!

Other Fabric Marking Tools

Which ones are worth buying?

I’ve owned and used many different fabric marking pens, markers, and tools in the past.

I’ve had quilter friends swear by tools that I didn’t particularly care for and vise versa.

What it comes down to is that you really have to find what works for you…

  • These purple ones used to be my favorite go-to before I started using the Frixion pens. The purple marker ink just disappears over time (usually within a few hours and gone completely by 24 hours), which is really handy… one less step to worry about as a sewist. It could just be an unlucky coincidence, but lately, I’ve purchased a few markers that seemed to dry up really quickly. Once they dry up, they’re useless. It is rather frustrating when working on a project and your marker is dead.
  • This Blue pen erases with just a little spritz of water… or if you live somewhere mostly humid like I do… it’ll just disappear within a few hours because the air already has enough water in it. (Sometimes the mark can be gone before you’re ready for it to disappear.) ?
  • Chalk Writer – I will never not have my chalk on hand in my sewing room. I still love the ability to sketch out quilting lines that are easy to just shake/brush away and chalk is the perfect tool for the job!
  • I’ve used a hera marker for my quilts. This is a zero ink option. It’s really helpful when dealing with delicate or antique fabric that you just don’t want to take any chances on accidentally staining. You simply run the edge over your fabric and it leaves a slight dent/crease within the fabric as your marking guide.
  • I’ve used mechanical pencils – always be careful to make sure you write in places where it won’t show on the final quilt, because though it seems like it would wash out, on occasion I have noticed that it did not. oops.
  • I’ve also used thin Crayola washable markers because as a mom it seems logical that if they promise it will come out of my child’s favorite t-shirt, it should wash out of my cotton quilt fabric quilt just fine, right? NOTE: Use this tip at your own risk… a 4-year-old’s stained shirt is much less of a loss than a custom handmade quilt with stained markings.

I hope this gives you a good overview of the options that you have when it comes to marking your fabrics.

Have I made you curious about trying the Frixion pens on your own projects? Obviously, I highly recommend them because I love them, but I’m curious to know what your opinion is and if you like them as much as I do.

Please let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!

Do you have any other favorite tried and true methods for marking your fabrics for projects?

Happy Sewing! ?