Anahita wrote: >I have not yet found the "perfect" tool for marking on white and other very >light fabric. I sometimes use soft school kid's chalk in a somewhat darker >color (i tend to use a medium blue), but i worry about it staining the fabric. >I also sometimes use a very soft graphite pencil when i am certain the lines >will be hidden by the stitching.
Once when I was bored I did a marker test. I searched through my pen stash and then went out and bought one each of about 6 or 8 different brands of non-permanent fine-line felt-tip pens. In all I think I had about a dozen types. I took a piece of scrap muslin and marked it off into squares with a permanent marker. I labeled each square permanently with the name of one of the non-permanent markers, and then used that non-permanent marker to make X's, scribbles and so forth inside the labeled marked square. Then I tossed the whole thing in the wash. Based on this test, I would advise not even bothering with red and black -- they seem to be the hardest colors to get rid of. The greens and blues did much better. I did find one color and brand of pen that has served me very well over the years -- fine lines, easy to use, lasts for at least 10 years (both in the pen and on the fabric) and 100% comes out with one washing. It was a particular type of green Pilot Fineliner (not the permanent kind) and of course, since then they have discontinued that particular type. I bought about a dozen when I first discovered how good they were and I'm on about my last two or three. When those run out I'll have to do another test. ;) Also, for white marking on dark fabric, I found that Schwann Stabilo “Aquarellable” pencils, white only (color #8052) were the best of the lot. They do still need frequent sharpening, so they're better for sewing (where 1/32 of an inch matters less) than for embroidery. Most of the "wash-out" markers I've tested did well, especially ones sold for use in kindergartens. Likewise "wash-out" tempera paint for schools seems to be pretty good, though I haven't tried letting it sit for long periods. The pigments are too coarse to use in a pen, though. I wrote an article if anyone wants more details: http://wkneedle.bayrose.org/Articles/prick_pounce.html ____________________________________________________________ 0 Chris Laning | <clan...@igc.org> + Davis, California http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
