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How-to

Video: Prevent Disappearing Ink From Vanishing Too Soon

Evamarie Gomez and Judith Neukam; Shot by Gary Junken

Have you ever painstakingly marked your fabric, and then had the marks disappear because you were interrupted? It’s such a hassle when you have to make all those marks again. Fear not, there’s a better way.

This clever trick comes from Threads seamstress Norma Bucko. Norma once was measuring and marking topstitching lines on a bag she was making using an air-soluble marking pen. Time got away from her and she had to leave for an appointment and didn’t want her marks to disappear while she was gone. She applied a strip of transparent tape over each mark.

When she returned to her sewing room the next afternoon, she found every mark as bright as it had been the day before, and the tape pulled off without leaving residue.


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  1. User avater
    kennethdking | | #1

    Love her! Adore you, Judy!

  2. User avater
    CFields | | #2

    That's so cool! Just eliminate the air that dissolves the ink.

  3. woodruff | | #3

    What a terrific idea! I love problem-solvers.

  4. User avater
    megamom | | #4

    What a great and simple idea. I have had these marks disappear more than once. thanks

  5. Alaya | | #5

    Nice tip, but sometimes happen to me that mark dissapear right after pen tip.

  6. user-1111566 | | #6

    Based on that tip I actually will try using that sort of marking pen again. Usually those sort of pens dry up before I even open them for the 2nd time. I've really enjoyed using the Frixion pens. I stick with Black/blue or Pink. The dark cololrs for light fabrics and Pink for the dark fabrics. They don't fade in the air but nicely disappear under the touch of an iron. Stables was selling this new product for $1 a pen so I scarfed up all I could afford.

  7. User avater
    SewingSadie | | #7

    My "go to" gal, Sandy, at my local Hobby Lobby turned me onto a marker that disappears only when you use an iron on it. It is a Pilot pen, called FriXion point, X-fine 0.5 mm tip, black gel ink, which is eraseable (with an iron) and also it says it is refillable. They come in a package of two pens, and they are NOT in the sewing section of the store. She found them for me hanging on a stand that had all different kinds of pens on it. And it works GREAT!!! Check it out, my sewing sisters and brothers!!!

  8. user-3059980 | | #8

    I've put my marked pieces inside a zip lock bag to keep the marks overnight. Lots quicker than going over everything with tape.

  9. user-1134733 | | #9

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