Fabric Marking Pens & Chalk

Fabric markers and chalk are sewing tools a lot of us just can't live without. 

I've tried a few, and have two favorites to share, along with one recommendation from a reader.

Then let's hear about your favorite fabric marker or chalk.  Is there one you just love?  Or maybe there are some you have tried and wouldn't buy again?

.................................................................................

Dritz's Dual Purpose Marking Pen

One end is purple disappearing ink, that usually shows up long enough to get the cutting done and then fades away.  I've found that on some fabrics it sticks around longer, and a few fabrics it disappears almost immediately. 

The other end is blue Mark-B-Gone ink that washes out in the laundry, or by blotting with a damp cloth.  The blue end is my favorite.  I've used it to transfer embroidery designs and can go back months later (when I get around to finishing the project) and the design is still there. 

One thing I've learned is with any ink type marker, is to be really diligent about the capping it tightly. If I stay on top of capping it well, I can keep the marking pen going for about six months.  

.................................................................................

Clover's Chaco Liner Pen

I blogged about this pen last July and just refilled this week. So it lasted almost a year of steady use.

One of the reasons I tried the Clover pen is it is refillable.  Here in Portland, we can recycle a lot of hard plastic, but not the Dritz marking pens.  They go in the trash, which I don't like.  After hearing about things like this giant garbage patch off our coast, I wanted to find something refillable to either replace the Dritz pens, or at least cut down on my use of them. 

The refill ended up being the entire bottom of the pen.  I was sort of hoping you could buy a bottle of chalk dust and fill the bottom back up.  But no, you basically buy the bottom half of the pen again.  Guess it is better than replacing the whole thing, and I can recycle the hard plastic chalk tube end. 

.................................................................................

Fons & Porter White Mechanical Fabric Pencil

Patty, who often leaves helpful comments here, wrote me a note this week to let me know about the Fons & Porter White Mechanical Fabric Pencil.  

Patty says it has: "fine and softer chalk that lays down a very precise line. It is shaped like a pen and works like a mechanical pencil (refills available)." 

It sounds great!  I'm going to look for this at the fabric store.  I like that it is a slim pen, because those seem the most natural to handle, especially when you need a fine line.

Thanks for the tip, Patty!