Disappearing Ink and Other New Tricks
I’m loving some of my new tools. I learned about a couple of these while teaching in Colorado. (Are tools regional?)
The scissors have micro tips. Boy are they sharp! Right down to the very tip of the blade. I’ve been using them to trim “hairy” collages, right on the surface of the quilt. Which means I have to be careful, because I could easily snip fabric accidentally.
The Frixion pens are not intended specifically for fabric, but they work beautifully. They disappear with heat! So, when I wanted to add stitched curly-Qs to a recent collage, I drew them on with these pens, did my stitching, and then ironed away the ink. Note: since publishing this post, I’ve had several warnings about the ink returning in cold conditions. Please read this blog post for more details. (Thanks to Monica Spicker for the information.)
And the ironing was done with my new Clover mini-iron. I’m loving it! Why did I wait so long to get one?
Finally, I’ve been using Fons and Porters fabric glue stick. It’s about half the width of a regular school glue stick, which makes it easier to aim. And the glue goes on smoothly without being gunky. It came it very handy as I glued individual “stones” on my York City Wall quilt. (STILL in-progress.)
What new tools have you been using?
Ellen Lindner
I’ve bought a pair of precision tweezers. It picks up the smallest thread. And if you have to unsew something, it will hang onto the thread you are trying to pull out and make short work of it. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to buy something like this before. It is wonderful.
Ellen, I am not sure about those markers. They disappear with heat, but I wonder if they come back when the temp goes down. I am not sure they wash out either. I don’t know what to think.
I would love to see you do a blog about whether or not to add borders to an art quilt. There are basically 2 camps these days…those that say no borders under an circumstances and those that say add borders all of the time.
Chris
Hmm, Chris – good point about the Frixion marks coming back in cold. I guess if I shipped a quilt that could be an issue. Maybe I’ll do some experiments.
I’ve written about border options on my website. See Part One at http://www.adventurequilter.com/e-Learning/Articles/Borders1.html
(I don’t agree with either of the two camps you mentioned.)
Look at my blog regarding Frixion pens and some experiments I did with them. I would NOT recommend them!
http://quiltingclimber.blogspot.com/2011/07/frixion-pens-evaluated.html
Yikes, Monica, your results give me pause. If I were to ship a quilt ot a show it could very well encounter the kind of cold found in a freezer. Not a pretty picture.
Thanks for including all the helpful info on your blog. I’ll provide a link within my post.
Yes, Stellah, tweezers are a very handy tool. I’ve got the ones that are bent at the end. They work well when I’m picking up one bead for gluing. (Yes, I glue them!)
I wish I’d bought the tweezers that are spring loaded closed, rather than open, but oh well. Mine still work well.
I forgot about your discussion about borders. Great article.
Chris