I just bought a new water erase pen last week. The instructions say make sure that the ink has disappeared before you iron the fabric. So far, the ink has disappeared before I have had to worry about it.

Is it violet? Those are Air Erase & disappear much too fast for me.

Good question. I am in the need of how to choose a water base marker. I am doing baby quilt blocks. I don't like all of the pictures for the ABC's. So, I have drawn new ones. I want to trace them into position, I was trying to decide if a regular pencil used lightly would was out. However, the waterbase marker may be what I need. Help me too! Protect me from a bad choice!

I just like to go to JoAnn's Fabrics and buy a Dritz water soluble marker. They last a long time. Been stitching for 60+ years and have never had any problem with anything by Dritz. Got some IBC water erasable pens from amazon, two medium point and two fine point. They don't mark as well as the Dritz, but I plan on using them up. They were less than Dritz, but who needs four at a time?

XSTITCHER -- I bought an "AIRerasable fabric pen" at JainieLou Quilts and I like it a lot. I have used it several times to trace around quilt templates. The outline goes away in two hours to two days. That is okay for me but might not for your project. Very customer oriented.

I highly recommend them. In fact, I am going to that shop in a few minutes. I could go someplace closer to shop but I wouldn't get the help that I need. This will be my second visit to the store but I have spoken to them three times on the telephone.

jlhewes - probably the same pen you are using - I think it is more pink than purple but is probably the same thing. I have purchased four different markers in the past few months that are now in the trash. Also, I have one thick pencil that I like for lines that don't need to be perfect.

They're turquoise blue ink, fine point & blunt. The lines come off with a damp cloth.

Hi, it's Valerie. If I remember right, you don't want to iron the blue-pen marks; that's if you're using the same old ones we use for quilting. Apparently the iron sets the color. I've also had it happen that when I removed the blue marks by just wetting them, it looked like they were gone, but once the fabric dried, the blue was still there around the edges of where the wet spot had been. It kept getting bigger and bigger, the more I wet them. It was like I was chasing the blue all over the quilt! So now I know to dunk the whole piece in cold water without soap before I wash it, and the blue goes away nicely.

Hi Valerie! Yes, I think that's the answer. It was something I never do, so I forgot it. Bears reminding. Don't Iron First!!

I always use the Dritz, like Su. Fine point; comes out clean with washing.

RULE OF THUMB -- if you want the ink to evaporate quickly -- it will stay on. If you want it to stay on -- it will evaporate quickly.

GRR - I am having a problem with something I thought would go away and it staying on and laughing at me.

This too, will pass