One question that quilts often wonder about is which is the best
type of pen to use to create quilt labels and signature squares.
One of my other hobbies is scrapbooking. This hobby uses a variety
of pens that require several attributes: permanency and ph neutrality.
Both of these are desirable for use in quiltmaking. To satisfy my
curiosity, I've conducted a little experiment on a variety of pens
I have collected. Below are the results.
Methodology
1. Two pieces of fabric were cut of quilters muslin/calico.
2. One was marked Control and one Test. Each piece of fabric was
ironed onto some Reflex copy paper wrapper (I don't have freezer
paper and this works just as well!).
3. Each piece of material was marked at the same time, using the
same pens. The brands/names of the pens were marked on the fabric.
4. Both were then allowed to "dry" for a day and then
heat set for about 30 secs on high.
5. The Control was then placed in a dark cupboard, the Test was
left on a table in indirect sunlight.
6. Each day for 5 days, the Test piece was washed using ordinary
washing detergent, put through a full wash cycle, and then hung
out to dry. After each washing the Test piece was scanned.
Results
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Wash 1: As you can see, the calico itself is lighter,
I'm not sure why. The control does appear to have some blemishes,
this may have been caused by overheating with the iron.
As far as the pens go, there was some fading with all pens.
The Sakura Pigma pens held up pretty well, as expected.
The Zig Millenium pens also did quite well. The Sakura Pigma
and the Zig Millenium pens are both pigment ink, acid free
pens. So their equal performance was expected. The Zig Ecre
Textile markers also held most of their colours, the green
fading slightly more than the pink. The Zig Writers also
showed significant fading. The Evenscraft pens held most
of there colour, with yellow being slightly more faded than
the red. The Zebra Jimnie Gels (a type of rollerball), faired
very well, with very little fading. The Sakura Gelly Rolls
faired worst, with the most significant amount of fading.
The Zebra Hyperjells also faded, it is now quite difficult
to differientiate the blue and green.
A general comment on writability. One comment that many
people have about the Sakura Pigma pens is that they feel
very scratchy to write with. I believe this is due to the
fact that quilting stores tend to stock the .01 mircon pen.
This is a very fine tip (see above both writing and line).
I found it much easier to write with the .05 Micron pen
(which is slightly thicker). It also helped to be writing
on fabric that had been bonded to the Reflex wrapper/freezer
paper. The Sakura pens start at .001 (ultra fine), then
.01, .03, .05 and .08. I don't have access to a .08 but
have been told that it is like writing with a normal pen.
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Wash 2: Some minimal fading with the Sakura Pigma
Pens. The Zig Milleniums are about the same with some slight
fading with the black pen. The Zig Textile and Zig Writers
appear to have minimal fading between the first and second
wash, as does the Evenscraft Pens. The Zebra Jimnie Gel
rollerballs also have a slight fade. The Sakura Gelly Rolls
have faded again as have the Zebra Hyperjells.
Overall, there appears to be less fading between Washes
One and Two than there was between the Control and Wash
One.
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| Wash 3: The fabric itself appears to
be getting lighter. All the pens showed further fading, particularly
the various rollerball pens (The Zebra Jimnie Gel, the Sakura
Gelly Roll and the Zebra Hyperjell). The Sakura Pigma pens
have also faded. The Zig Millenium are both standing up to
the washing and light very well as are the Evenscraft pens.
The specifically textile markers are also holding up well. |
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| Wash 4: There seems to be minimal fading
on all pens. |
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| Wash 5: Again minimal fading on most
pens. |
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Conclusions: Overall, most pens acted as expected.
The pigment based pens all worked very well (the Sakura
Pigma and the Zig Millenium). The textile pens also coped
well with the detergent and exposure to light. The other
pen that claimed to work on fabric, the Evenscraft also
lasted well. The Gelly/Jelly rolls did ok as did the hyperjell.
I hope that these tests have been helpful. If you have
any comments to make, please feel free to write to me: laren@webcon.net.au.
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If your interested in purchasing the Sakura Pigma .05 or the Zig
Millenium .05, try these two Australian shops (pens are about $5
as opposed to $8-10 in quilting shops!):
Scrapbooking Essentials: http://www.scrapessentials.com.au/
Karens Scrappin Kupboard: http://www.karensscrappin.com.au/
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