I love this little angel! She is one of the blocks for April for Lori's Sweet Land of Liberty sew-along with Cheri Payne's Facebook group. I think she looks like she's flying at great speed with purposeful intent, an impression that's probably because the flag pole is bent and her wings are swept so high.
She needs features on her little face and a banner that sweeps along in front of her with the words "Of thee I sing." I prefer not to embroider those. I think the embroidery thread wear away more quickly than the quilt will wear out, especially since I intend to use the quilt for napping or on a bed.
Have you ever used anything but embroidery when adding letters and details to a quilt? Have you used a pen of any kind to write on the fabric? How did it write and how did it last through washing and drying? I have several pens to try but being short on time this month, I thought I would ask you, dear readers.
Thanks for any help.
I'm linking this post to
> Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More
> Finished {Or Not} Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
Thanks for hosting, ladies.
Take care,
Nancy.
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Love your sweet angel! I have used pigma pen on labels, iron set them, and have washed them and it has held up fine
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karrin, for both the sweet comment and for the information about the Pigma pen. I think I will give it a try.
DeleteThe angel block is charming, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteI have only ever done what Karrin said--used Micron Pigma Pens on labels and heat set with an iron. Other than that I can't recall using words on quilts, other than wall hangings that won't be used for cuddling, and then washed. And I embroidered the words on those.
Thank you, Janet. Thanks for sharing your experiences with words on quilts. Several who left comments also had praise for Pigma pens. I think it will probably be the one I use. I realized today that the disadvantage of pen and ink is that a mistake is permanent, whereas embroidery can be removed. I'll have to be careful!
DeleteThe angel is sweet as can be. I have used Pigma pens for marking features on faces for quilts many times. Sometimes the faces are small and embroidery seems to overwhelm them.
ReplyDeleteYou're so kind, Karen. Thank you. Pigma seems to be the pen of choice among readers who left comments. I believe I'll give it a try.
DeleteYour angel is so sweet, and I love that bent flag pole! I've used Pigma and also ZIG Millennium Collection which has an assortment of colors, for labels but not for adding words on the front of the quilt. I think they would work for adding the delicate facial features. When I've added a grandchild's name or other words on the front I've quilted them by either machine or hand using a contrasting color of Aurifil thread. You could probably embroider them on with one of the heavier weights of Aurifil or pearl cotton rather than embroidery floss if your block is large enough. I hope you find something that will work for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words about my little angel block, Pat.
DeleteThe consensus seems to be that Pigma works for writing on fabric and remaining visible through washing and drying. I just experimented with several different pens yesterday and will try to post about them soon. I know I could embroider the words but I'm trying to avoid it if at all possible. Thanks for sharing your experiences with words and pens.
Your angel is so cute--love her! I have used the pens that Primitive Gatherings sells for their Words to Live By quilt. I'm at quilt camp ,so I can't check to be sure, but I believe that they are Pilot pens. Very smooth to use. I use them for all my quilt labels now. I haven't washed anything yet so can't say how they hold up after laundering.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen. I think I've seen permanent Pilot pens before and I thought I had one but when I pulled out the pens I had to sample writing with them on fabric, I didn't have a Pilot. If I can find one I'll buy it and give it a try. Thanks for letting me know about them.
DeleteIt's easy to see why you love your little angel...she's darling! She's either flying through New Mexico where the winds are fierce or flying furiously to keep up with the person she is protecting. Either way, she couldn't be any more perfect.
ReplyDeleteAs others have mentioned, I have used a Pigma pen, but only to sign a block. I would probably use one on a scrap of fabric and see if you liked the result.
LOL. I love your reasons of why the angel is flying so fast, Karin. Thank you for your kind words about her.
DeletePigma seems to be the pen of choice for most who left comments. I tried out several different pens and photographed the before and after wash samples. I'm eager to enlarge the photographs to see details and whether one looks better than the other. I hope to post the results in a day or so.
I love your angel! Just a thought--while this will make a lovely bed- or nap-quilt, I don't think , with all the details , appliques and presumable weight , that it is a quilt that will be able to be washed many many times?! If you want to do embroidery, it should last just fine, I have redwork quilts dated over 100 years ago and the embroidery has lasted thru apparently lots of washing. Just use good cotton thread, not silk.
ReplyDeletelove
lizzy
Thank you for your comment about the angel, Lizzy. You know, I've appliqued several quilts now and, strangely enough, I haven't quilted and washed/dried a single one of them! I'm assuming that because I stitched the appliques down well and will quilt enough to hold everything in place, that they will all be good for regular use. But maybe not!
DeleteI don't really want to embroider. I can embroider well enough (learned as a 5-year-old) but it's not something I enjoy doing. I'm playing with possible pens yesterday and today. If I happen to decide to embroider, I will definitely stay away from silk. Thanks for that information!
So cute! You do such nice work. I don't use pens on anything but the label so I'm no help. I cross stitched a design on a sweatshirt many years ago. I washed it and washed it and it wore really well. I had to finally throw the sweatshirt away because the ribbing on the sleeves was fraying. But the cross stitch looked just fine.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin. Now that she's nearly finished I'm wondering why I chose green when the quilt is a tribute to America and our red, white, and blue flag! Ah, well. I think it will fit in with a green or two I used elsewhere in the quilt.
DeleteI can embroider well enough (though I've never cross stitched) I don't enjoy it much. I think it will take longer than the amount of time I want to spend. I've been trying out a few pens, so we'll see. But, I'm glad to learn that the cross stitching you did held up on clothing. That's good to know in case I do end up embroidering the words on these blocks.