carol45

I used tailor's chalk to mark a quilt. I must have ironed on top of it by accident because it will not come out with water. Anyone have a suggestion as to what I can do?
The blue chalk line is horizontal in the photo.
Thanks,
Carol

Prism99

I would try rubbing a solution of Synthrapol and water (maybe 1:10) into the marks with a soft toothbrush, then wash the entire quilt in the washing machine with Synthrapol. Synthrapol will lift unset dye particles and keep them suspended in water to be rinsed away. Many dyes these days are chemicals that are set by means of other chemicals, not by heat, so I would think there is a good chance you could remove the line with Synthrapol. You might need to repeat the process once or twice.

Synthrapol is widely available online (check Amazon, for example) and sold in quilt stores that cater to fabric dyers.

Edit: Chalk dyes are notorious for being hard to get out of fabric. White chalk is much easier.

Tartan

Make up a same fabric sample and try straight Synthrapol on a q-tip on the sample. It might take off the blue chalk mark but it might also remove the colour from the fabric, so test first. If all else fails, you might have to either appliqué over it or add embroidery. Bummer!

Geri B

Try blue dawn dish soap......I stay away from any blue marking device....let us know how & what you did to remove......

carol45

OK, so I see basically that you're suggesting mild detergents (it looks like Synthrapol is a detergent with some dye removing properties). So I took some mild liquid hand soap and tried it on a spot and the line was slightly reduced. Then I tried some of the clorox stain removing pen, and it also worked slightly. I'm thinking now that it might go away when I launder the quilt--I'm still quilting it. Do you think it would be reasonable to try the stain removing pen along the whole line and then launder it, like I do with other types of stains on clothing? Would I still be able to use Synthrapol later on if that didn't work?

Prism99

What is in the stain removing pen? I tend to stay away from those, as some of them will weaken the fibers. The weakness doesn't show up right away, but when the fabric finally starts deteriorating, that is the area that goes first.

I would stick with Synthrapol or Dawn. I prefer Synthrapol over Dawn because Synthrapol is a clear liquid. You wouldn't normally use Synthrapol full-strength.