Hot Tip from the Lab....my bathroom sink

Recently there was discussion in our Primitives Class regarding the use of permanent markers for drawing patterns on foundation. While most use a Sharpie and or their Rub A Dub for this process there is still question as to the bleed resistance and acidity of these and any marker claiming to be permanent.

The two key points that should be your primary concern when choosing a permanent marker to draw out a design are
1. Are they Waterproof/Bleedproof
2. What is the Acidity content of the ink solution used

I tested two different manufacturers of Colored Permanent Markers Bic & Creative Memories. While I have not tested them both on all the foundations available, I did test them on bleached linen for the purpose of this article and suggest you test the ones you plan to use on the backing of your choice.

Creative Memories website clearly states that their pens are made specifically & tested only on album pages/photo mounting paper.
Tests performed on all their products meet or exceed the industry standards.
Bic's website only claisms their pens are water resistant.
Creative Memories pens are acid free Creative Memories pens meet ISO standard 18902-2001 and are acid-free with a pH between 7.0 and 9.5.
I could not find any information on the acidity of the inks used in Bic's Pens

Sharpie's website has the following information and while I did not test them I recommend you do before using them.
Their Rub A Dub Marker while waterproof contains acid that can degrade your backing and your wool over time.
Their Standard Permanent Marker packaging contains the following information

Why does the Sharpie packaging say it is not for letter writing or cloth?
We do not recommend the Sharpie for letter writing as it is solvent base ink and will soak through paper. We also do not recommend the Sharpie for use on cloth as it may fade or bleed in the wash. Also, over time a yellow halo may appear around the marking.

Here are the photographs of the two pen series I tested....after allowing them to dry for 24 hours neither rubbed off with just my fingers.
I ran both inks under cold water for a minute then blotted, the Bic inks bled onto my white towel

I then left them sit in water for 24 hours


The Bic pens bled and ran while Creative Memories did not.


36 hours later some of the inks in the Bic series have completely washed out Creative Memories still look the same as when I drew them.


While your foundations may not get wet or be underwater for 24/36 hours the moisture content in our air could affect the inks and allow them to bleed into your wool. If your using a light color wool it could affect the wools coloring, should you wash or spill on the finished piece it would also affect the wool by bleeding into the wool.

You may not need every color used here to draw your patterns however for teaching purposes, beginner kits or complex designs the colors are very helpful.
Personally some may not care about the longevity of their rugs or if the inks used to draw their patterns bleeds into the wools, I however do and figure if I am putting my time & energy into something I want to do the BEST I can with the BEST products available, my pieces are made to last generations and become Treasured Heirlooms.

Blessings 2 U Friends

post script; Creative Memories Pens are only available through a Creative Memories Consultants. If you do not have a consultant you can order them from the link above & have them shipped directly to your home.
Bic & Sharpie Markers can be purchased at most retail stores throughout the United States.

Cheryl asked how much the pen sets cost?....$11 for a set of 4 colors
How long do they last?
Creative Memories colored Round-Tip pens will write for 300 yards or 3 football fields

~*Hit n' Miss Challenge Info*~

Grab your left-overs & a piece of rug backing! This is a GREAT opportunity to start your Spring cleaning! Many of us have baskets of wooly worms just needing to find a new home in a nice rug.

Here is how it will work ~

* get a piece of rug backing (your choice) and mark out a size of at least 10 by 18 inches.

* choose a SHAPE ..... circle, square, triangle, oval, rectangle, hexagon, etc

* Using your choice of shape - JUST ONE - mark out a design on your backing using that shape repeatedly. Be creative here, a simple row of circles is nice.... but what about using one big circle & then several 'broken' circles? Think of quilting blocks to see how creative you can get using just one shape to make a design.

* Using ONLY worms from your left-overs basket ~ hook away! The only exception I will allow.... is a row or two of a solid color to border the entire rug or outline shapes in your design. There should not be any solid hooking masses ~ think hit n' miss.

The deadline for this challenge is set of May 4th. I will compile all the rug photos in one album ~ anonymously for voting. Once the voting is complete.... winners will be announced & the album will be updated with the artist names.

Happy Hooking!

Welcome To PRHG'S Blogsite

Betty and I are thrilled to welcome you to the Primitive Rug Hooking Groups very own Blogsite.

We have been working on getting things over here that are not allowed on the Ebay site.
Here you will find all the links that were submitted for our Members Blogsites & their Websites.

Thank you for being so patient & understanding while all the Moderators/Leaders deleted the 'out of policy' posts and transferred the information received to this site.

We will add new links once a month if you find a link not working or typo please let us know so we can fix it promptly.

We are planning to have a featured member each month and published members, whether in a magazine or local newspaper. Published members will have to send us the information.

We also welcome your feedback and suggestions.

~*Welcome To Our Blog!*~

Here is our Home Away From Home!