I wanted some Pilot Frixion pens to play with -- and it only took trips to five different stores to get my hands on them.
The first store didn't carry them.
The second store did carry them, but only in black and at that point it was early in the day and I still had my heart set on a pack with different colors.
The third store, one of the big office supply chains, didn't carry them, thought they were by a different manufacturer, and then told me that they didn't make them anymore....but the manager really did try to help.
The fourth store had the pack with different colors for WAY more than I wanted to pay (and now that I've checked prices online, I know it's way more than I should have paid) and single pens in a cup. I really didn't want one that everyone else had been playing with.
I couldn't justify driving another town over to go to Staples, but I didn't want to wait until later in the week when I'd be there for an appointment, so I went to a different location of the first store to get the black pens I'd decided against in the first place. They were half off at that store.
Some days, I just need a fun quest. (In case you're wondering how much gas I wasted, all of the stores I stopped at were on the way to other places I had to be that afternoon.)
I like these pens. They're pretty. They really do erase. And they don't smear. I'm left handed, which means that if I've been writing with a pen I'll have ink up and down one side of my hand. The Frixion ink stays on the paper where it belongs.
One thing that I wondered about -- what happens if you write something and leave it in a hot car? According to the customer reviews on Amazon, people have had their writing heat up enough to accidentally disappear. I don't think I'll be using these pens for journaling or anything else I plan to keep around.
And of course there's the whole write on the fabric/erase it with an iron/put it in the freezer so the lines come back miracle that made me buy the pens in the first place. I tried it. It works. And after I hand washed my test piece of muslin the lines were gone for good. My quilts get enough heavy washing that I'm not worried about residual chemicals.
I'm planning to use my Frixion pens to trace around templates, to trace lines for embroidery...and if I can ever work up the nerve, to mark lines for machine quilting. I've heard so many differing opinions on what does and doesn't wash out, I've been too skittish to try actually drawing lines on my quilt tops!
Want your own Frixion pens to play with?
I bought extras, including a set of two black Frixion pens to give to one of my blog readers. To enter, just become a follower of my blog and leave a comment before 11:59 pm Friday September 2nd. What would you use them for?
I just bought some yesterday, too! Tonya over at Hillbilly Handiworks did a review this week and she mentioned that Office Max carried them but that Office Depot did not - that helped a lot. Office Max only had 2 of the 3 color packs left. One of my LQS carries them, too. I thought $5.84 was a bit much for 3 pens but I was there and want to get caught up this weekend on my Clover & Violet embroidery QAL.
ReplyDeleteHi, I just became a follower. :) I love pens...I am not sure how exactly I would use the Frixions but they sound really great! I like your quilts!
ReplyDeleteI bought an orange pen...Don't why I picked orange. I really should have picked black. I have a wool project with writing on it that I really want to use if for...oh to have more time :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to try this new pen on a quilt top for machine quilting!!!
ReplyDeleteI would like to try them for machine quilting. Im following your blog too.
ReplyDeleteI would love to use them with half square triangles. Thanks for the info about this product!
ReplyDeleteI would use this pen for machine quilting and hand quilting.
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