Time Frame

• The sooner the colored pencil markings are removed from the quilt fabric, the better. Colored pencils are made of chalk, wax or clay combined with binders and pigments rather than graphite. As a result, the pigments and wax may migrate deeper into cotton fabrics, making their removal more difficult. If the colored pencil lines are old, it is often better to deal with the remaining markings than to risk damaging delicate fibers.
  
  

Mechanical Removal

• Removing colored pencil quilting lines is similar to the methods used in wax removal from fabrics. Colored pencils seldom leave behind large chunks of waxy material, so throwing a quilt into the freezer and scraping off the wax isn't an option. However, placing the quilt between two clean white paper towels and applying a hot clothes iron may wick pigments and wax out of the fabric. Rubbing the lines with a cloth or eraser is not recommended because it may abrade the quilt fabric's fibers.
  
  

Chemical Removal

• Water is called the universal solvent because so many substances dissolve in it. Giving a vintage quilt a soak in plain water may not remove very many colored pencil lines, but it may reduce their appearance. Lines on newer quilts can be reduced or eliminated by normal washing in a machine and hanging the quilt to dry. Machine drying not only shrinks fabrics and stitches but also makes some stains and marks impossible to remove. State-affiliated cooperative-extension textile departments sometimes recommend dampening a cloth with dry cleaning fluid and dabbing at the pencil lines.This may be inadvisable on an antique quilt that may not be dyefast.
  
  

Laundry Detergent

• Quilters and other fiber artists such as spinners and dyers sometimes make use of sodium lauryl sulfate to clean plant and animal fibers. While it is gentle to fibers, SLS lacks many of the benefits of today's detergents. A good all-purpose laundry detergent that includes enzymes, optical brighteners and surfactants does a better job of removing dirt and stains. They may also be too aggressive in their cleaning action. For this reason, SLS is a potential choice of cleaner if older quilt fabrics' dyefastness is in doubt.