05 September 2015

Quilt Marking

I keep seeing the question: "What is your favorite quilt making tool?" Over the years, I think I've tried them all; chalk pencils, chalk wheels, ceramic pencils, Frixion pens, Pounce pads, purple air erase pens, & blue water erase pens all clutter a drawer in my sewing room. 

I never really found a marking system that would work for me or that I really liked. To that end, I decided that the majority of my quilting would probably be free motion.  But I still need a reference point now and then.

This quilt has butted borders but I wanted to give the illusion of mitered corners. I needed a reference point so I drew it on with good old fashioned soap. I love using soap slivers because they wash out with no trace.

On this quilt, I wanted motifs and motifs need to be marked. So out came the soap slivers. The motif doesn't have to be finely drawn -- just enough to follow.

Now, to quilt it. 

2 comments:

  1. I've used soap slivers like that, too. It works great.

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  2. Haven't used soap slivers in years. For my dark fabrics, I use a white fingernail pencil. If it hasn't disappeared by the time I finish sewing, it wipes right off.

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