I hate marking my quilt tops....and I don't seem to be talented enough to go freehand! Pencils seem to smudge - blue lines have become permanent (OK, so left on wayyyy to long and exposed to heat and sunlight) - air-fades do just that way before I can get the quilting done. I'm thinking of trying a pounce, but want to make sure that pretty blue or red powder actually stays as long as I want it to and comes off when I don't need it any longer.

Anyone use a pounce? Pros/cons? I think that I read somewhere that you can do the same with corn starch on dark quilts...anyone ever tried that?

Thanks!
Lineless in San Diego (aka - Linda)

I bought one in blue. The lady at the quilt shop told me to mix 2 parts cornstarch and 1 part blue stuff and it would be dark enough. I haven't use it yet.She also said it would come out fine too. Of course she as a saleswoman.lol. I will be watching this to see what others have to say.

I have tried and tried to make mine work, to no avail!!! They make it look so easy at the shows, but I cannot make it work.

Me, either.

Neither can I or my friend who also bought it. I've packaged mine up and will be adding it to my Guild's Stash closet. Maybe one of the other members has a use for it.

I got one recently to quilt a dark quilt (the outer part of my avatar). I got the white. Now I made my own template so the slots are rather wide :lol: I do really like the pounce. You have to practice a little to get enough powder out and smooth it around, but it is great! It does stay in place fairly well, but if you wad it up or rub it much, it WILL disperse. So I try to quilt all I mark at the same time. And any leftover washed right out.
If you are concerned about it coming out, maybe try it on a scrap piece of light fabric. Good luck!

i bellieve i read that Eleanor Burns slightly dampens her fabric and then uses talcum powder

There has been a lot of problems reported about the blue pounce that it didn't come off. I don't know about the red but I imagine it would be the same. The folks who developed the Miracle Chalk have not been able to find a color that will come of with that product.
So I would use it with caution.
Using the pounce successfully also depends on how you intend to quilt. If machine on a home machine then it is going to rub off unless you punce/mark as you go.

Have you tried the "Multi-pastel" chalk pencils. They work good and don't come off while quilting. Yet, can be removed with brushing and ultimately washing. I only recommend them in white and light grey as they have no color in them. I have also used successfully the ceramic mechanical pencil sold under several brands - Sewline, Fons and Porter and Collins.

I have both the blue and white..neither have ever worked satisfactory! Mess going on...then disappears after a short amount of time.

It works great on wallhangings (36 inch and under). The chalk rubs off of larger projects.

I was going to suggest talcum powder...

"Pounce" is a terrible word for describing this product. You need to rub it (swipe it) over the stencil for it to deposit the chalk. The only time you pounce it is to load it up with the chalk. There is a new powder that is ironed off. I saw it demonstated at the quilt show.

Thanks for the info! Just googled this one and it looks promising (though....don't they all.. :roll: ). Has anyone tried the iron off powder?

I have used the old fashioned sliver of soap with good success.

I'm not so much help, but I have marked a lap quilt with the white iron off pounce and I loved the way it went on-easy peasy! But I haven't quilted it yet. I ask this same question here and got positive responses, so I bought the product and have great hopes in it because I hate marking for FMQing.

I've tried and can mark just fine, but the chalk seems to come off enough that you cannot see all your markings through the whole process of quilting.

If you use the regular chalk pounce, then spray with hair spray to hold it in place while quilting. This is assuming you intend to wash the quilt when finished.

I have the iron off and have used it on my practice quilts on my longarm and it seems to work just fine.

And yes, you swipe, not pounce. I guess pounce sounds better than swipe. :)

I learned to make sure the ruff side of the paper should be the one to pounce, it really catches the powder and then shows up. At first I tried it on the smooth side and was dissapointed with the effect, too light. Have not used it on a large item, so I don't know if is stays on the quilt.

Hmm, good to know, will have to try this the next time.

Try generals chalk pencils, found at aaron brothers art supply. My FMQ teacher swears by them

i marked one quilt border. i had a vine/leaf stencil and rubbing it across as they suggest tended to make the pounce covering catch on the points of the plastic the cut outs had. so i "pounced" after all. that did the trick but i'm sure i used more chaulk that way. and i got the kind that brushes off, not irons off.

I have used both the regular powder and the iron off powder. Both worked but the iron off stayed on much better and disappeared when I ironed it.

I like the pounce alot but I have a Bernina with the BSR and the flecks block the BSR and it doesn't work as well with it, so pen for me next.

I've also seen demos where the quilter was using a foam paint brush instead of the 'pounce' - she had a little container of the chalk, dipped the brush in then ran the chalked brush over the stencil. Looked pretty efficient, but haven't had a chance to try it myself yet!

I just used this for the first time last week in my FMQ class. The instructor says that it should be called "Rub" instead of "Pounce" because it actually takes rubbing the applicator across the stencils to make it work!

Right there with you on this one! Maybe it's a learning curve. I have read that you should 'rub' with it vs. 'pounce' as the name implies. Haven't tried that yet.

Haven't used mine yet. Saw Online when it was suggested u can use coco or cinnamon added to powder or cornstarch to add color. I used painters tape to crosshatch. Used blue marking pen. Came right off with water.

I have used it-many people make the mistake of "tapping" the chalk over the stencil-you should just "rub" it across the stencil, and it leaves the mark. Be careful, though, don't do too much at once because as you handle your quilt, it comes off. I also use my Choco liner by Clover and I love that!! I am using it now on my flannel quilt.

I have had success with the chalks and ceramic pencils that Hollis recommends in his post. The pounce is supposed to iron off after quilting - however, I'm a bit dubious about the success of that.

Yes but was not my favorite, like the little chalk red pen like marker, can get a pretty fine line.

After seeing a demonstration somewhere on the Internet last year, I bought a bounce (white). Sadly, like too many of my quilting toys, I've never used it - actually forgot about it til now. Getting ready to quilt a baby quilt, perhaps I'll give pounce a try.
:>)

You may laugh, but I have successfully used kids wash out markers by Crayola to mark quilts. Washes out with no trouble. I do test my fabric first. They have a little heavier line than the blue/purple markers so easier to see

The true Pounce comes in white instructions to be removed with iron. I love using pounce with hand quilting I always follow the instructions when finished I iron it off and then the quilt can be washed. I contacted the manufacture when they first came on the market.

Colors have different information. I would not use on my quilt.

Fairly recently, I saw E. Burns using one (or possibly two different ones) on her t.v. show and I was not at all impressed by the markings. I use the little chalk red pen.

I've used it and it was ok, other than I could not mark too far ahead or it was gone by the time I got to that area for quilting. I currently like the fine sewline pens that have refills.

That sounds like a plan. I have lots of chalk, but no applicator.

we have pounce, the only way it worked was to pounce as you go... no thanks.. i have a stick of quilters soap.. wipes right off....

I used the white on the quilt that I just put into my frame to be hand quilted.

The instructions say to spritz lightly with hair spray to make the marks last longer, which I did.

I'll let you know how they last.

I tried this ONCE...
VERY MESSY. I won't use it this way again. :( There was blue powder EVERYWHERE!