How do you pput the quilting pattern on the quilt top. I was told to use chalk, but that could come off really easy wouldn't it?

Everyone has their own way of applying stencils. My two favorite methods are using water soluable pencil for large quilted items as they (the markings made) will stay on the fabric until you wash it out and air soluable marker when doing small items and small areas - whereas you have to work really quickly before they disappear. I don't like chalk, its too messy for me and sometimes doesn't all come out completely if you mark too hard on accident.

Explosive blessings, abundance and inspiration to you all!
- The Creative Seamstress

always test your markers on some left over scraps. every fabric is different.
Dritz blue wash out markers, various chalk pencils, pounce chalk pads, etc.

In my limited experience (4 years - handful of quilts)

I've used chalk but I've had a few problems with the chalk staining very light thread - very slightly (only I would notice it's there) - after the finished quilt was washed.

No, it doesn't come off very easily. It's a chalk pencil and you draw with it. They come in lots of colors (the one that stained for me was orange on cream thread). The other thing is if you make a mistake with the chalk you can brush it off with an old toothbrush. In fact, I try to do that now before I launder the quilt to keep it from setting in.

Another method if it's a small quilt (or small area) and a delicate pattern, is to use tracing paper then quilt through the paper then pull it off. Some tips I learned about this method:

1) pinning it doesn't keep it where it should be very well, and if it's a very intricate pattern there is not a good way to get pins everywhere you need them.

2) my LAQ recommend a spray (can't remember name and I'm at work (shhhh!) so can't look) - spray the PAPER (NOT the quilt) - let the spray dry to tacky then lay it on the quilt. the problem with this is the spray nozzle can gum up and "sputter" onto the paper in globs - if you don't catch it the globs stick to the quilt and it WON'T come out - at least it didn't on the FLANNEL I was using. Also, I was picking the paper out from under the threads with a tweezers for a long time. Pain in the butt.

I've seen the "pounce" but I've never tried it.

Tried lead pencil - it's OK for some light (but not white) fabrics, but obviously can't use it with darks. Doesn't work at all once the batting is on cause you need a hard surface under the pencil, and even then you sometimes get pencil drag and can (if your not careful) put a hole in your quilt top

Of all of them, I like the chalk pencil the best. I know there are lots of other products/tricks out there and I'm interested in hearing about others.

Pounce chalk for stencils that iron's off or disappearing marker...

Multi Pastel Chalk pencils. they stay on rather well
can be purchased at art supply stores. I use white ad light gray.

great ideas thanks

there is a new marker i've seen on here called Frixion by pilot they say it goes away when ironed. They were saying it was a great pin for quilting. I have'nt been able to get one yet.

I have been wondering about using a sliver of old soap..? I have seen this mentioned in lots of my quilt books and was wondering if anyone has tried this? What kind of soap to use, any old kind ya got laying around or what?? Thanks for any input.

Soap, hera markers which I think are soapstone, baby powder, cornstarch, etc. I even heard John Flynn suggest cinnamon one time on Simply Quilts.

I mark with a chalk pencil, just the area I will be working on for that row or spot. I've heard others who lay out their stencil and pounce the entire top then use hairspray--cheapest kind you can buy--to hold the chalk on. If you use the pouncing chalk, though, make sure it is the non-staining kind for quilters. Don't use the orange/blue/yellow chalk that carpenters & roofers use for snapping lines!

I've also traced onto very thin tissue type paper and used painters tape to hold it on the quilt and stitched right through the paper. That is my favorite method.

I'm afraid of the markers. Too many horror stories about them not coming out or coming out but resurfacing later.