Those of you who use a chalk line to square up quilts......
 

which one do you use? And what type of chalk do you use in it? My T-square is fine for corners, but too short to extend lines when squaring up the quilt for binding. I think I want to get one of those gizmos to snap a chalk line.

I've never heard of anyone using an actual chalk line for squaring up a quilt.

If there is a Lowes near you, they carry a 6 foot metal ruler. It's made by Swanson and bright yellow, and I think it's about $12. I square up the corners of my quilt, then just connect the 2 using the 6 foot ruler. Chalk lines have been discussed before. The chalk used in construction will not come out of fabric, so that's not a great idea.

I believe it is Nancy's Notions that carries a "Quilter's Chalk Line" but you can probably purchase a carpenter's chalk line at a 'home depot' type store then fill it with pounce powder or clover chalk (the refills from the clover chalk wheel markers would work for this) I wouldn't recommend using the chalk that carpenters use- unless you can test it first to make sure it's not going to stain- I use one I bought at the Ace Hardware & I put pounce powder in it- then I just brush off any still noticeable - but after squaring up the quilt any still there is on the edge anyway & would be inside the binding.

The blue carpenters chalk definitely stains EVERYTHING. It is also toxic if inhaled.

Cheers, K

Me neither.

I've struggled with the squaring up process... can someone describe this to us with more detail? I THINK I get what you are talking about and it seems to make sense...

I already use a carpenter's T-square (purchased from a big box hardware store for about $12) to square up the corners of my quilts. However, the long end is only 3 or 4 feet long which makes connecting the corners a bit of a struggle on large quilts. Someone posted on a different thread about snapping a chalk line when squaring up quilts. After a bit of searching, I found this website that shows how to do it and actually answers my initial questions:
http://missesstitches.blogspot.com/2...it-square.html

I might invest instead in laser levels per this tutorial:
http://dreamweavers-quilts.com/2008/...hort-tutorial/

It's just that I cannot bend down to use the floor for a large quilt, so I end up using my kitchen island and always have part of the quilt hanging over the edge. :(