Has anyone any ideas on Wholecloth Quilt Marking. Have heard of marking with a darning needle, some with a hard pencil. Please give your ideas.
vernie

Funny you should ask. We just had a thread yesterday re: wholecloth quilting.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-130159-3.htm#3475938

you can use a blue maker, but remember heat sets it. so do not iron or leave in hot car.

Is whole cloth quilting just quilting on a single piece of fabric with the quilting pattern marked on it? Are there any seams in the fabric? If this is so, I saw three in a quilt show during the Nixon Admin. The pattern was pictures of Nixon and Pat in the center surrounded by the Washington buildings like the WH, capitol etc. They were stunning and I have never forgotten them. Another was a bi-centennial with crossed American flags in the center surrounded by faces of all the presidents. The third was an Eagle in the center but I don't recall the other designs. They must have taken years to make. AND..... they were all hand quilted.

I've never done one, but I happened across the following yesterday ...

http://www.youtube.com/user/SharonSc...25/g1GNC-CA2T0
http://www.youtube.com/user/SharonSc...24/MAXRI4hLNIg

I used the Berol silver marking pencil to mark a whole cloth quilt two years ago when I made a quilt for our church's centennial celebration. It will wash out when washed .I WOULD POST A PICTURE OF THE QUILT, BUT CAN'T GET MY COMPUTER TO POST PICTURES ANYMORE.Bummer

This topic made me laugh. I remember I once marked a baby quilt (made from nylon tricot). I picked it up about 2 weeks later to put it on the frame for quilting and it disappeared. I mean the markings literally disappeared. Duh! I had used a disappearing ink pen to mark it with. Well....it just happened to be very humid and damp those two weeks. Yep!!! it had disappeared alright. Had to remark the who quilt again.

Hi Vernie,
I think the choose of the right marker also depends of the method how you are going to do your wholecloth. When you quilt in a big frame you can do the markings before the layering - the marked lines do not rub off so easily. When you are going to quilt in a hoop you move your quilt a lot and the markings can come off quickly - so it would be better to look for a more permanent marker or to mark "as you go". "Mark as I go" is the method I prefer, therefore I can use the method of needlemarking with a darning needle on light fabrics(the traditional method you find in Mavis Fitzrandolph's book - could you find it somewhere in a second-hand book store?). My choice for darker fabrics are watercolor pencils. They are available in many colors and I always look for one that is a few shades lighter than the fabric (or the quilting thread). I also tested the Bohin marker Sharon Schamber recommends in her video and as well the Sewline - they both work fine.