Originally Posted by Grandma Libby
Speaking of handquilting, does anyone know how to MARK the fan-like design like old timers used to..? I know they used a pencil with a string attached and drew the lines about 1/2 inches apart. How do you do that and still get those parallel lines even?
The method works like a compass does. Just pin your string in the middle of where you want an arc. Tie the string (or tape it) around a pencil, holding the pencil straight up and down, and make the string as long as it needs to be for the arc you want. After penciling in the line, move the pinned end up one half inch, if that is the measure you want, pin the string again same way, draw your line, move and draw until your space is filled.
You can also draw a cardboard template and keep moving it up. Or just use a regular compass. Just be careful not to put big holes in your quilt.
The way I do it is to tie one end of the string to a hat pin and the other end to a #3 pencil. When I lay out the quilt top, I keep a piece of cardboard or foam core board under where I want the pencil line. This gives a firm surface for the pencil and gives me something to stick the hat pin in.
Just make sure to keep your pin in the center of the space you are wanting to fill.