I will sometimes hand quilt in the ditch for utility purposes. But then I will quilt other motifs other places on the quilt. I will also, frequently, quilt 1/4 inch outside the seam or 'echo quilt'. I use either a plain #2 mechanical pencil for drawing the lines on light fabrics or a bohin white mechanical pencil for darker fabrics. Never have an issue with either of these washing out. A friend of mine uses chunks or masking tape to mark straight lines. Just picks it up and moves it as necessary as she's working.