Originally Posted by
alisonquilts
I know, I know...provocative title! And I know there is no right answer - but I have been experimenting with different methods since I started quilting (lo these many years), and I feel comfortable saying that I have found many wrong answers!
Mostly these days I mark with very pale colored chalk after the quilt is layered, and only do a small section of marking at a time, as the chalk tends to flake away as I move the quilt around. I have had problems with brighter colored chalk staining (even on colored, patterned fabrics), and I find the water erase quilt markers dry out too quickly to be worth the money. (But I really do like them. *sigh*) I also frequently use the white, yellow or blue fabric marking pencils, and have not had staining issues with them. I've never been successful marking the top before layering it - the methods I have tried have all had to be substantially re-marked after layering, or have left permanent marks.
Alison
Alison, we all have had the same problems. If I need to mark diagonal lines, you might want to get a HERA marker made by Clover available at JAF notion section. EB has demo this marker on a number of her Quilt in a Day videos. If I have a dark border to mark, I do like using the Clover thin line white chalk marker but NEVER USE THEIR BLUE OR YELLOW CHALK. Trust me, you will NEVER GET IT OUT!! I do use a blue be gone and purple occasionally but when I moved, I tested even the unopened package and had to toss most of them out because of dryness. Buy them ONLY when you are going to mark. Don't stock up because they are on sale.