Any tips on successfully using the Pounce Pad?
 

Today I tried mine. It's blue and it can be washed out. Well, no such luck so far. The lines are thick and they wear off before I can sew practically. The powder also gets on my darning foot. It's a mess. What am I doing wrong?
I also have a white one that you iron off but can't use it on the quilt I'm working on.
Any help is greatly appreciated!

Oh another thing. When I press it over the stencil it goes for awhile and then no more color.
I know I'm not using this thing right.

The title of the item is misleading, Tartan is correct, you swipe over your stencil. The best way I have found to use it so that powder is to dust your stencil once it's loaded on the long arm, lessens the chance of it wearing off.

You have to whack it (closed) a few times before using it each time after it's initially loaded. If it's a new pad, you have to "charge" it (whack!) a bunch to get the powder flowing. The basic method is: whack whack, swipe/rub on stencil for a bit, then close and whack whack, swipe, etc.

Usually you only mark one area at a time, quilt, then mark another area. You can't mark a ton at a time because it can bounce off pretty quick during the quilting, especially if your fmq foot is a hopping foot. I really don't like gliding feet but that would preserve the powder better if you do like/have a gliding one.

One thing I had read somewhere was after marking, to lightly spray with hairspray to keep the powder on longer. I haven't had issues with the blue powder washing out except one time when it was a gift for a student's mother going through chemo. That was no fun. I always wash in warm water with soap and that time, the blue didn't all wash out! On successive washes, I also tried using Dawn, lightly scrubbing with a toothbrush, and eventually gave up after the 4th or 5th wash. It was mostly gone but still noticeable in the stitch holes but I couldn't spend more time on it.

I use a foam paint brush to swipe on chalk in small spaces to quilt (I will usually draw registration marks with a chalk pen that doesn't bounce off but can still be wiped off with a net scrubbie" to line my stencil up first). There are some quilts that have a netting in the cut-out lines and with those you have to swipe with an actual pounce pad. I have used hair spray to "set" it for longer, but use cheap spray (like plain old AquaNet) and use a light hand.

Agree that yes, if it's a stencil with the mesh, you have to use the pounce. If it's a stencil where it's cut out lines, I actually prefer to use a Crayola Ultra Washable Marker now since I've never had a marker fail to wash out with warm water and soap. I have an old fashioned top loading washer though, not a newer HE one so it gets plenty of water.

I will note that it is possible to swipe too much powder on the lines. If it's on too thickly, it just cakes up into this weird powder line that bounces everywhere when you handle the quilt or when it gets stitched on. Even with the hairspray trick, if it's too thick for the hairspray to "set" it, it won't work. The Pounce is such a great idea but can be kind of finicky to work with!

pattern marking with chalk
 

look it up---pattern marking with chalk

I watched the inventor of the Pounce show how to use it. First time you fill it you slam it as hard as you can about 100 times at least 100 times and then it' ready forever. Swipe it over the stencil. A thin line is all you want. It won't come off. When the chalk becomes too thin to show then slam it again a few times.

I love my pounce pads and have pink, blue, and white. Filling/prepping them is key. They do work better with the stencils made for them, but can be used with other stencils or making your own stencils. I buy direct from Full Line Stencils,
https://fulllinestencil.com/

I haven't yet tried the pencil, keep meaning to get one but keep avoiding actually quilting and haven't needed it yet!

Thank you all for the wonderful tips!! I think I'll have better luck now. It sure is a nice invention for marking. TY!!!

Pounce Pad
 

I have used the Pounce Pad successfully. All of the suggestions about "swiping" across the stencil are correct, otherwise one gets too much chalk or not enough. I have also used the washable markers and love them. When I wash my quilts, whether they are "pounced" or Crayola marked, I use warm water, All Free detergent and Oxy-clean. Any sign of a marker is completely gone after washing.

I wash most of my finished quilts in plain water and the Ultra Clean Crayola markers all wash out along with the glue basting. I pre wash my fabric with detergent so don't need a soap washing after it's done.

I love the idea of a foam paintbrush. Tried this stuff for the first time and it's a damn mess!! Anyone know what's in it? Is it toxic?