Golden Threads
 

Has anyone used stencils, pounce pad, or Golden threads paper? How did it work for you?

Hated the pounce pads. Just did not work for me.

I used pounce only once, when I was taking my FMQ class. We used it along with the Glad Press & Seal to mark a design on our test piece. I agreed with my instructor when he said he didn't understand why it was called Pounce because it doesn't work if you pat it (pounce) it on the fabric. We had to rub it across the stencil to get it to transfer the design to the fabric.

I use the golden threads paper but find the office supply store carries rolls of tracing paper that work just as well. Also use the pounce pad, but you only pounce the pad to get the powder flowing then swipe over the top of the stencil. If you have too much powder than you are patting instead of swiping. I use the powder that irons off (test your fabric before doing the whole quilt.)

I have a pounce pad I,ve never used but have used both of the other methods. I use whatever works best for the design and fabric I'm using.

I've had good luck with stencils and Pounce pads. The key to the pounce is to swipe them over the stencils, like you would with an eraser on a blackboard. If you actually pounce, you have a mess...

I use stencils with regular sticks of chalk,...never had a problem, but have to work by area. If you mark out too much it may be gone by the time you get to the end!!

I use them all and like them all. I rub the pounce pad over the stencil. Mine works great. I heard a tip to use a foam paint brush with the Pounce powder and rub it over the stencil. Haven't tried that yet. Some patterns I like to trace on Golden Threads paper. It is great to do blocks. I trace on 1 and sew without thread over a stack of 6. It work great without tracing so much.

I live by the 25 lb. tracing paper available at Michael's. While you have to cut it down from 9x12 to 8.5x12, it runs through my Kodak printer, which means that I can using various computer programs to increase/decrease the size of the quilting patter to fit my borders and blocks and to line up in the corners.

Stormwater, do you have any trouble with the ink from the printer transferring to your quilt? I've been printing out the pattern and then tracing it onto the golden thread paper with a micron pen to avoid the ink transfer. I finally bought the iron off pounce and will try that next (really hate pealing off all that paper, but do find that the golden threads works the best of what I've tried).

The pounce pad works well to transfer the design through the screen print type stencils, but the design doesn't stay very long. The vibration of the machine rattles the powder right out of sight. I think some people use hair spray on the design to hold it in place like a fixatif.

I would still use this method if I had to, but I would only mark very small areas at a time. Ordinary handling makes the design disappear.

I use the paper for quite a few things and wouldn't do without it.

For the quilt I am currently working on I am using MUV's method of placing an applique fabric onto the main fabric, then the tracing paper over the applique fabric - then machine sew it all down.

I've also used it to quilt motifs. ETD - it's not my favorite method to quilt motifs because the paper is hard to work with under the machine - but sometimes it's the best way to quilt motifs.

And it's awesome for paper piecing ... the paper tears of easily and the little bits that might stay behind just wash out in the laundry.

No, but then the paper is seldom in contact with the quilt for more than an hour or two, plus the inked surface is to the outside. I use a DSM for machine quilting and work small sections at a time.

I have however never done this on white fabric, so I'll experiment in that case thanks to your warning.

yes-
when i use a stencil i either use a chalk pencil or my pounce pad- depending on the stencil and the color (my pounce chalk is white so not a good choice on white or real light fabric)
i use the paper alot- i like it- i use tracing paper once in a while but sometimes the yellow paper is a better choice for seeing what i am doing- all are good in their place- it did take me a few years before i finally started using the pounce- but once i did i found it a good choice at times.