How do you make your quilting designs on quilts????
 

I have been doing a lot of research on how to make quilting designs on quilts. My free motion leaves a lot to be desired. So, I need to find an alternative method to use while I Hone my skills. I have seen many different techniques for transferring the pattern on the top. Which one you do use? And, what kind? I tried using tissue paper (not a pretty experience) And, I bought the POUNCE. )(haven't tried it yet) Anuy suggestions???

Pounce works best if you rub a damp cloth over the area first. It helps hold the chalk in place.
I use stencils since Im not good at freehand. I like the ones with mesh instead of cut outs.
Just bought a roll of paper with stipples on it. Thought this would be a good way to train myself to do them later freehand.
The golden paper rolls are a good way to transfer patterns by just needle punching the pattern into layers of paper.
By doing stitch in the ditch for the middle of a quilt then using a pattern for the borders you get good practice.
The borders are the easiest since you dont have all the bulk to deal with.

I just do a large stipple, very easy and I love the look and love doing it.

pounce, golden threads , and chalk pencils, have used all 3 just fine for practice and small projects there are also rolls of designa like stipples made easy on paper ready for you to try, keepsake quilting sells them

I bought a special pencil at a quilt shop, but it took too much pressure to make any marks on the fabric. Didn't like it at all. Consequently, I just eye it up as best I can now and stick to simple designs I can't screw up too much. Of course, I don't do the elaborae quilts I used to make anymore, so I don't need fancy designs on them. Been there, done that, and now I just make simple usable quilts.

For LAQ, my go to marking tool are the blue water soluble markers or the purple air erase ones. These work best when I have made a template for myself or I am transferring a design using my overhead projector. Test first, of course. These are great for light colored fabrics. For dark I like to use the ceramic mechanical pencil, like the Fons and Porter one, but the mark rubs off easily. I have marked a quilt with it, loaded it on my rack and by the time I got to that area of the quilt the mark was too faint to see to quilt by. Luckily I could still see it enough to retrace over it again with the pencil.

For transferring stencils I use a pounce pad. Remember you do not "pounce" the pad but rub it across your stencil as though you were erasing a chalk board. As Rose Marie noted the chalk line tends to bounce away as you quilt and what was a fine sharp line ends up being a blurry wide mark. I have only used the regular pounce chalk, not the ultimate you have to iron to get the mark out. So I can't say what the ultimate does. Like Rose Marie, I tend to dampen my surface prior to marking. I have heard, but not yet tried, that hairspray also works for setting the chalk and the marks will wash out. Don't think I would test that on a client quilt but would on one of my own.

I have also used the Clover chaco liner. But only white. I have had the blue embed in my thread and not come out.

Here is a link to a post I did some time ago showing my steps in deciding motif and marking a quilt, but I don't need to mark much. For example with feathers, I only need to mark my spine. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...r-t121493.html

I use tracing paper.....trace the design on the sheet of paper, sew it with no thread and then use it to use as your guide to making more. I just stack several sheets of paper and use my original to sew with no thread and then pin those sheets in place on the quilt. It is a lot easier to use than tissue paper.

Every style of marking works for different types of quilting. I use Goldenthread paper on small quilts. I love using the pounce on large quilts And the tip about dampening the fabric first is one I am eager to try. Some quilts I just FMQ.

I also use the purple disappearing ink pens for marking but test it first.

the new pens (frixion) never used them, yet.

My least favorite method is using a chalk pencil. I don't know if I'm not using it the right way but it always seems to drag on the fabric and never leaves a good enough mark to follow.

Try them all out on some sample fabric Then pick and choose the ones you like.
peace

I do stippling and for certain designs, I use frixion pens on light fabric and a sliver of soap on dark fabric.

I do FMQ most of the time. Sometimes I stand in front of the machine, trying to decide what type of design I want to do. Inspiration comes from books on machine quilting, pictures of quits, lots of doodling on paper and so on. Sometimes I take a piece of clear vinyl plastic and put it on the quilt top and use dry erase markers to "audtion" design ideas. They can be erased. Caution: put a colored tape around the edges so you don't run off the edge and accidently mark the fabric.