I want to mark my quilt top with a design...I used to trace my design on tissue paper, then pin that to my quilt top and quilt on the lines. But removing the tissue can be a little cumbersome. There must be a better, easier way to mark the quilt top. Do you have any suggestions?? :wink:

I have a huge collection of stencils in all sizes I have been accumulating for years. I haul out my pile and start laying them on the quilt. When I find one I like, I use a water soluble blue pen to mark it with the stencil. I have burned and also cut custom ones when there wasn't one for sale that I liked or that fit the motif. Once I made kangaroo and emu stencils for my son's quilt by printing off pics from the internet an tracing them onto burnable stencil plastic. And just a couple of days ago I enlarged one I liked, but that was too small.

Doesn't your blue pen dry out after a while so how many blue pens do you use on one quilt?? And where do you get the stencils? What are Burnable ones?

I rotate between them, usually two. They refresh after a break. I usually need a break, too! I also use the Clover white pen for marking on dark fabrics, but you need to let it dry to see it. I love quiltingcreations.com the most. I also have purchased from The Stencil Company and Anita Shackleford.

I use the Fon's & Porter Pencils...Or something like it. I've never had an issue with the lead not coming out of my fabric..its almost like a chalk. The Blue fabric markers scare me. =)

I mark my design on Sulky Solvy with Crayola washable markers. Then I quilt, cut away the bulky extra. Once it's washed, the rest dissolves! It works best for me because I am still fairly new at FMQ and my stitches starting off are often very small. Some people do the same with Glad press & seal, but picking out the little bits would drive me crazy.

I use the Fons and Porter mechanical pencils: lead color for light fabrics and white for dark. They brush or wash off beautifully. When I don't have a stencil, just a design, I run it off on paper and poke holes in the paper. I use a powder puff and bath powder to make the design on dark fabric or cinnamon on light. Then I trace with F & P pencils and "puff" the other stuff off. Works for me.

With the pens, just soak the whole quilt in the washer on cold with no soap, gently agitate then spin it out. Then I was with a gentle detergent on warm an on the delicate cycle. Put in dryer and have never had any problems of any kind. I would be more worried about not being able to get a pencil out. No rubbing or erasing or anything with the pen. Just make sure to soak with only water before you use detergent. I don't have time to go back over every quilt marking to remove it.