How do you use the motifs in 501 quilting book
 

I got this book today and I was thinking of how do you make a stencil or how do you use this to put on your quilt?

Are these pages to copy from or do they want you to draw them by tracing or something? I usually make my own so I am not sure what to say.

It would depend on what machine I quilted on. If I used my Gammill standup machine, I would trace the motif off on a piece of paper, place on the machine table, line it up with laser light and quilt away. If I use my domestic machine I would trace the motif off on a piece of tissue paper, pin it were I wanted it on the quilt sandwich and stitch thru the paper, tearing the paper way after the block was quilted.

Oh gosh, I was thinking of hand quilting. Sorry.

I sometimes use ( Golden paper) to trace a continuous pattern from the book, sometimes I just copy a page in the beginning of the book it explains a few different ways to transfer and use the motifs.

I do as Bobbielinks and I do fm on my home sewing machine.

I use a piece of flexible plastic like the plastic in bacon but heavier or a sheet from my current stockpile of plastic folders, trace the pattern on it and then on long stitch, NO THREAD and with a wing leather needle reserved for just this duty, sew over the tracing. Then I use pounce or cornstarch to rub over the holes and voila! the pattern appears. Of course this is pretty much a mark as you go project unless you want to play connect the dots with a disappearing blue pen. The stencils last nicely but do write page and any increase in size on the stencil with a perm. marker. Ask me how I figured this last detail out.

Thanks for all the help. I read the front of the book and that helped also.

I just got this book myself and think it's great. One question though - when you folks refer to tissue paper, are you talking tissue paper like is used in gift wrapping or something else? I'm normally a hand quilter and usually mark as I go with plastic stencils but am wanting to try machine quilting so am looking for some marking techniques for the templates from this book that will work for that. The book mentions using a light box and tracing onto the quilt top. I have a light box and can try this but I'm wondering if that will work for dark fabrics.

I like to trace the design with a thin permanent marker on Miracle Film, which is a heat-away plastic stabilizer. Let it dry overnight (or cheat and dry it with a hairdryer on low heat) so the needle doesn't transfer the marker color onto the quilt. I use temporary spray basting to place the traced design on the quilt, quilt through it, and then it tears off easily. Miracle Film is clear so it's easier to place precisely than Golden Threads paper, it's perforated, making it tear off so easily I've never had to use heat to remove it. Not affiliated, just love the stuff.