I've been on the board for months but have always done small projects until now. I am making a regular sized quilt and I had no idea of the time it took to just cut it out! I will look at your beauties with a more vigilant eye, now I'm trying it.

I admire how you are all friendly and how you build everyone up for their work. Sometimes, it has taken your kind words to someone for me to realize the good things they have done in their project.

I do have one question. A ten-year old little girl wants to make her first quilt and is doing it in 6" blocks. She would like to draw in these blocks afterward. Is their any coloured pens/pens that she can use that are permanent? Thanks for your time.

I'll follow this question. I have a 7YO that wants to do the same thing!

yes there are fabric pens also you can use colors and heat set them with the iron

perma pens are the name of them i think

I often make quilts with children (my grandson, quilt classes for kids and my classroom of second graders!). I have very good luck with Crayola Fabric Crayons but we draw/color the blocks before they are sewn together. It is easier for the children to draw on one layer rather than three layers, coloring over thread and dealing with the bulk of the entire quilt can be tricky. Also, they get very sad if they make a mistake and it is already part of the quilt!!!

If you put a piece of rough paper (ie construction paper or oatmeal paper) under the fabric square while they draw it keeps it from sliding around. Have them draw right on the fabric (not make the transfer) and heat set it with your iron---be sure to put a piece of paper over the drawing so you don't mess up your iron.

Good luck and have fun!!!

When doing the crayon drawing/coloring it is really easy to do the heat setting by putting a piece of waxed paper on either side of the square when you iron it. It will hold up through many years of use. And if necessary (I did not find the need) you can always refresh the coloring and heat set again.

When I had the GKs make my mother squares I chose the size of the black. ironed some freezer paper. Yes iron it first cause freezer paper shrinks, then iron it on the backside of the square. let the kids draw on it with regular crayons. then heat set it. (turn the square over and make sure you put a piece of paper under the drawn side to catch the oils from the crayon.) remove the freezer paper and sew it together. Hope that was understandable

when using crayons you put paper such as brown paper bags or craft paper on both sides to absorb the wax when you heat set it...its a great way to let kids decorate blocks

Can also border larger blocks, have seen color book page slipped under the fab then traced on w/black then kid colored.

I find crayola crayons about the best for this. Just heat set after colouring and it stays for a long time. I've tried Sharpies (permanent fabric markers), but they bleed allover the place.