Hi all,

I am not one to mark my tops before sandwiching them (for hand quilting) as I like to make up my mind as I go along. I often use masking tape of various widths for shadow quilting around seams or for basic cross hatching. Another marking tool I like is chalk dispenser tool. It looks kind of like a fat pen and holds powdered chalk and there is a wheel that dispenses the chalk. This tool is good for doing straight lines I use my ruler to figure out where I want the line and run the chalk pen along the ruler and it lays out a thin layer of chalk but it brushes off easily so I only mark as much that will fit in my lap hoop. I am planning a rather ambitious design on a WIP that is already sandwiched of dragons and tigers. I'm not sure how to transfer the design on the quilt. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions? Is there any kind of transfer paper out there? Or perhaps a chalk pencil that gives me more control then my little wheely gadget? Thanks in advance.
FF

Fons and Porter , Sew Easy, and Bohin all have the same mechanical pencil available. Instead of pencil lead the "leads" are colored ceramic. They mark just as easy as any pencil, the line is very thin to your thread will cover most of the line and the markings can be erased with a white pencil eraser or washed away quite easily.

I use the Bohin (it's cheaper than the others) exclusively for marking my quilt tops.

I use a Sewline mechanical ceramic marking pencil. It is wonderful, very fine line, very little pressure necessary, comes off easily with an eraser or water, and the refills come in white, black, pink, green and yellow. You only need one pencil cuz you can change the lead color as needed. http://www.unitednotions.com/un-ss_sewline_0508.pdf

I now only used regular chalk, because I sometimes have curves like on my doggie quilt, I did doggie bones. I too use a hoop any only mark as much as fits there. I have tried other things, but when I got done the marks did not come off well.

I love my mechanical pencil from Fons and Porter. I comes with white lead for dark fabric and dark lead for light fabrics.I use if a lot.
Like you I also use masking tape some. I also mark as I go and love the pens that disappear . they are great to use on white or muslin. And they work!!

Great tips and hints, Thank You!!! :D :D :D

I also use the Bohin mechanical pencil. I marked the whole border without any breaks to the lead. I was very impressed with that because I couldn't get the regular chalk pencil to mark much before the lead broke. It's a nice sharp line that last thru a bit of handling, better than the chalko liner (chalk pen w/wheel).

I am like ghostrider, and use the Sewline mechanical pencil. I have several different colours of 'lead' to suite different shades of fabric. The white or yellow is brilliant on dark fabrics. For shapes, I iron on freezer paper templates, then draw around them, remove the paper, and quilt, if doing it by hand, or sometimes just leave the paper in place and machine around them

Thank you so much everybody and a big special thank you to Lacelady with the freezer paper technique. I had never heard of that, what a good idea!! Now I know what one of the long arm quilters must have been talking about when she wrote about the freezer paper method. I had no idea as I have only used freezer paper for applique and paper piecing I couldn't fathom how one would use freezer paper for marking a quilt top.
FF

For dark fabrics, I really like a sliver of soap. I save soap from the shower for this purpose, as it usually has quite a thin edge. Our soap is color-free and fragrance-free.