Good Morning! Happy New Year!

I have a question for all of you quilters out there. What tool do you use to mark the quilting lines on a quilt top? I have tried several markers, and they don't seem to show up very well. They are either too light or the line is very hard to keep straight-they don't flow smoothly. Can someone please give me some advice about how to mark the quilting lines? Thank you in advance for helping me.

I have found the same as you, I work by hand and quilt mainly about 1/4 inch from the seam. There are chalk type markers for dark fabrics which brush off or some come out with cold water. I am sure someone else will soon come up with an answer for you.

I like blue painter's tape for straight lines, used soap bar sliver for curving lines. Have never found a good solution for marking curving lines on white fabric.

I just yesterday tried the bar soap, it was a light blue bar and it shows up great on everything but white.

You could also try watercolor pencils, they are available in many shades and they are quite easy to sharpen - especially when you put them in the fridge a few hours before using them!
The markings rubb off after a while and they are also gone after washing the quilt.

Great tips. Thanks.

What a good idea, I never thought of that, I can borrow my granddaughters which she leaves here.

Just one more tip regarding the watercolor pencils: test them before use! Every fabric reacts different to the colors of the pencil and sometimes it is harder to remove the markings. It's always better to test in advance.

I only use and recommend the watercolor pencils in white or light gray. Have been using the dk gray to good results.
They are "Multi Pastel chalk pencils by General Pencil Co
Can be found in art supply stores or quilt shops or from The Stencil Co. I also like the mechanical ceramic pencils. The white does well on dark fabrics and rubs off and washes out.

The best thing I have found to mark my quilts is an item from Pilot call FriXion. All you have to do is iron it when you are finished & the markings are removed (like magic). I love it!

The Frixion sounds cool! :) I looked on eBay and there are several different Frixion pens and none of them specified that they were removed by ironing - though one of them (a roller-ball type) says it's removed by friction. Can you put up a link to the right product?

What colors have you used? And have you used them on lots of different colors of fabrics? Do you feel like we're playing 20 questions, yet? :D

I use the Sewline mechanical pencils and I like them a lot but, they don't all come out very easily.

I have the different colored chalks, but those are crazy hard to use and the lines are wayyyyy too thick.

I used the Miracle Stencil stuff for a while, but again, the lines are thick plus, it disappears before you can even finish your design. That was another product that disappears with heat. Great idea, but it didn't work out too well for me in practice.

I bought soapstone pencils but I haven't tried them yet. I'm probably never going to throw away another soap sliver, though. :)

It is the roller ball. It does not say it is removed by ironing but I was told about it & shown it at a fabric store. She purchased her pen at Walgreens & bought some to sell at her fabric store. It is awesome! Try it out!

I just use a regular pencil. It washes out. If you make heavier lines it may take a couple of washes.

I researched the Frixion pens at Amazon -- provides more info about them. The marks are removed with heat but reappear with cold (as in freezer type cold). Someone posted in a different thread (search here on Frixion) that the marks reappear with cold even after the quilt has been washed, which suggests that the chemicals used in the pen stay in the fabric. No one knows if, with time, those chemicals may affect the fabric or the dyes in the fabric. That's why I would hesitate to use them in a quilt I would want to last for a very long time.

I use the disappearing purple pencil or colore chalk from the kids section.

I should have looked for reviews first - I already ordered some roller pens and highlighter pens. Oh well, you can always use pens around the house if they don't work out for quilt marking. There is never a pen around when you need one, is there?

But anyway, when I read that the ink color comes back, it occurred to me that you could write a message to future generations on the quilt, "I pray that you are never cold enough to read this." :)

I'll try to come up with something wiseacre.

Leave hidden messages for the grandkids and great-grandkids.