Marking a White Quilt Border! Help!
 

Hi Everyone! I am in the process of quilting a cute little lap quilt for a friend. I am very concerned about marking on the white borders. I have a lovely template that I would like to use, but I'm scared to trace it onto the fabric. A few months ago, I finished a king size wedding quilt with a white border, and I had a terrible time washing out the chalk marks :eek:. I am a hand quilter so the chalk marks remain on the quilt for a while. Does anyone have any ideas, or products that you use to mark on your quilts that wash out easily and completely? I'm open to all suggestions! Thanks.

Mollie

I have never had a problem with the Marks-B-Gone water erasable blue pen.

Me either. I've had good luck with them too but I don't have them left on the quilt for any length of time. Hand quilting may have them on the quilt longer than I would be comfortable with.

When hand quilting white, I did have very good luck with starching the quilt top well then marking with a regular pencil very lightly. The pencil marks "floated" on the starch so when I washed the quilt they all came out no problem.

You could try using a sliver of a colored bar soap. It will wash out without leaving any trace of the color

i use a sliver of soap, too

I use water erasable blue.

Do you use a spray starch? I've never heard of that method. And, just a regular #2 pencil?

I would trace the pattern onto tissue paper and sew right through it.

For my machine embroidery, I have used the blue water erasable pins, then sprayed club soda on the markings & they disappeared like magic without leaving any type of stain on the fabric. The blue markings had only been on there for a couple of weeks. Don't know what would happen for a longer period. Using just pure water didn't get the markings off nearly as quick.

I like Roxanne's silver pencil. When I have used it to hand quilt, most of it came off from handling before the handquilting is all finished. What little that was left washed out easily.