Pounce pads
 

Asking for opinions on pounce pads and the stencils used with them. Let me know your thoughts. Picked up 3 stencils at the thrift store for a $1.50. Not sure if I want to buy the pound pad and chalk or not. Thanks in advance for your input.

I really like the pounce pads for a lot of reasons. They definitely (for me at least) work best with the screen type stencils although I have experimented with various ways to make stencils and I can get them to work -- probably not worth it to me to do that way. But for the right stencil -- oh yeah, even cheap me will buy what I need. I did move a number of stencils/pads/supplies so it was worth it to me to do that when other stuff got culled from the collection.

It does take a bit to get used to the process and setting up your pad correctly. I do recommend some trials first, with solid fabrics or simple pieced squares to see how it all reacts. I have all three colors (white, pink, blue) and the pencil. I use white the most.

For long arm quilting, I could mark the entire top first and would do while putting the sandwich together. For quilting on my domestic I did get too much rub off to do the entire thing, but it still held up very well for up to half the project at a time.

You can buy from other sources, but I like to go to Full Line Stencils. Been using them pretty much since they started and I saw it at a show.
https://fulllinestencil.com/

edit: One I have used before was this for me intricate Pumpkin Motif, don't think I could have done it any other way except with the stencil. I quilted a collection of small halloween quilts a friend of mine made. The stencil is still in perfect shape and was used for three different projects each about 3x5 feet, so hold up to repeat use.
https://fulllinestencil.com/products...bright-3-width

Are the colors easy to remove? No problem with white, I use that a lot, concerned about the blue and yellow.

Sometimes yellows and blues are extremely hard to remove - if they are even removable.

Test first. (I know - testing is such a bother - but it can minimize aggravation later.)

I only used the white powder but for me, because I was hand quilting, the chalk would end up rubbing off or being too faint by the time I got to that section. I didn’t find it easy to only mark a small area at a time, so eventually just gave mine away. My stencils have been collected from different sources over the years. The ones I cut myself were with a product called DBK Inglis Publications, Chelsea, MI. I have no idea if it is still available, this is an old roll just sitting here waiting for me to need it!

I could not get pouncing correctly. It was too frustrating for me and not easy to use. My supplies ended up on give-away table at guild. I just trace my stencils with washable markers. I recently purchased a white chalk marking pen mentioned on another post, but have not taken it out of the package yet. It is for dark fabrics.

When I use any type of chalk to make quilt designs, I also spray the designs with hairspray. It seems to seal the chalk so it doesn't come off as easily. I do wash my quilts once I've used chalk and hairspray. I buy the cheapest hairspray I can find and it seems to help. I've not use any color chalk other than white.

I watched the inventor of this demo it. First, it is essential to pound the pounce on a solid surface very hard at least 50 times at first time using it. This is to get the marking surface overfilled with chalk, so it flows freely over the stencils. It then works in one swipe over the stencil. It lasts a long time when properly saturated. I like the iron away chalk. I suggest you tape the pounce closed. I dropped mine and it popped open. What a mess.