Quilting planner idea
 

I'm trying out an idea I had to see what my quilting designs will look like. A while back I bought a piece of clear plastic to use for bag pockets, but today I spread it out over a quilt top I'm working on to try out quilting ideas. Pictures don't show it very clearly, but I'm using washable markers on the plastic and it's helpful for testing. It wipes off easily. I quilt on a Sweet Sixteen, and have discovered that the blue circle templates made for scrapbooking are the same thickness as quilting rulers, so I can get perfect circles or other shapes. Has anyone else tried this method for auditioning designs?[ATTACH=CONFIG]462910[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]462911[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]462912[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]462913[/ATTACH]

This is a common practice, but it is neat when you discover it for yourself. Your quilt looks pretty cool.

What a clever idea! Helps with how large or small the design will work.

Yes, in fact I was introduced to this technique when I bought my longarm and took the beginner's class. It is recommended that you put tape around the edge of your plastic so that you don't accidentally run off the edge with your marker.

Are the scrapbooking templates less expensive than the 1/4" quilting templates?

ITA ... the plastic is a neat way to audition quilting designs without taking a stitch.

One thing to remember when tracing around your templates ... your stitching will not be up tight to the template you have outlined in the picture. It looks like the circles might come rather close once the real quilting happens.

Have fun!