Sliver of soap to mark dark fabrics??
 

Does anyone do this and are you satisfied w/ how it comes out of the fabric?

I hand quilt and have some dark fabric to mark and thought about using ivory soap (because it doesn't have any creams, perfumes, other stuff)

I'm assuming when I wash the quilt, the soap will come out....

Am I on the right trick or looking up the wrong tree?

Never tried it, but it sounds right to me..How about trying it out on a piece ofd scrap fabric?

I definitely will, but also looking for experience. I often find myself landing in the wrong place! LOL!!! I wish someone would invent a great marking tool for dark fabrics! This particular fabric has too much black in it for me to see my black frixion pen (my absolute favorite marker!)

Lots of people use soap, especially "back in the day". Have you ever tried the Sewline pencils? I use them alot and they wash out.

My grandmother always used soap slivers and taught me to do the same. Since she was born in 1891 (died in 1992) I don't think brand was that important to her. I also use chalk at times, but not quilters chalk. I use white chalkboard chalk and a crayon sharpener to get a fine point on the chalk. CAUTION don't use colored chalkboard chalk without testing, it can stain.

I use slivers of leftover white Safeguard soap to mark on dark fabrics. So far so good for me. The only thing I find is that the soap edge dulls fast, which makes the line quite wide. For me this is not a problem, but it could be if you need a fine line for very accurate marking.

I think white soap will always come out of a fabric when washed, as there are no dyes in it. You can wash clothing with bar soap, even if it is colored bar soap. I have never used colored bar soap to mark light fabrics, as I have been afraid the dye particles might stain; however, now that I think about it, it would be interesting to actually test that out. My biggest problem with that would be finding someone in the house willing to use a colored bar soap so I could test the sliver!

When machine quilting on dark fabric I tried every kind of marker I could find. None of them worked. I either had to press too hard to get a decent line or they didn't stay on as I repositioned my quilting sandwich. Then I remembered hearing about the sliver of soap. It worked great! Easy to mark, stayed put long enough to finish the quilt, and no problems washing it out. It would probably be best to use a soap without a lot of moisturizing lotions etc. to avoid potential problems. That reminds me, I want to pick up a bar of Ivory just for this purpose.

I have used slivers of soap on my quilting frame. The lines lasted well enough for the quilting but the vibration seemed to bounce some of it off. It washed out perfectly.

While I have never used soap to mark quilting, I have often used white soap to mark dark fabric when making garments. The markings disappear with the touch of a steam iron. They say that if the soap has grease in it, the grease will remain in the fabric. I have never had a problem with anything remaining on the fabric; but I'd check to be sure the markings would come out before marking a quilt or anything else.

I just got back from running errands and FORGOT the soap :( I use oil of olay soap w/ coco butter and all the moisturizer stuff, so don't want to use that on my quilt. Looking forward to trying it.

Never have tried the Sewline pens/pencils....are those the ones that are $15??

I sometimes use soap for marking. I have even seen thin pieces with sharp edges for sale in quilt shops.

I use something called Miracle Chalk. It marks easily on dark fabrics and disappears with w steam iron. LOVE this stuff for dark fabrics. Here's a link to it on Amazon, but I usually get it at my LQS. http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Chalk-...d_sim_sbs_ac_2

I use Sewline pencils to mark on dark fabrics.

Sounds like a really good idea!

I do this all the time on dark fabrics. Its my method of choice for dark fabrics. I just did this on a quilt and washed out like a dream. Do it on a test piece of the kind of fabric you are going to make first. Then you will feel better about it.
Tammy

Well!!! You guys are the best!! But then - we all know that there's a wealth of knowledge and wisdom around here! I'm looking forward to finishing marking this. I promise you'll see the finished product - it's gotta be done before Memorial Day!

I always use soap slivers - whatever brand is on hand. A few co-workers bring theirs to me at work - by their smell they're probably dove or ivory. Depending on my quilting template - like, if I have a plastic one, I make a pouncer with baby powder and that's worked too - it can be hard to get the soap into the template lines without making a mess of the plastic template :) I've also made a pouncer out of cinnamon for my lighter fabrics. My quilting might not always look the best, but it always smells good :) !!

I just completed a black and white quilt. (See pics I just posted here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t184776.html
I used the fons and porter chalk marker for both the white and black. I used pink for the white and white for the black. Anyways, when I washed it, there was NO trace of the chalk. What I liked was the wheel on the marker. It makes a nice slim line. Here is the website: http://www.shopfonsandporter.com/cat...d=chalk+marker I got mine at Joanns with a coupon. Good luck.

Would the chalk marker hold up against hand quilting??? There's always my hand rubbing over the fabric....

sewline in white (also comes under brand names of Fons and Porter and Collins) Works great.
Use one of the black lint brushes that is plastic. Works very well to remove the white lines.

I have not used the Miracle Chalk, but it looks like <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Taylor</st1:City></st1:place>’s chalk.<o:p></o:p>
I have use it for marking mens pants hems for years, it removes with steam also, but it has wax in it and will leave a wax line on light colored fabric. TEST TEST TEST<o:p></o:p>

I learned about using soap slivers when taking a tayloring class many, many years ago. Yes, it does wash out. I have only used white soap, however.