Using soap for marking on quilts
 

I want to use soap to mark a design on my quilt. I have some concerns. Will the soap gum up the needle? If I need to do a large area, won't some of the soap rub off with movement of the quilt through machine? I tried whittling down the soap and I can't seem to get a nice sharp point. The point gets too soft and breaks off before I can shave it to a point.
Any suggestions on how to proceed?

I use soap all the time. It doesn't gum off the needle, and it doesn't rub off, if you apply enough pressure. I whittle all 4 sides of either a sliver I've saved, or the travel sizes you get from hotels. I've found Ivory really works well and seems to hold the sharp points.

Older soap is harder and should hold an edge better. My oldest slivers are ver yard.

i don't sharpen them to a point... i keep them flat and thin like tailor's chalk. no gumming.

Does soap work better than Crayola Washable markers?

I learned about using soap as a marker from a Craftsy class I took. It shows up beautifully on darker colors whereas the Crayola market may not do as well. I have used the Crayola markers, and they do fine. There are times when I am leery of using colored markers....guess I am something of a traditionalist :)

This is what I use most. Unless you mark really heavy, it brushes off or with a moist paper towel.[ATTACH=CONFIG]579501[/ATTACH]

Instead of the whittling chore using soap, I suggest a small investment in tailor's chalk. The line is crisp, super easy to apply and washes out completely. A box with many colors is about $12. I use tailor's chalk to mark both sewing and quilting lines.

Thank you for the help. I was trying to shave the soap to a point but leaving them flat and thin is the way to go. You can get a nice sharp edge. Always nice to learn something new. Didn't even know there was such a thing as tailor's chalk

Tartan...thanks for posting.
Where did you buy the chalk sharpener? I have only seen the pencil sharpeners and I'd guess that chalk would not fit those.

Thanks Tartan. I will definitely check out the sharpeners. What a wonderful, generous forum we have!

The problem with colored chalk (including tailor's chalk) is that the colors may permanently stain fabric, especially whites. They don't always wash out and the chalk does not come with any guarantees. Tailors chalk is most often concealed in seam allowances; quilting lines are highly visible. White is the safest.

I had a problem with the green Crayola marker not washing out. Plus the item has to be washed before use or gifting. I use soap, chalk, or (my favorite) the air erasable Trace n Mark by Nancy Zieman.