The permanent red pen is pigma marker, I believe. I've also used them in different colors for embellishing and writing on quilt labels....

I do this too...some products just don't work as well and the pencil is a lot cheaper!

I pin my muslin to my pattern so nothing shifts, then if I am going to do a red work like my campbells soup kid, I use a red jellyroll pen to trace the pattern with it on my light box.

i was shown something today at a LQS that has a new kind of transfer paper. You run it through your printer and then peal off the backing and it sticks to your material. Her stitch through the transfer and then place the project in water and it lifts right off. NO stickiness no lines.It's great new stuff......I don't remember the name though sorry.

I'm jumping in here too. Instead of basting muslin on the back of my embroidery fabric, I fuse a layer of light weight fusible on the back of the blocks, after I trace the design with a fine point pencil. All the handling it does pill a little but I think it is much easier to manage than the basted fabric. I use a hoop when I hand embroider, but a friend does the fusing, and likes it better because she doesn't embroider with one. Have fun, I love how relaxing the hand work is in the evening....and keeps me from snacking because I don't want to get the fabric dirty :)

There is a new pencil out there called Sketch and Wash. Need to give it a try!

I have a Bohin eversharp pencil with a fine lead to use, love it. The leads come in several colors, including white. Not available everywhere but ask for it in the quilt shops. There is also another Bohin transfer set that is used for quilting but the leads are very large, they work great for longarm guidance.

I do alot of transferring for embroidery and quilting and have found some pencils in the art dept. One is General's Scribe All, comes in black and white; another is Dixon Photomark. The General's pencils are water soluble and do go away with washing, although embroidery usually covers the lines.
A good and large light box is still a good investment, beats standing next to a window and copying designs.
Carol J.

I use a light box and regular pencil, and a non fusible interfacing which I baste onto my fabric after so that you don't see the connections through the fabric.

Made a mistake on my current embroidery - which I'll never do again - but it is too late for this one. I used a really good muslin which is too dense, and three threads of embroidery floss. It's really hard to pull through and the three threads makes the picture look coarse.

When I was first thinking about doing redwork, Simply quilts had a show on it. You can see how long ago that was. She said she uses a pencil it is covered by the time you are done anyway. I have used a pencil for all of mine. Don't use it too heavy it will show, but pencil works best for me. Then I took a old scanner I had bought at a thrift store, bought some cheap light strips to go inside took out all the insides and I have a light box. It was easy to do and not at all expensive.

Rita.

At Jo Ann Fabrics they have pencils that once you have traced your pattern onto tissue paper (that's what I use)
then turn it over and use this pencil and retrace the pattern on the back, or what is the wrong side, then iron this onto your fabric. There are directions on the pencil.