JustAbitCrazy

I use the pounce with white powdered chalk on colored fabrics. For white fabric I use the same white powdered chalk mixed with blacklight chalk (which glows green under a blacklight but looks white in daylight). I also use Roxannes' white pencil on colored fabrics and her silver one on white. All these products come off easily and don't harm the cotton fibers long term. Occasionally I use a mechanical pencil with a light hand to mark a fine light line.

ckcowl

I use sewline pencils, blue or purple Mark begone markers or pounce-- which ever fits the situation.

bjchad

I haven't tried it yet but Patsy Thompson uses a sliver of soap for some of her markings. I mostly use chalk but have also used the crayola washable markers.

luana

I have a follow up question. The pounce chalk needs to be ironed to get it to totally disappear. Do you iron your finished quilt top?

JustAbitCrazy

I don't think it needs ironed exactly. I'm pretty sure just hitting it with steam from an iron held above it works.

marge954

I have an old box of tailor's chalk I bought at an auction years ago. The pieces are beveled so the sides are to a sharp point and they fit great inside the grooves of the stencil. The marks show up very well and it washes out easily. I haven't ironed over the chalk so I don't know if it would set it to the fabric. I don't mark until all three layers are together and ready to quilt.

osewme

Thanks for all the comments. I think y'all have answered my question. I believe I will stick with the Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Markers & my try some of that Pounce Pad in the future.

NJ Quilter

With the pounce chalk - it depends on the version. The original version required only dusting off. There is a second/newer version that requires heat to be removed. I have the original and it does dust right off. But frankly, I've never been overly successful with using the pounce pad.

I use a #2 mechanical pencil to mark light fabrics and the Bohin mechanical pencil with white lead for dark fabrics. Only once have a had an issue with the regular lead not washing off but I used a very heavy hand as I had changed my mind re the design. It took some doing, but I was eventually able to get those dark marks out as well.

I then toss my quilts into the washer on a permanent press cycle; warm wash; regular detergent. Dry on the permanent press cycle in my dryer. I don't treat them gently. The recipient isn't likely to, so why should I?

feline fanatic

For stencils, I use the pounce chalk pad. The original that brushes away. If the fabric is white I have added just a teeny bit of the blue to it and I have not had problems removing it. Comes out in the wash every time. But I have read of people who could not remove the blue chalk.

lfletcher

I only mark quilts with either the white pounce powder, the Ultimate Marking Pencil (through the Full Line Stencil company) or the purple vanishing marker. If it's my quilt, I will use the blue water soluble pen. I don't like to use it on customer's quilts, though, because the quilt needs to be washed to make certain the blue mark does not reappear.