Quilt Marking Tips From Quilters Around The World

Quilt Tips From Quilters Around The World

Marking Tips

Slivers of soap are great for marking quilting lines. - Barbara in Tennessee

I keep old nylon knee highs near by. They are excellent for removing chalk markings. They are also good for removing deodorant mishaps on your clothing. - Valinda in New Jersey

Before marking squares for half-square triangles, put a small dot
on the corners, then align your ruler and mark. - Rose in Florida

I keep a mug in my sewing room, along with a tooth brush. I put water in the cup use the brush to dab & remove blue marker marks on my fabric. Works much better than spraying water, and you can put the water just where you want it. - Charlene in Oregon

Instead of using a plate, saucer or cup to trace around for curves on the edges, use a CD. There are lots of free ones available for connecting to ISPs. The CD is also very easy to store. - Dixie in Michigan

If you want to mark your quilt for quilting - you can use a GREEN INK FLAIR pen and it will wash out. We found that this only applies to the brand name Flair and only the green inked one. - Sara in Tennessee

When marking rows to be sewn together I use safety pins. I use the same number of pins in each section or row. For instance I use 1 pin on the rows to be joined maybe each corner, the next row I will use 2 and so forth. I cannot see my marking pen or little nips. It works for me to help keep blocks in order. - Violet in Mississippi

I use regular chalk, all colors. I sharpen them and use them when I do free hand designs for marking my quilt. The chalk is great and brushes away when done. - Ginger in Massachusetts

When you need to sharpen the tip of your marking pencil, just sharpen it on some sandpaper. If you put the pencil in your sharpener it often breaks this way only the tip is sharpened. - Pat in Connecticut

To audition grid or template quilting patterns, mark them on a portion of your quilt with a hera (a Japanese marking tool made of hard plastic). The hera marks by pressure only and can be erased by simply pressing the marked area with an iron. - Suzanne in Arizona

Note: I had to find out more about this tool and located an online source for it here:
http://www.thecalicocat.com/notions-markingtools.htm

When sharpening a quilt marking pencil, use the larger hole on a two hole manual sharpener. This will give you a very short but extremely sharp point. The point won't break off easily as with the "normal" size and your pencil will last longer. - Rhonda in Washington

Use the new Glad Press and Seal to embroider words or designs on your quilt. Draw on the Press and Seal, stick to quilt and embroider. Tear away when done. Does not leave any residue and you have no marks on your quilt to remove. - Violet in Ontario, Canada

Trouble with drawing seam allowances on some templates? Rubber band two pencils together. Trace line of template with one pencil and the other will be 1/4 inch out for your seam allowance. - Bonnie in Louisiana

Keep a piece of sandpaper on a clipboard, with a thin ruler and mechanical pencil near your sewing machine. When it's time to mark the diagonals for half-square triangles, place the squares on the sandpaper, so they don't move around when you mark. - Carolyn in Texas

When marking diagonal lines on fabric squares to make half-square
triangles, mark from the inside out on each corner. No more bunching
on the corners or uneven lines! - Carolyn in Texas

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