She has been wearing the item and hasn’t said anything so hopefully it is okay. How do you mark your quilts for quilting? You know what I'm going to say next. xo. I couldn’t see the crease on the dark fabric. Above is the Triangle Jitters quilt pattern. The Dritz dual purpose pen is an absolute nightmare. I personally don’t use chalk on a finished quilt top because I’m scared… er… smart. If that doesn’t work, you can treat it like a stain and use something like OxiClean. Thank you for the marking round-up! Before you even get started hand quilting, you need to acquire the right supplies! Repeat till stain is gone. Today I thought I’d share my process of how I prepped the quilt for hand quilting. Once done and tossed in the washing machine all the marks came out! I saw no mention of using soap. I get really nervous about marking on my quilts. Finishing Your Stitches and Hiding Your Knot The Design. I never pressed the pieces so my method wasn’t heat tested. 5 Reasons Why a Hera Marker is the Best Quilt Marking Tool. I inspired to especially thank you for your awesome idea of “marking” quilting lines with good ole masking tape. I found all the usual suspects, but when I began reading the backs of the packaging almost all of them had some type of warning especially when using them with red or pink. Very stressful! I learnt this from a ole’ ladies laundry tip book I bought yrs ago. You can use the same piece of tape many times, because it doesn't need to remain sticky, just tacky enough to stay on the fabric. Hi there. I have heard to be careful using these if you are in a cold climate. This retired teacher did the same thing! If I don't have my glasses cleaned well and all of the lights on, I struggle to see the hera guidelines. I think I need a Hera marker and a roll of masking tape! I can see myself doing the exact same thing!! Your email address will not be published. I like using a sharpie pen (not ball point) for tracing my design. It you sew lines going the same direction, that pulling is not as visible. Triangle Jitters Quilt Pattern (Download). In my experience the Frixion Erasable pen marks go away when pressed but always come back when the project gets cold. Since Joyce asked, here’s a short tutorial about fitting border quilting designs when marking a quilt.This is the Swanky quilt, which is about 24″ x 29″ and the border stencil is 2″ wide. Find out how fun and easy these stitching techniques are when using your sewing machine. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, ya'll, but test these babies before using them. Even after reusing a piece of tape multiple times, once finished with a quilt, you're still left with a wad of tape to throw into the garbage – making this option not very eco-friendly. Sometimes that simple solution works. the tape. I sewed beautifully organic looking freehanded hills all over this Fly Away quilt (pattern available for instant download in the shop). Quilting is what gives a quilt its personality. Learn how to use your sewing machine to embellish your quilts through stitching. I try to. Will you tell me a good product to use to get the pencil marks out? Its hard to explain; I think the grit affected how the needle when through the fabric and retrieved the bobbin thread. First off, I’d have a long talk with that hand quilter. We’re quilting Prism Path baby quilt with two quilting designs: simple Straight Lines and Matrix, a wiggly grid design. Spray the pencil markings to be removed. FOLEX instant carpet spot remover will remove ink from fabric. I'm ashamed to say that this happened not so very long ago... (You may recognize this quilt (Stars Hollow). These are my go to markers! I’ve never heard of this magical marker! I have heard quilt horror stories about phantom guide marks rising from the dead weeks later. Or maybe the bone folder was not the right tool for my experiment. Whether you’re a newbie or seasoned sewist, there’s sure to be something for you to enjoy. With the needle angled slightly away from you, push the needle through the layers until you feel the tip of the needle beneath the quilt. Materials needed: Judy, I do use the h2o stabilizer when doing machine embroidery and just wetting the tip of your finger and touching the stabilizer will make it stick to your quilt surface. Brilliant information thank you. Heather Thomas explains how machine quilting has evolved and expresses several techniques for detailing your quilts. I’ve got another great article AND video to answer that very question 🙂 https://suzyquilts.com/5-reasons-why-a-hera-marker-is-the-best-quilt-marking-tool/. For the mechanical pencil, do you actually have to erase it, or will it wash out? New to sewing? This will keep tension off of your other fingers and, with enough practice, will give you the most even stitches. Once or even twice to give it more dimension. Masking tape is better for those who cannot see the faint crease lines made by a hera marker. Lay the top out on a hard surface and use stencils and markers made for marking quilts. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful tip! I just sewed them up anyway and right now it is still a UFO. Marking the Quilt Design. If that still leaves lead residue, treat the areas like a stain and use something like OxiClean to spot scrub the lead out. And just don’t ever use a regular lead pencil. Here at SQ you will find free sewing tutorials, product reviews, basic how-to’s, design inspiration, and quilt patterns geared toward you – the chic, modern quilter! See if you are still pleased. Simply lay strips of tape just to the side of where you want your quilting lines and stitch next to (not through!) There are a lot of ways you can mark these designs on your quilt. Pingback: A Festive & FREE Christmas Placemats Tutorial - Suzy Quilts, Pingback: How to Sew Binding on a Quilt (VIDEO!) I have a bone folder on hand since I am also a papercrafter. I don’t mark any HST, I use the angler 2 on my machine and save a ton of time! Use freezer paper and an unthreaded sewing machine, Even if your quilt top is very dark colored or even black, you can use a light box to trace designs, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. I have searched everywhere I know and haven’t found one. Cold water & ivory soap will take anything out. Here is How I do it. Have never quilted. Your contemporary style resonates with me, thank you very much for the tips and tricks. Hahaha that’s too funny! Find something in the 3/4" range. Above is the Fly Away pattern. - Suzy Quilts, https://suzyquilts.com/5-reasons-why-a-hera-marker-is-the-best-quilt-marking-tool/, 10 Fun & Free Scrap Quilt Patterns - Suzy Quilts, https://suzyquilts.com/quilt-marking-tools/, A Simple and Elegant Quilted Table Runner Tutorial - Suzy Quilts, Patchwork Jacket Tutorial: Upcycle a Denim Jacket with Style - Suzy Quilts, A Scrappy Modern Quilt: The Campfire Pattern, Zipper Pouch Tutorial: How to Sew a Simple Pouch from Scraps. I feel the need to have a moment of silence for your quilt before launching into possible solutions. (even HSTs!). xo. I used masking tape as my go-to quilt marking tool before discovering the hera marker. You’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome! My local quilt shop sells the Frixion pens out of a bucket by the register–no instructions included! That’s my guess. It makes a crease in the fabric only. I marked my fabric out using the pen lightly as recommended within 10 minutes you could no longer see my marks. Thanks again for the post. Great for lefties and righties, big hands or small, you really can’t go wrong with the hera marker. But since that sounds like a bunch of words mashed up in a name longer than the chalk pen itself, let's just call it what it is. I eye-balled the whole thing. Did I really need these guidelines to do my curvy improv hand quilting? Thanks for the heads up! Will try pounce for speed though.. Pingback: How To Machine Quilt - Suzy Quilts. So no worrying, "Will it wash out? This one was for me so I’ll just finish it, use it and laugh at myself every time I see a little black dot! You guessed it I marked a stitching line with highlighter. When a hera marker and a ruler get together, they make the best straight lines without leaving AN ACTUAL MARK on your fabric. I have a question. I have not sewn in twenty-some years. 2. The tutorial shows step-by-step how to free motion quilt the Baptist Fan design using a “Circle Cut Ruler”. Check out this article on fabric bleeds to read about soaking a problematic quilt. Sign Up for the Newsletter, Get a Free Pattern! User beware! Yes this is my experience, frixxion pens work well, very smooth surfaced fabrics seem more likely to leave white ghosts, but as always test first. I wanted to subtly sew my border strips together with a 45-degree seam so I drew this line on the back side of the fabric. Let me do my best to clear away the mystery surrounding some of these tools so you can go forth and draw guide marks with confidence. The official name for this tidy little chalk pen is Pen Style Chaco Liner. I definitely need to get one and try it out myself. Test. Lesson learned. For the machine quilter, I found this excellent tutorial by Elizabeth Dackson of the “Don’t Call Me Betsy” blog, see tutorial here. They come in different colors so you can switch them out based on the fabric you have. This lightbox tracing technique would definitely work equally well for applique as it does for quilting though! For light to medium fabrics I usually use fine point Crayola Washable Markers. I know, it pretty much sounds like a pen from the future… but they actually make pens with ink that disappears IN AIR. But did they help me sew faster and with more confidence? The Pounce comes in different colors too. Now I have that out of the way I just learnt I can use my light box on dark fabrics. In this case I used the side of my walking foot as a guide rather than painstakingly drawing out guidelines. The Hera Marker will rub out over time, but not as quickly as the air soluble pen. According to the manufacturer, this is actually. Will it lick out??". I am a beginner quilter (have only made 3 adult quilts and 1 baby quilt and almost finished another baby quilt so I don’t have much knowledge of all the mentioned methods. Regarding the pounce pads… I tried them when I was first learning free motion quilting. Oh I did what you did with pencil, but with a regular ballpoint pen 😱 Not smart, but lesson definitely learned!! So the best thing is to find in the corner to make a cornerstone either by doing a different block with an applique or a block that mimics your quilt. And to be honest, I mark designs for machine quilting and not hand quilting, so I guess I’m only sorta old school! Stitches weren’t pretty. Now, I don’t know if they expected me to dive as deeply into the process as I am doing here, but I thought I might as well...because I love you and you inspire me to be a better quilter. Great info, Barbara! 😉 The one time I can remember doing some applique on dark fabric was for the Accessorize Me–with Inchies quilt. Stay tuned for a first-hand dramatic tale of the OMGN way, starring yours truly. It’s so good that you have a sense of humor about it. Somewhere in my sewing stuff there is a Hera, but I doubt it would work on small bear pawprints (especially toes and claws). Obvi I never stopped to think that a dark lead pencil line would show through cream poplin....ugh.). Yikes! They were not designed for quilters or crafters, but because the ink "disappears" when in contact with heat, many quilters have started using them. So always always test. You'll want to stretch it a little, so cut it about 2–3 inches … Hold the needle between your thumb and index finger. 🙂. These pens are permanent, so the ink will not fully wash out. There are several methods for working with hand quilting stencils, but the basic idea is to temporarily transfer a design from the stencil to the quilt sandwich. Pingback: How To Make A Minky Baby Blanket In 30 Minutes! Maybe faded enough to not be noticeable? Marking your quilt. Hand Quilting Stitches that are unmatched for soft curves, angles and density. I’ve tried the air soluble pens and because my kids are unpredictable I’ve found that the marks are gone when I get free time to quilt again. It’s possible that I am too sloppy/spazzing for anything else, sadly! I recently improv hand quilted for the first time. 😉. What project are you making? I like marking quilting designs as opposed to just winging it and making it up as I go along, and my quilting quality is much higher when I have a line to follow. Did I mention my niece was having a girl? Since I am using straight lines, your idea, practical-inexpensive without issues of disappearing (or not) lines! On those occasions when I am using stencils to mark the top for quilting, I use baby powder in the pouncer instead of the chalk. The fabric has a black background with a dainty white floral pattern. I’m off to get myself a Hera. I’ll admit it. I have used the air erase pens and still have the scrap of fabric with the blue and the pink mark on it… As for my horror story, DO NOT use Frixion pens! Haven’t had any issues yet with Flannel. I will steer clear! There are other, better products out there. I wasn’t really worried as I had marked the areas with my clips and pins and could visualize what needed to be done. Been there! You should know that I try my best to be efficient while being accurate, however I am not a perfectionist. Use towels to remove the excess water and lay the quilt out on a clean sheet and let it dry for a day (or two). I use frixion pens all the time and as long as I use them lightly and a warm iron with NO STEAM I have no problems. I will definitely do a test with pressing first before I attempt my first “real quilt.”. Dear Suzy Quilts, 😊. oooooh! I keep finding the batting just gets all fuzzy where I try to draw my lines and doesn’t give me a nice straight line. Chalk is a pretty popular choice as a quilt marking tool, and this Clover chalk pen (also in a cool, triangle shape) has a nice, smooth feel to it. Oh no! I also think it affected the way my machine quilted. In my How to Baste a Quilt tutorial I mention the importance of using wide tape when sticking your backing to the floor. All Sharpies, pencils and pens have been moved far away from my workspace in the sewing room! I hope it washed out a little bit? I used the Clover water soluble blue pen on my most recent quilt and quilted it over a few days and immediately washed it – markings from that morning washed out, but the ones from earlier in the week didn’t. I used a pink on white and just as I heard the tale, I took it to the freezer and sure enough all the pink lines were there! Don’t be me. Chalk markers come in many colors, and some are water soluble while others will brush away. (Actually sounds like something I would have done! 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