Tips & Tricks :: Marking

This contributor post is by Sandie of crazy’boutquilts.

Hello everyone! It’s me, Sandie from crazy’boutquilts back with a few more tips and tricks for you. Today I want to talk about marking. There are a bunch of products on the market when it comes to marking your projects. I can honestly say, I haven’t tried most of them.  Like most of you, I don’t have an unlimited budget for sewing and quilting, so I go with my tried and true methods. They work, so why not save those extra dollars for fabric?

First on my list is my mechanical pencil. I use it all the time! Most of my marks are on the back of the fabric, like marking cutting lines when making half square triangles in quilting. I use a large nail file as my ‘ruler’ because it has enough grit to hold the fabric nicely so the corners don’t move.

Next on my list is a Hera marker. A long time ago they were made from bone and used by tailors.  Mine is plastic, but works the same way.  If I am doing machine quilting on a small piece and need to mark a sewing line~ the Hera works great! And there is no need to remove the lines, as they are just little grooves in the fabric.  I know they are hard to see in this photo, so I marked some black lines at the top. Under the sewing machine foot, the light hits them just right and they are quite easy to follow.

I used chalk a lot too. This little wheeled marker makes a very fine line. I can easily see it on darker fabrics, and it brushes away with a small piece of flannel or even batting. This is especially nice when you don’t want to have to wash the item you are sewing before using it.

Finally, my Grandmom always used soap slivers and they have a place in my tools too.  Mine are from a bar of Ivory soap. The line doesn’t brush away, so if your project is being moved around a lot there is no worry. I spot remove them with a damp flannel scrap if they don’t disappear under the stitching. I usually use these when I know I will be washing the project as soon as I finish it.

Now I know there are a lot of disappearing ink pens and things on the market. There is nothing wrong with them that I know, I even tried one at one time. But the ink dried out before I used it very much, so I stopped and went back to my old methods. It all depends on how often you use them, I guess. I hope you’ve found some of my tips useful.

Thanks to Jennie and Clara for allowing me to visit with y’all today! Have a happy day!