This probably sounds like a dumb question but I'm having trouble figuring out how to transfer quilting motifs from magazines and books onto a quilt top. I can do it with stencils but how to you transfer designs from a drawing? Do you have to make a stencil for it before tracing it on the quilt? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I hate to mark directly on the fabric, so I trace them onto Sulky Solvy with a Crayola Washable Marker, pin to the quilt, then quilt. I tear away the larger bits and the rest washes out. I also just bought a roll of Golden Threads paper to try. On that, you draw your design, quilt and tear off. Haven't tried it yet, but will be in the next couple of weeks.

I mark after I put the sandwich together.

I trace designs onto tulle or netting with a Sharpie marker. After the marker dries I pin the netting to the quilt and trace the design with a chalk pencil.

Janet

Thanks so much for the help. I have the Golden Threads paper. Haven't tried it yet. I hate the though of trying to tear all that parer out. The sulky Solvy sounds good. I think I'll try that.

Do you trace each design as you're ready to quilt? My experience with chalk is that by the time I get to parts of the quilt the markings have disappeared.

A light box is the easiest way I've found. I do hand quilting and have marked most of my quilts that way. I have very few stencils but several books with quilting designs. I just made my own. An old wooden box, borrowed DH's trouble light for inside, and a piece of glass on top. Any light you can put in the box and Plexiglas will work also. Tape the pattern on the glass, lay the quilt on top and mark. The only problem was that the glass would get hot so would have to turn off the light and let it cool.

You can copy the designs onto plain white paper, pin it to the quilt top and machine quilt through the paper. If you want to hand quilt, a stencil works best but you can sew through the white paper pattern without thread and then use the powder form. The tool for that looks like a blackboard eraser, you get it full of the powder and then stomp it on the quilt top. Tedious but it works.
If you can't see the design enough to copy through onto typing paper, use a thinner paper you can see through or darken the design in the magazine with a black pen.
I have tried many different pencils for transferring designs and they all work to a certain extent and the marks either disappear by themselves or are erased with a soft cloth or water. A lot depends on the cloth you are putting the design onto, color wise.

Carol J.

If it's a design I want to use just once, I use Glad Press & Seal. I trace the design onto the plastic with a sharpie fine marker. Wait for the sharpie to dry and then press it on to the quilt sandwich. I machine quilt through the plastic and when finished, I pull off the plastic. I do use tweezers for densly quilted areas. I also try to match the thread colour to the sharpie in case of colour transfer.

i just love this tulle idea

I made a light box several years ago from an old scanner. Took the guts out of it, put a light in it and viola! a light box. I really like it. I have to admit I haven't used it in several years, but I'm seriously getting back into quilting so will be digging it out and start using it again.