I am in a definite rut with my quilting. As in, the actual quilt-the-top-and-bottom-together step. My skills set is pretty limited. I have an Angela Walters Craftsy class that I'm dying to finish and I think as soon as I get the next two baby quilts off my list I'm jumping in.
I think one of the hurdles to me building my skills (other than never seeing practice as a priority- I have quilts to finish!) is that I hate marking on quilts. I prefer not to wash quilts before giving them to their new owners (I know how controversial that is in the quilting world) and so I hate using markers or quilting pens that need to be washed out.
I decided to give a hera marker a whirl. If you don't know what that is, it is a small tool that creases the fabric without using any ink. Just pressure. I tried it for the first time on Eclectic Ark and I had this thought: WHERE HAS THIS BEEN MY WHOLE QUILTING LIFE?
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| You can see here how I marked nice, straight lines with a ruler and my hera marker so I could then straight-line quilt it. And have the lines actually legitimately be straight!! |
I can promise you, this hera marker will be getting a lot more use in the future!
This looks like a wonderful tool! I also do not like to mark on my quilts, I am so afraid the markings will not come out. Thanks for sharing this; I will certainly get one of these! Enjoy your quilting today! ~ Vickie
ReplyDeleteI recently tried one out and wondered exactly the same thing! Especially with the recent Frixion pen controversy, I've been looking for an easier way to mark things. And I also love that you don't like to wash your quilts before gifting them. I thought I was the only one!
ReplyDeleteI love my hera marker too! And I pre-wash, not after wash, (lol) so I don't like washing out marking either. The Angela Walters classes I watched on Craftsy really helped. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteI don't wash my quilts either. I just recently learned about the hera marker, and love it!! Wish I known about it years ago.
ReplyDeleteI do pre-wash my quilts, but I prefer not to use any kind of chemicals in the things I make - what if 50 years from now we all have rotting fabric along those marked lines? Maybe I'm dumb to be concerned about that (who says my quilts won't be rags or unwanted/used in 50 years?) but I do think about it... I know a lot of the marking pens have been in use for quite a long time, but it still makes me uncomfortable. My hera marker is one of my favourite tools too!
ReplyDeleteOn the practise thing, I feel the exact same way! I've got a few simpler/older quilt tops that I keep telling myself I'll learn to quilt on, but I somehow never get around to them.
I do pre-wash my quilts, but I prefer not to use any kind of chemicals in the things I make - what if 50 years from now we all have rotting fabric along those marked lines? Maybe I'm dumb to be concerned about that (who says my quilts won't be rags or unwanted/used in 50 years?) but I do think about it... I know a lot of the marking pens have been in use for quite a long time, but it still makes me uncomfortable. My hera marker is one of my favourite tools too!
ReplyDeleteOn the practise thing, I feel the exact same way! I've got a few simpler/older quilt tops that I keep telling myself I'll learn to quilt on, but I somehow never get around to them.