How to Mark a Design on a Quilt

There is a saying in the quilting community, "It's not a quilt until it's quilted." While some art quilters take issue with this statement, most quilts are completed with a design stitched through all three layers of fabric. The quilting creates a secondary design on top of the fabric pattern. There are thousands of designs that you can use on your quilt, but they all have to be marked on the quilt top. These lines create a path that you follow when creating your quilting stitches.

Using a Template

• 1

  Position the quilt template over the portion of the quilt you wish to mark. Line up the edges of the template with edges on a quilt block to center the template.

• 2

  Hold the template down with one hand while you mark the quilt top with the other. Trace along all the lines in the template with a fabric marking pencil.

• 3

  Pick up the template and move it over one quilt block or one length of fabric to mark the next portion of the quilt. Continue in this manner until you have marked the entire quilt top.

Tracing Solid Objects

• 1

  Place a plate, saucer, cookie cutter or other solid object onto the surface of your quilt top.

• 2

  Hold the object firmly on top of the quilt fabric. Trace around the object with a fabric marking pencil.

• 3

  Pick up the object and move it to the next position on the quilt top. Trace around the object again. Move the object slightly to create an echo effect or place it in random spots for a more casual look. Continue until the entire top has lines at least 6 inches apart.

Tracing a Picture

• 1

  Place a sheet of glass or plexiglass balanced over the backs of two chairs.

• 2

  Place a lamp on the floor between the two chairs. Turn on the lamp so that light shines up through the glass.

• 3

  Tape a line drawing in the center of the sheet of glass.

• 4

  Lay light-colored fabric over the glass, centering the fabric over the line drawing. The light shining from below will allow you to see the lines through the layer of fabric.

• 5

  Trace the lines of the drawing with a fabric marking pencil onto your quilt top. Move the fabric to another spot to trace the design again. Continue until the entire quilt top is marked.