Pounce Powder

For quilting Bailey's quilt, I bought some Pounce Powder and a Pounce pad and a wildlife stencil.  This is the first time I ever used this product and there is a definite learning curve.  My advice would be to play with it a little ( a lot?) before taking it right to the quilt.  Especially if it's a brand new Pounce Pad, like mine was.  It takes a little bit of time for the Pounce Powder to work it's way through the Pad, if it's never been used before.  I poured in some powder, placed the stencil an the quilt, and proceeded to wipe the (powderless) new pad across the lines.  No chalk powder showed on the quilt.  I continued to wipe, tap, slap, POUND the pounce pad, and a little chalk trickled through, but not enough to see the entire pattern.  I repeated the wipe tap slap pound and mumbled something like "this doesn't work, what a waste!"  I decided to go ahead and free hand motion the design as best I could from what I could see,  It was a little wobbly and vague, but I winged it.  I ended up tearing out some of the quilting meanders, and decided I wouldn't use the stencil exactly as it was made.

On my second round of quilting with the pounce powder, the pad now had enough residual powder in it to produce a decent chalk line, and I was able to free motion a much better looking design.  I originally wanted to use the stencil over the entire quilt, but have now decided to just use it in certain parts, and the outside border.  The stencils are somewhat expensive, but there is a YouTube video on how to make your own stencils.  I might try that sometime.  I have a couple of stencils for feathers, but I am trying to learn to do them on my own.

Anyway, here is the pattern I am using for Bailey's quilt:

  

As you can see, the chalk doesn't show up that well on the lighter fabric.  They make a blue pounce powder too.  I have some, and I might try that.   The deal is, the white is iron off.  The blue is wipe/wash off.  I'll have to think about this!  I'd hate to have big blue smears on the quilt!!  I'll have to try a sample on a scrap first ...   Stay tuned!