That tutorial recommends using a "water soluble fabric marker" and shows something like a "Marks-B-Gone".

For a much more economical marker, consider using Crayola WASHABLE school markers, but only if you plan to wash the quilt after it's quilted.
There is much talk and info about these markers here: [url]forum/i-need-quilting-related-advice/4259-crayola-washable-markers[/url]

Margarita, that would be one heck of a road trip!!

Actually, I have 4 cousins who were born in Caracas when their dad was working there with the Gulf Oil Company! Small world, huh!

And I might have to get that ruler for marking fans. Great idea!

Nancy

Thanks for the reminder about that tutorial Margo. There is just something so wonderful about seeing a quilt in a hoop with beautiful hand quilting that makes me want to hand quilt again.Nancy thanks for the link to the tutorial where the semi-circle ruler was used as a template. I also have that ruler but I have never successfully used it for circles. Using it as a template for fans sounds like a brilliant idea and I am now going to do that for my T2T quilt which is patiently waiting to be quilted.

If I spray basted the quilt and then put in some thread basting lines that would help make it very secure and I could see that it wasn't moving!! Or, I do have a reel of wash away thread, carefully preserved in a bag, and I could machine quilt some huge stitches in the ditch and they would disappear when I washed the the quilt.
In Bonnie Hunter's tutorial she recommends a maximum of 5 fans and the Easy Cut Circle template would be 5 fans if I draw every other one which would make them 1" apart, so maybe this is meant to be.
I was never a Star Trek fan but would love to beam you down here Margo!

I think Baptist Fans from all sides would look great on a bed quilt, because the parts hanging over the sides would look "right" from each side of the bed, and the part on the top of the bed would be covered with wonderful texture.
But...lined up fans would look great too, and may avoid the lumpy middle!

Lovely tutorial that, I wouldn't risk going round as I would just be petrified to get to the middle and find a huge lump but I am seriously considering Baptist fans for the whole thing, as a challenge. I keep doing the same old and it's probably time I took a leap into the untried or how else will I progress?! I think fans going round on a smaller/baby quilt would look nice but would you notice their direction on something queen size?

Here is Bonnie's tutorial: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2010/05/questions-on-fans.html

This is the way old-timey quilts would look when done by ladies at a quilting bee when the frame was suspended from the ceiling and everyone started on the edge closest to them! I think it's just plain charming!

That sounds cool. I never would have thought of that. Will have to try picturing that in my head.

Nancy

I have seen 'Start in one corner, go all around the edges and then spiral in to the middle' I think it might have been Bonnie Hunter, but don't quote me on that.

Margarita wrote:
I don't know if there's a rule, but in my head I always think of the fans starting at the bottom of the quilt and moving up to the top. That's the way I would do it if it were me. When I try to picture them any other way, it looks awkward to me for some reason.

Nancy

NancyinSTL wrote: Nancy, what a great tutorial! Thanks for sharing the link! The curvy lines of the Baptist Fan really do look smashing with geometric piecing. I might have to get one of those Circle Cut rulers!

I actually have that page bookmarked, very good isn't it? And, I also have the Easy Circle Cut template. Marking the quilt could be for hand or machine quilting, it's kind of tempting as after marking it I would just have to quilt it all, no masking tape no feathers just stitching. Is there a rule I wonder about starting the fans on the shorter or longer side of the rectangle, when it's on the bed would you notice which way the fans went? I always wash my quilts in hot water when it is finished to get that soft quilty look, so I wonder if it matters what direction the fans go in?

I know this thread is about HAND quilting, but I just had to share this tutorial on FMQ Baptist Fans here ---> http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/2012/03/tutorial-fmq-baptist-fans.html The marking technique explained on this tute would work for either hand or machine quilting. Recently, I've just fallen in love with this traditional quilting design and thinks it looks great on many modern quilts that have all straight line seams.

Enjoy!

That is one big cable on your quilt, thanks for going to the trouble to show me how it can look - very good!