Make your mark and then make it disappear! Missouri Star has a wide selection of fabric pencils and erasers to help you get the job done. When you want to create a beautiful quilted design or a pretty piece of applique, a fabric marking pencil is going to be a big help! And if you’re asking yourself what is a marking pencil? Allow us to illustrate.

A fabric pencil can be made of many different materials including chalk, ceramic, soapstone, clay, and more. But the most important aspect of these pencils is that they actually mark fabric like a pencil marks paper—and the marks are water-soluble so they’ll wash out easily. So, the answer to the common question, what do you use to draw lines on fabric, is fabric marking pencils!

What is a marking pencil used for in sewing? If you’ve ever wanted to trace a design onto fabric, stencil quilting lines on a quilt, or make marks for alteration, you’ll need a marking pencil for sewing. Maybe your grandma had a tailors chalk pencil for mending, and this is the same idea. Always be sure to reach for fabric marking pencils instead of the nearest pencil or pen. It’s best not to risk getting permanent marks on your fabric.

There are a variety of fabric pencils for sewing, so you might be wondering, what pencil is best for drawing on fabric? We recommend trying a variety of brands to find your favorite, but you can’t go wrong with the high quality fabric pencils we have in stock from brands you trust like Roxanne, Sewline, Bohin, Clover, Dritz, Sullivans, and more. Each has a unique feel and you’ll soon find the best fabric marking pencil for you.

There are also a variety of colors you can choose. The most common are white fabric marking pencils because they show up great on darker fabrics, but if you want something other than a typical white marking pencil, you can also try black pencils, purple pencils, pink pencils, green pencils, and more!

Put your fabric chalk pencil to work with this beautiful tutorial by Jenny featuring the Missouri Star Orange Peel Template below. Simply trace your peels with a pencil for marking fabric, cut them out, and machine applique them onto a quilt with plenty of vintage appeal!