Marking your quilt top

[juliefugate]

I have a quilt I'll be quilting soon. I have a longarm, but will be doing my first very detailed and extensive quilting wit h lots of ruler work and feathers, etc. (I usually do free motion). This is a very special quilt and it has a white background. What do you use to mark the top for quilting? I'm really afraid of ruining this amazing quilt with marks that don't come out.

[Laura C.]

I don't do longarm quilting but I mark my quilts with heat removable pens that I buy at Office Depot. I've never had any problem with them.

[Barbara B.]

Test every marker you want to use on every fabric. Some heat removable pens are not intended for fabric and can return when subjected to cold temperatures, like in a transport truck or airplane. Frixion pens, for example, are clearly not designed for fabric per the manufacturer.
I use chalk if I must have a mark. Very few marks for feathers and only a few spacing marks for ruler work.
I understand your concern about marking a special quilt. Test, test, test.