In my last post I asked for advice on marking dark fabrics.  I received so many great responses – thank you!  I personally find marking fabric to be one of the most difficult steps – there are so many choices, but no one solution – it all depends.   I most often use a water soluble marker for washable fabrics that aren’t too dark (I do test for removal first, but it’s been ok so far.)  I have tried the pens for marking on dark fabric (don’t show up half the time, and are very faint,) soapstone pencils (way too hard to get a mark,) chalk wheels (hinky to use, but it may be that I have the Fons and Porter one instead of the Clover version everyone recommends,)  tracing paper (doesn’t always mark, and not good for use on the right side,) and tailor’s tacks (works, sort of, but seriously annoying to do…. I’d rather save them for silks.)    Finally, with your guidance, I found this:

It’s made by Dritz, and consists of long sticks of chalk in a pencil holder.   You can sharpen them with the provided sharpener, and look at all the colors it comes with!  It removes my issues with chalk – that it’s hard to mark small things, and how hard it is to handle.  It does brush away (the sample above was marked and then removed) but not as easily as the chalk wheel.  I found it easy to make the insane number of markings required by my pattern:

I’m about halfway through construction on my dress.  It’s not that hard once you get past the twist on the bodice, but it is time consuming.  The best part?

The red lining!   I actually hate lining things – it involves making the dress again, and since I’ve already made a muslin it’s #3 for me.  Vintage patterns rarely call for linings, but modern patterns often do.  I assume this is because no one wears a slip anymore.  Ive already declared my love of the slip, and I often leave them out – I’d rather have the slip, which is easily laundered, next to my skin, so that the dress gets less wear and tear.  Sometimes, on something closely fitted, a lining is necessary (as with this dress.)  I can’t go without in the winter, because I hate when my dress sticks to my tights, though in the summer I rarely wear slips.What do you think?  Do you line everything, or do you wear the increasingly difficult to find slip?