Quilt Marking & More Progress

My apologies to the non-hand quilters as you must be horribly bored seeing yet another picture of the same quilt that still isn't finished.  This shot is for the handquilters who will appreciate that I spent my entire long weekend snuggled under this nice warm quilt avoiding our single digit (F) cold weather and finishing the corner that is in the upper right of the photo.  I think I may be able to claim 3/4 done of the main quilt, then it's time to move on to the far less complicated two borders.

Thanks to all of you who left lovely, brief supportive comments on the previous posts.
The other question that I've been getting a lot is about how I marked this quilt.

 I have been using the blue "Mark b Gone" water soluble pen that is available in most fabric stores in the US. I used a 60 degree ruler to make sure my diamonds stayed the right shape then drew the grid using a 24 inch quilting ruler.   I have read blog comments about this not washing out well, but I haven't had any trouble with it.  Of course, I am a little paranoid and I only mark as much as I think I can get to in a few weeks.  I also give it a spritz with a water bottle as I finish a section - but that's mainly so I can admire the quilting and see if I missed a spot.   I live in a very dry climate so I've never had any trouble with it vanishing as some in humid climates have. I will give the whole thing a soak in a tub of cold water before it goes in the washer.

After the main grid is marked, I put it in the hoop and stitch the main grid lines.  After that, I add the other lines while it's in the hoop.  It gives me a break from stitching and is easier for me than hovering over the table to mark them.  I can also fudge the width between the lines a little for size if I find the grid lines are a bit off.

I don't worry about being too precise on these detail grid lines as I can easily adjust a bit.  When I first started I was really worried about the ending diamonds being the same size.  Now I realize I'm the only one who might notice...and that variation really does give the overall quilt a little more character.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

For more tips on marking grids, check out these recent tutorials by Annemart at Qulting The Town Red, and Tim at Tim Latimer-Quilts Ect

Don't forget that it's WIP Wed at Lee's and Esther's blogs.  You can check out other people's projects that aren't yet finished, which of course always makes me feel better about slow progress.