I am a newby to long arm work and have done about 10 panto's. I taught myself and they come out OK, not perfect, but pretty good. It's a learning process. I made several dog blankets for charity first to see how to line up the panto's and I also bought easy pantos for beginners. It's not difficult at all, but I think it takes more time. Of course, you do get a lovely design on the quilts that probably you would not make if FM, well, at least, I wouldn't be doing those type of designs. Grab some fabric and just do it.