I was over at a friend's and helped long arm a charity quilt. The pantograph was 'swirly' and one repeat was made up of two passes--the first part going from right to left and then the second going from left to right. It was interesting to note that the other helper preferred the right to left while I preferred left to right.
I am not a longarmer--really just learning the basics, and this is probably a very silly question--but since the machine can go both ways, why does it matter which direction the pantograph is stitched?