ckcowl

I don’t think ( most) longarmers are computerized. I know at least a dozen in my area who do not have computer systems and 2 who do- but don’t use them often. Many of us with long arms do free motion, ruler work and some pantos.
I do hand guided work, not using pantos- some ruler work and sometimes I will draw a design on a block or two to get the feel of it. I love meandering along - doodle quilting, stars, flowers, leaves, loops & spirals.
if you are using a frame with machine on a carriage I would start at the top, one side, work across, waves, loops, circles, meander across, advance the quilt and go back the other way.

Jordan

I have no idea of how to help you on the quilting design but just wanted to tell you how beautiful your quilt is. Good luck on your decision of how to quilt it.

quiltsRfun

I do variations on a meander, flowers, leaves, Loops, etc. I start in the center and work my way out. I have a Sweet Sixteen. Angela Walter and Christina Cameli have good books with designs. No marking necessary. I’ve marked a few with stencils which is very time consuming. I find I like the ones I do freehand better than the ones I mark.

juliasb

When my machine was up and running I would do mostly freehand quilting or use a panto. I also have several wooden panto that I can use on my machine which are really great. Right now my machine is down. The plan is to get it up and going again soon. I miss having it available to work on. I have a Brothers 1500s on the Original Grace Frame.

ekuw

It sounds like our quilting style is similar. I too usually ditch my blocks then either quilt in them or around them often using stencils. I use my DSM though. I have moved away from "edge to edge" style as I prefer my blocks to pop so to speak. I have been most successful in loopy meandering. Flowers and the like. Stippling is harder than it looks, though I have done that OK too. I have tried to quilt allover in more of a pantograph style, but have not been happy with the results. I mean it was ok, but...whatever you choose I am sure you will be fine. It's definitely a different look. Sounds like you have FMQ down so that is the hardest part anyway.

RavenBlack

Christine Cameli and Angela Walters, along with Lori Kennedy have books out and youtube tutorials that I have used for edge to edge. I only have a DSM and practiced on dog quilts but they came out nice.

cindi

I think this is one of the best videos to teach how to do pantographs. I have a Longarm without a computer and have done hand-guided pantographs on a few quilts without any problem. Linda Taylor really explains everything thoroughly from start to finish. I had my sister watch it before she did a panto. It was her first time using a Longarm and she was off and running pretty much without any help from me once we got the quilt loaded! Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy.
https://youtu.be/bk-nSLvlQoA

quiltingshorttimer

Watson--I long arm and not computerized so when I do an E2E (and not use a panto) I often do a combination of swirls and short lines of feathers or do a meander and then go back over to create a ribbon. Basically any meander can have some loops, flowers, leaves, swirls or feathers thrown in and work. Big thing is to start at edge as far down on side as your set-up allows, work up and back down, etc. Get your drawing paper out and try it--or even grab a newspaper or tow and draw "big" to get the feel. Post when you are done--pretty quilt!

Patricia Drew

I so agree with Dunster's comment about echoing ... it's the greatest trick of all! It will get you out of many tight situations ... LOL

Sephie

I debated posting about this but decided tonight that even though it's a lot of work, it's possible you may still be interested I am assuming you are quilting on a sit down mid arm - I feel like I remember you saying you have a sit down machine like a Sweet Sixteen?

As someone else mentioned, Urban Elementz has a great selection of pantographs for sale either as digital or paper. You can purchase a digital copy (make sure it has a pdf) which you could then print on paper. Depending on your preferred mode of stenciling, you could then just print a paper copy and punch through with an unthreaded needle and use a pounce. However, what I like to do and is much more of a materials and time investment is this:

With a laminating machine, I laminate an empty sleeve to make a 9x12in clear plastic (3mm) see through sheet so that it's thinner than the regular template plastic we normally buy for quilting. A laminating machine is approximately $20 on Amazon and depending on what kind you get, may come with some laminating sheets already. Laminating plastic is also perfectly clear, which I love. I trace the pantograph onto the sheet that has been run through the laminator with marker, and then cut out the marker line with a swivel x-acto knife so that I make a true stencil where I can see through it and line up the pantograph easier. You have to cut only a few inches, then skip a gap before the next lines of cutting so that your stencil stays together. If you've seen other stencils, you'll see how it's not just one simple continuous line because then all the little bits in the middle would fall out.The good news is that it's pretty reusable, so once you've made a stencil for a pantograph, you'll have it forever! It does take awhile though and involves other materials for preparation. I then can painstakingly mark out the entire row of quilting with a Crayola Ultra Washable Marker and quilt the entire row before lining up the next one. I glue baste, so I can start at the top of the quilt and work into the center, then flip it around and continue working from the center down to the bottom. You could mark the whole quilt at once if you want to but I'm usually too interested in jumping right into the quilting!