Pantograph direction?
 

Had a thought pop into my head last night in bed. I'm still finding pantographs more difficult than free motion meandering and thought perhaps the direction I'm doing it could make a difference. When meandering on the frame I quilt left to right....when doing a pantograph should I also do left to right...right to left....or doesn't it matter? Just trying to find some happiness with my pantographs.

Most longarms function best if they are moving left to right on the frame, measuring the direction of motion from the front. So if you're doing a pantograph you would start from the right side as you're standing at the back.

What dunster said.

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?

I’m new to long arm work and I do my pantograph first row right to left and then back left to right. I’m curious like GingerK, does it matter?

I don't know, but it's a very common issue that a lot of machines sew better going left to right.

Standing in front or behind?

bkay

You can go any direction with a longarm, but the stitch is best formed when the machine is moving from left to right (from the front of the machine). It has to do with how the thread comes off the bobbin. I heard a technical explanation once but can't remember the specifics. If you're quilting fairly slowly or changing directions frequently you may not see the difference, but as your speed increases you're more likely to have skipped stitches, shredding, or poor stitch quality (especially on the back) when going across the quilt from right to left. You may also see more needle flexing, which causes skipped stitches.

Here's another discussion on the topic on this board - https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...ht-t62108.html

My machine sews best from right to left when stitching out a panto. (back of the machine) Even if there are two passes before rolling the quilt I do the second pass right to left also. The panto designs are made to interlock and this will occur whether you go R to L or L to R. When stitching from the front of the machine I stitch from left to right. As dunster said above, the machine stitches better when going left to right.

You have been given very good answers here. Without being technical, it's easiest for the machine to make a perfect stitch when moving in the right to left direction when standing at the back of the machine following a panto. Remember, longarm machines are basically just like a domestic machine, only bigger. Sewing machines are not made to stitch while in motion. They are made to be stationary while the fabrics move beneath the needle. But if the machine is in motion horizontally, it can most easily make the stitch in that direction (R to L while at the back of the machine), as opposed to the opposite direction.

Pantographs never came easy to me. I feel I have to have Much better control to follow someone else's line. Don't beat yourself up. I usually quilt from left to right...it just feels more comfortable.

The machine "doesn't like" going right to left. It has something to do with the threading I think.

Facing my machine My stitches better(no skipped stitches, or fraying of thread, no problems)left to right. When I do a pantograph I stand behind machine and always go right to left, advance quilt and go right to left again, and so on. I just taught myself and this works better for me with my machine, which uses a laser light. I get the" feel" of the pattern this way.

I watched some videos on YouTube recently about this and both Linda Taylor and the woman that does the quilting in the Fons and Porter magazine show you should do pantograph quilting from right to left! I tried it and it makes it easier the way they show you. Why can't I think of that woman's name, ugh!