Pantographs
 

I am waiting for my Block Rockit to arrive. It is a 14+ machine with a ten foot grace frame. Since it comes with rear handles and a laser light I plan to give Pantographs a try. Where is a good place to purchase Pantographs? Videos to watch? Pitfalls and tips? I have access to a group buy from Checkers and Brewers. Please let me know if they have supplies I should consider purchasing.

Thanks so much!

Check out Sewthankful, Urban Elements, and Quilts Complete.

www.willowleafstudio.com

I don't know if your set up will have a clear plastic "flip up" type top on your back side...where you will be working your panto under, anyway mine does - I use vis-a- vis markers( wash off w/ damp paper towel) to mark ends of quilt and when I get to last row it usually does not end where panto does,so with pen I can "redraw" that end continous line..... Hope this makes sense!

And remember...don't really sweat following that laser on that design line perfectly...no one will ever know if you veered off a bit...just keep moving gently along it or close to it! Have fun!

watch the width of the panto. you need ones that fit in what is equivalent to your stitch area.

I purchase most of my pantos from Urban Elementz. They have a petite category that would probably work well on your machine. Most of the pantos can be resized.

I have an old HQ16 and cannot get behind it due to space restrictions. I visited a friend with the same machine and tried the pantos there. I took me twice as long as free from the front of the machine. All that lining up took time. That being said----look for the ones that have a bit more space in between the shapes....meaning not so dense.

Most people who quilt for money have lots of darling pantos for their clients to choose from. I am betting they are very fast at lining up each section.

When you are considering the width of the design, take into account the fact that you will be rolling the quilt as you go so you will have less space to work with as your arm measurement. Depending on the size quilt you do, and the thickness of the batting, you may use up 6 inches or more.

Here's another vote for urbanelementz.com. They have hundreds of patterns to choose from and their paper is nice quality. You can also buy the digital format if your quilter is computerized. I just placed an order last week and it arrived in three days.

They just had a semi-annual 25% off sale. If you order from them I would order a couple to get you started, then watch for them to have another sale and order several at once. That's what I did.

I love this board! Thanks so much for the helpful advice and suggestions!